No-Knead Bread

No-Knead Bread
Yield: One 1-1/2-pound loaf

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

Time: About 1-1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

1/4 tsp instant yeast

1-1/4 tsp salt (or up to just under a tbsp.)

Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1-5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70° F.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450° F. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

MoPQQQ
(2/2/07)

Comment:
 Whoever posted the original recipe for the no knead bread - YOU'RE GUILTY!! I just tried it using 1/3 whole wheat flour, 1/3 rye flour and 1/3 oatmeal. It's going to take all my willpower and then some not to sit and eat the whole loaf!! Wow, is this good.

Next is to try it with the original white flour for DH.

I did double the amount of yeast for the whole grain version as I didn't think the 1/4 tsp would be enough for the heavy flours. And that was about right. It's not too yeasty but rose pretty well. Might even try a bit more yeast next time.

Anyway, a big thank you to the original poster. This might just become a staple in this house.

Shoshana
(3/2/07)