No-knead Bread

Bread was made in our house last weekend and it was glorious!

The recipe we used was Jim Lahey's No-knead Bread reported in The New York Times.

Makes one round loaf

Things you will need:

5 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven with lid (or ceramic, enamel or pyrex --as long as it can stand the high heat of the oven)

3 cups all-purpose flour (+extra for dusting and whatnot)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 5/8 cup of water

1 cotton cloth (not terry)

Steps:

1. Combine flour, yeast, and salt. Add water. Use hands to mix until the dough is sticky and "shaggy". Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm room for 12 to 18 hours.

2. Look at your dough! It's like a creature. 12 to 18 hours later it should have bubbles dotting its surface. It's beautiful. Name it if you wish.

3. Flour work surface. Place dough on it. Sprinkle some flour on the dough and then fold it on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let sit for 15 minutes.

4. With a little bit of flour on your fingers quickly shape the dough into a ball. Coat the cotton towel generously with flour. Put your dough ball seam side down on the towel and cover loosely. Let sit for 2 hours.

5. 1.5 hours into resting, preheat your oven with your dutch oven in it at 450 F.

6. When dough is done, carefully remove pot from oven and transfer dough seam side UP into the pot. Cover and place in oven.

7. Bake for 30 minutes with lid on. Then bake 10 minutes with lid off.

ENJOY!