Post by Mary Ann on Jan 12, 2007 7:56:27 GMT -5
This bread is so easy, anyone can do it! It recently became popular from a New York Times article. Try it; you'll like it. 
No Knead Bread
½ day 1½ hours prep
Yield: 1.5 lb loaf
3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (I like SAF Gold)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 5/8 cups water
cornmeal or wheat bran, as needed
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 degrees. (I like to start it in the evening, and then dink with the baking the following afternoon so it's still warm and crusty for supper. To get the starter going in this first step, I like to use my oven with the light on.)
Starter 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.
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. (I line a round bottom basket with a flour sack towel, and flip the extra edge of the towel over the top, both floured.) When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. 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. (I just take the basket, uncover the top and put the pan on it and flip it upside down so the dough falls in.) 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.
It's a bee-yoo-tiful loaf! And easy easy easy!
No Knead Bread
½ day 1½ hours prep
Yield: 1.5 lb loaf
3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (I like SAF Gold)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 5/8 cups water
cornmeal or wheat bran, as needed
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 degrees. (I like to start it in the evening, and then dink with the baking the following afternoon so it's still warm and crusty for supper. To get the starter going in this first step, I like to use my oven with the light on.)
Starter 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.
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. (I line a round bottom basket with a flour sack towel, and flip the extra edge of the towel over the top, both floured.) When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. 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. (I just take the basket, uncover the top and put the pan on it and flip it upside down so the dough falls in.) 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.
It's a bee-yoo-tiful loaf! And easy easy easy!
