NO-KNEAD OATMEAL-MOLASSES BREAD

No-knead breads are not a new phenomenon. What were called “casserole breads” have been around for decades, with the dough stirred together and then put into a casserole dish to rise and bake. The original version of this recipe was baked, not in a casserole, but in a coffee can, but today we recognize that’s not a good practice, since materials from the can may leach into the bread.

We made this recipe with both all-purpose flour, as given below, and with whole-wheat flour. It works perfectly with either one, with the whole-wheat flour baking up, as you would expect, to be a denser loaf.

1 cup very warm water (120 to 130 degrees)

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon old-fashioned or quickcooking oats, divided

¼ cup light molasses

3 tablespoons shortening

1 egg

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon table salt

1 package regular active or fast-acting dry yeast (2

¼ teaspoons)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Grease a 1 ½-quart round casserole with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix water, ½ cup oats, molasses, shortening and egg until well blended.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, table salt and yeast. Stir flour into oat mixture and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl frequently, or until smooth. Spread batter evenly in casserole. The batter will be sticky. Smooth and pat it into shape with floured hands. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon oats and kosher salt, pressing in slightly. Cover casserole loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature about 90 minutes or until batter has doubled in size.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove plastic wrap. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. If loaf browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Cool in casserole 5 minutes on cooling rack. Remove bread from casserole; let cool on cooling rack, rounded side up. Serve warm or cool.

Makes 1 loaf (16 slices).

Per slice: 131 calories (percent of calories from fat, 22), 3 grams protein, 22 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 3 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 12 milligrams cholesterol, 187 milligrams sodium.

— Adapted from a recipe in “Betty Crocker Best 100: Favorite Recipes From America’s Most Trusted Cook” (Houghton Mifflin, $25).