Shortcut.

For some, that’s a kitchen blasphemy. “Do it right or don’t do it at all!” they shout. If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing properly!

OK, fine, but that kind of gatekeeping could keep a big chunk of people from learning some valuable skills — and from eating some really good food.

My kitchen is chock full of cheats.

Part of it is that I grew up with a grandma who grew her own tomatoes and apples but worked Minnesotan wonders with cream of mushroom soup and pudding mix. I don’t look at a canister of French-fried onions with disgust, but with nostalgia.

But I’m also a recipe contester. I have played by the rules of many a cooking game — including the Pillsbury Bake-Off — that required me to use things I don’t normally pick up. I’m not really a fan of ready-made frosting, but tell me I could win $1 million if I find a new way to use it and I’m going to pick up that gauntlet.

A stroll through my pantry will yield brownie mix (which can become the best cupcakes you have ever had) and instant mashed potatoes (a great way to get cloud-light gnocchi).

My mother roasts her own pumpkins. I rely on canned because it is consistent and never watery, which is important with baking.

I don’t stop my shortcuts there, though. I even bring them to the simplest, most basic from-scratch recipes. Like bread.

Next best thing

I started the pandemic like so many others. I was experimenting with flour and yeast, trying to find a good sourdough, eating my feelings slathered with butter and a little jam.

It did not take me long to realize that I don’t have the temperament or advanced planning necessary for maintaining a proper sourdough starter.

That led me to the next best thing ­— the famous no-knead bread that burned up the New York Times back in 2006 and then made its way through blogs and YouTube, only to come full circle back to the Times during lockdown.

There’s a reason it’s such a favorite.

It only has four ingredients. It doesn’t require a $200 breadmaker or a fancy proofing box or really even any skill, to be honest. You mix it. You set it in a corner. You forget about it until tomorrow.

Then you bake it and get the kind of deeply crusty, dense, artisanal masterpiece you would pay big bucks for at a posh bakery — but your total investment is roughly 20 cents.

I can’t stress enough that I’m not exaggerating that number. Actually, I am a little, but I’m rounding up, not down, because the flour costs just 6 cents.

Tweaks and time-savers

And yet I am not content with this, because cutting down a several-day sourdough process to a quick lite version for 12 to 24 hours still requires me to remember later in the day that I have to bake the bread before my day gets away from me. Full disclosure: My day always gets away from me.

But the bread can give the same delicious, crunchy, doughy results with a simple tweak and a small addition. A little more yeast and some sugar to feed it can cut a whole day down to just a couple of hours.

The other great time saver with this recipe? Cleaning time.

Some bread recipes are a series of bowls and devices and mats and tools. This is one bowl, and you can mix it with a dinner fork if you want. Even better, the best way to bake it is in a hot dutch oven lined with crumpled parchment paper — which means no pans to clean!

The recipe itself is a shortcut to a whole bakery’s worth of flavors. Once you stir it up, you can add almost anything. Jalapenos and Colby. Parmesan and basil. Caramelized onions and Swiss. Pepperoni and mozzarella. Cinnamon and raisins.

If there’s a flavor combination you like, stir it in and bake it up.

The ideal shortcut isn’t a processed salt bomb or a corn syrup time saver — although if that’s what works for you, don’t let anyone make you feel bad about subbing Velveeta for sharp cheddar.

What is important is to find a beeline between what you want and what you want to save — whether it’s time, money or simplicity — that makes you happy.

Those kind of shortcuts are the best thing since sliced bread.

Shortcut No-Knead Bread

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1 ½ cups warm water

Directions

In a 3-quart bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Make a well in the flour and fill with warm water. Mix in with fork until fully combined. Cover and set aside to rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with an oven-safe Dutch oven, casserole dish or other baking pan, preferably covered. Punch down dough and, on a piece of parchment paper — crumple it first and it’s a breeze to use — or foil dusted with flour, form into a loaf and let rest while oven comes to temperature. Place the parchment and dough into the Dutch oven or other pan and cover.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for another 15 minutes.

Remove bread and cool before slicing – and be careful! This has a thick crust. A sturdy, serrated knife will work best.

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