Another year, another lockdown! I hope you had a great start to 2021 despite all that is going down at the moment - it really feels like 2020 - the extended version doesn't it? While I try to keep sane by going on regular walks and hikes ( I'm in loooove with all the snow we're having this season!) and reading lots of good books and bingeing through all of Netflix I still felt like missing out on the full lockdown experience because I hadn't made a single loaf of bread! And apparently that's what we all do now right?

I didn't want to go all out with the sourdough starters though, so I tried a few easy overnight bread recipes first. And this no-knead wonder stuck! The ingredients are cupboard stables that most of you will probably already have at home. You also need a dutch oven/ cast iron pot to make this. So, jump on the bread-band wagon with me with these simple steps.

Ingredients:

In a big mixing bowl, add all your dry ingredients as well as the cumin seeds and herbs if you fancy giving this a little bit of a mediterranean twist. Combine well using a fork.

Add the water to your bowl and keep mixing everything together with that fork. Try to get all the flour combined well. You'll be left with a sticky, not very smooth dough. Put on a lid or clean tea towel and leave to rise over night (15 - 18 hours).

When you're ready to bake your bread. Preheat the oven to 225°C and put your dutch oven in right away. We want to get the pot quite hot before adding the bread.

On a floured surface shape your dough into a loaf. The dough will have risen quite a lot over night and will shrink a lot when you form the loaf. So after making the loaf, leave it on the surface, sprinkle plenty of flour on top and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave to rise for another 20 minutes.

Get your dutch oven out and line the bottom of it with greeseproof paper. Put your loaf in and cut a cross or any form you like into the top of your loaf. This will allow the heat to escape from inside the bread and will therefore prevent the bottom of your bread to burst or crumble. Put the lid back on and bake at 225°C for 30 minutes. Take off the lid and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Leave your bread to cool completely before slicing it.

There you go - easy as that! The cumin seeds not only improve the taste of this bread but also add some extra healthy goodness to it. Cumin seeds are antiseptic and antibacterial and help maintain digestive health.

Will you try this recipe? Let me know in the comments if you do. What other recipes have you tried during lockdown that you fell in love with?

P.S. of course I would forget the second proof on the day I made this to take photos. So this loaf looks a bit.. umm.. flat? Don't forget the second proof ;)