No Knead Overnight Turkish Bread (Diyarbakır çöreği)

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Having homemade bread in the morning has never been this simple! This easy no knead, overnight bread is simple to prepare the night before - and then cooks quickly in the morning. Based on an authentic Kurdish Turkish bread recipe it's baked in a pan and topped with flax seeds and sea salt - or whatever topping you prefer. This is a bread you will be making every weekend! (I know I am.)

I'm a real sucker for bread, and there really is nothing better than a piece of homemade bread topped with loads of butter for a weekend breakfast. For years my go-to was scones - but recently this gorgeous bread has taken its place.

I'm not kidding when I say we make this overnight bread every weekend. Sometimes twice, because we somehow manage to finish a whole pan on Saturday. It's so easy to make that even on those Fridays when I'm SO tired and have had maybe half a glass of wine too much and just wanna go to sleep - I can still muster the energy to make it. The reward really is worth the input here, times about twenty.

Why I make this bread every week

• It's delicious - really, it's a very basic bread but sometimes that's all you need. Add a slow rise, some sea salt on top and a good amount of butter and that taste is truly amazing.
• It's easy - no complicated steps, just mix, cover and place in the fridge to rise. Bring out, push into a pan, top with whatever you like and bake. Done!
• It's quick - 5 minutes to prep in the evening, less than 5 minutes to prep in the morning. 14 minutes to bake. That's a maximum of 10 minutes of actual work. Less time than it takes you to run to the bakery!
• It's versatile - you can change up the toppings as well as what you serve with it. Have it for breakfast or serve as a side for soup, or why not together with a meze platter and your favorite dips?

What you need to make this recipe

The core ingredients for this recipe are things you probably already have at home:

• Flour
• Dry yeast
• Sugar
• Salt
• Milk
• Olive oil or vegetable oil, butter or margarine
• Egg
• Whole flax seeds (optional)
• Sea salt flakes (optional)

Expert tip 1: Use a scale to measure the flour if you have one - it's more exact than using measuring cups.

Expert tip 2: If you're low on milk - use part (cold or lukewarm) water instead.

Expert tip 3: Always use whole flax seeds. Flax seeds contain substances that can be poisonous in high amounts, but are also very good for you. Having them whole as opposed to crushed ensures you get the good benefits while not ingesting to much of the bad stuff.

The tools you will need are:

• A deep oven tray that measures about 20×25 cm or 8×10'' (or slightly smaller)
• A bowl for mixing
• A scale for exactly measuring the flour (optional)
• Something to mix with (or your hands)
• Clingy plastic film or a kitchen towel or a small plate, to cover your bowl while rising
• A pastry brush for brushing on the egg (optional, you can also pour it over)

You might also want to check out the tools below - they're great for making this recipe.

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How to make this recipe

To start, bring out all ingredients except olive oil, egg, flax seed and sea salt flakes - you don't need those until tomorrow.

Then combine flour (1), yeast, sugar & salt (2) in a bowl. Mix (3) and then add most of the milk (4).

Expert tip 4: Always mix your dry ingredients together first to make sure the yeast, salt and sugar gets evenly distributed.

Expert tip 5: Add part of the milk first, especially if you're not weighing your flour. When using measuring cups it's not as exact and so you might not need to use all the milk - or you might need to add extra.

Mix again (5) and then add the rest of the milk. (6) Mix well (7) and cover with clingy plastic film (8). Then place the dough in the fridge overnight or for at least 12 hours. If you wish to bake it sooner, leave in room temperature for 1-2 hours instead.

Expert tip 6: Don't be afraid to add more or less milk if needed. The dough should be a bit wet to the touch, but it should release from the sides when pulled.

Expert tip 7: Covering your dough with plastic film instead of a kitchen towel or plate makes the surface of the dough less likely to dry out. If covering with a kitchen towel or plate, first dust the dough lightly with flour.

The next morning - or whenever you're ready to bake - preheat your oven to 225C or 440F and bring out the dough from the fridge. (9) It should now have risen a bit - not as much as when you're baking cinnamon buns or something similar, but you should notice it's a bit "poofy" and when touching the dough it should feel elastic.

Also bring out an oven pan, pour in your olive oil and use a piece of paper towel to coat the pan evenly with oil. (10) Then place your dough in the pan (11) and spread it out as evenly as possible. (12) It doesn't have to be perfect, but just get it as even as possible.

Now crack your egg into a glass or small bowl, and whisk together with a fork. Then use a pastry brush to brush the egg onto the bread. You will use about half an egg for this. (13-14) Then it's time for the toppings! For this version, top with flax seeds (15) and sea salt flakes (16) that you crush slightly with your fingers.

Expert tip 8: Change up the toppings as you like! The combination of flax seed and sea salt is great, but another favorite of mine is sesame seeds.

Then you're all set to bake! Place the pan in the middle of the oven and bake at 225C/440F for 14 minutes, or until golden brown. (17)

Expert tips summarized

1. Use a scale to measure out your flour, if you have one
2. You can switch part of the milk for water if you don't have enough milk
3. Always use whole flax seeds, not crushed
4. Mix the dry ingredients together first
5. Add part of the milk first to make sure your dough doesn't end up too wet or dry
6. Add more or less milk if you need to in order to get the right consistency of the dough
7. Cover with plastic film to keep the dough from drying out
8. Try another topping for example sesame seeds - raw or roasted and crushed

FAQ

Can I make the dough the same day instead?

Yes, you can. After making the dough, cover and leave in room temperature for 1-2 hours and then push it out into a pan.

Oops! I added too much milk and now my dough is too wet! What can I do now?

That's easy! Just add a bit more flour, and mix. Then keep adding it until you get the right consistency. As long as you are not adding a cup or more of extra flour the yeast will still be enough and the cook time about the same.

Help! My dough didn't rise! What do I do?

Don't worry - sometimes that happens. It might be due to your fridge being too cold, or your yeast too old. When this happens as you go to bring out your dough in the morning, bring the dough out to room temperature and leave there (covered) for about an hour. After this, it should have risen just fine. Breakfast will be a bit later - but it's the weekend, so maybe that's OK.

How to eat it

Some of the best ways to eat this bread is:

• For breakfast, topped with butter (or Whipped Butter with Lemon) and maybe some Feta cheese (or Whipped Feta for an extra treat)
• As a side for soup - especially lentil soup
• With a meze platter - it's delicious dipped in hummus or acili ezme
• For dinner as a side for baked lamb chops, moussaka or baked chicken drumsticks

What's your favorite way to have it? Let me know in the comments below! And while you're there - please leave a rating as well! I really think you will love this brad just as much as I do - it's such a weekend hero and one that will be on my top list for many years to come.

Enjoy!!

Emmeline