Milk & Honey Casserole Bread

Casserole bread skips the kneading step entirely. The dough is intentionally sticky and soft, mixed with a wooden spoon and your hands rather than worked on a board. It rises twice in the bowl, then gets turned into a casserole dish where it bakes into a round, rustic loaf with a tender, open crumb.

Honey and scalded milk give this bread a gentle sweetness and a soft texture that’s somewhere between sandwich bread and brioche. The whole wheat flour adds a nutty depth without making the bread heavy since it’s blended with white flour.

Scalding the milk first, then stirring in the shortening, honey, and salt while it’s hot dissolves everything evenly. Let this mixture cool to lukewarm before it meets the yeast, or the heat will kill the yeast before it has a chance to work.

Two rises give the flavor time to develop. The dough won’t look like traditional bread dough. It’s supposed to be sticky.

Kitchen Tips

• Don’t add extra flour to make the dough less sticky. The wet, soft dough is what gives casserole bread its characteristic open, airy texture.
• Use a well-greased casserole dish. The sticky dough clings to ungreased surfaces and tears when you try to remove the bread.
• The bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped on top and has pulled slightly away from the sides of the dish.
• Cool on a rack, not in the dish. Trapped steam makes the crust soggy.

Variations

• Cinnamon swirl: Roll the dough flat after the first rise, spread with cinnamon sugar, and roll into the casserole for a swirled bread.
• Oat topped: Brush the top with milk and sprinkle with rolled oats before baking for a rustic finish.