The Korean Vegan's Self-Care Recommends Takeover—Week of August 10, 2025

This week at The Sunday Paper, The Korean Vegan Joanne Molinaro is sharing what she's cooking, a product she's loving, what she's doing to relax, and what she's asking herself. We hope these suggestions open your heart and mind and encourage you to come together for meaningful conversations.

What Joanne's Cooking

NO-KNEAD RICE BREAD

Bap Bbang | 밥빵

In my first book, I included a recipe called Dolsot Bbang (Stone Pot Bread, page 61) for my mom, who always says she wants to bake bread but claims it’s too hard. Dolsot Bbang required minimal kneading, which is often the most difficult part of baking bread.

Well, if it’s possible, this bread recipe is even easier than that one, because there’s no kneading involved! You literally just mix all the ingredients together, wait a long time, stuff the mixture into a ddukbaegi (Korean clay pot) or Dutch oven, and bake it until it’s golden brown and glorious. And glorious is truly what this bread is—it’s gloriously easy, it’s gloriously flavorful, it’s gloriously crunchy, and it’s gloriously tender. The cooked rice gives it a softness that’s unreal, whether you eat it right out of the oven or the morning after. So, if you are like my mom and terrified of making your own bread, definitely try this recipe. And, if you’re like me and you have a little more experience with bread baking, do not turn your nose up at this no-knead recipe: It’ll come in handy when you are feeling a little too tired to do much more than stir.

MAKES: 1 loaf

DIFFICULTY: Easy NF

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon brown rice syrup (can substitute sugar)
1/2 cup (70 g) cooked rice (I use a mix of brown and white, but you can use all white or all brown)
3 cups (370 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

1. In a very large bowl, whisk together the yeast with 11/2 cups of warm but not hot water (100° to 110°F) and the brown rice syrup. Set aside until the yeast foams, about 10 minutes (if it doesn’t foam after 10 minutes, the yeast is dead and you should start over with new yeast). Add the cooked rice, flour, sesame oil, and salt to the bubbling yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon, making sure to incorporate all the flour, until a very scraggly dough forms.

2. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or the lid of a very large pot and set it aside in a warm place (I usually leave my dough in the oven with the oven light on). Let the dough rest for 21/2 to 3 hours, or however long it takes for your dough to double in size (you can snap a reference photo with your phone or stick a piece of masking tape on the bowl marking the level of the dough to determine when it has doubled).

3. Once the dough has doubled in size, place the bowl in the refrigerator for 4 hours (you can skip this part and head straight to baking, but you’ll be missing out on some extra flavor).

4. After 4 hours, remove the bowl from the fridge and set it on the countertop to come to room temperature. In the meantime, place a medium ddukbaegi or 31/2-quart Dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 450°F.

5. While the oven preheats, place a large sheet of parchment paper on your work surface. Sprinkle the left of the parchment paper (not the center) with a little flour. Gently scoop the dough out of the bowl with a large wooden spoon onto the floured section of the parchment paper. Then, gently lift the left part of your parchment paper to roll the dough onto its non floured side, so that the dough is now resting in the center of your parchment paper, floured side up.

6. Once the oven is heated, wait about 10 minutes before using oven mitts to carefully remove the pot from the oven. Place the hot vessel next to your dough, remove the lid, and gently lift the parchment paper and dough and place it in the hot pot. Using a sharp knife or razor blade, slice about 2 inches long and about 1/2 inch deep down the center of your dough before putting the lid back on. Place the pot on the center rack and bake until the top of the bread is golden brown, about 40 to 50 minutes.

7. Remove the bread from the oven and set aside for about 10 minutes before opening the lid and removing the bread. The bread will keep at room temperature for 1 day. After that, you can keep it in the fridge for up to 5 more days.

What Joanne's Loving

Joanne is loving her Vegan Collagen Smoothing Shampoo from Korean Vegan Beauty, made with vegan collagen, bakuchiol, and Korean herbs to nourish the scalp and reduce frizz. It's a sulfate-free, lightweight shampoo made without any harsh or animal-based ingredients, and its great for hair health! Purchase a bottle here.

What Joanne's Doing to Relax

To relax, Joanne is playing Spelling Bee on The New York Times Games. With just seven letters, it challenges you to find as many words as possible, sharpening your mind while offering a relaxing daily ritual. It's clever, calming, and ideal for wind-down activity.

What Joanne's Asking Herself

Joanne is getting intentional about asking herself what self-care actually looks like in her life on a daily basis. For more of Joanne’s insights, be sure to tune into The Sunday Paper Instagram this Tuesday, where she’ll be sharing her full answer, plus some key questions you can ask yourself to prioritize self-care.

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