No Knead Bread - Easy to Make!

I love bread.  I don't think I could go on one of those diets where you give up all pastas, breads, and the like.  My grandpa would bake bread, and I remember how it smelled in the house.  I always wanted to bake my own bread, but had convinced myself it was difficult and therefore I had to either settle for a bread machine or just buy some from the store.  I did have a bread machine for a while, and it was neat... but HUGE.  I didn't even have the largest one you could get, and it took up so much space!  I opted to not keep it a few years back when I needed to move.  I was stuck buying bread from the store, convinced that making a nice crusty loaf of bread was far too difficult for a mere mortal.

And then I heard word of a no knead bread via this recipe.  "There has to be a catch," I speculated.  There is a slight catch, and that is time.  Since you're not kneading the dough you let it rise for several hours.  We're talking around 18 hours here.  At least 20 if you include the 2 hour rest before baking.  This may seem overwhelming, but it's not.  Simply mix everything up, cover it, and leave it alone.  Do whatever you would normally do during the day.

This bread has a nice crusty outside with a soft inside.  The outside part will lose some of that crustiness as it sits, but you can pop it back in the oven to crisp it up.  I also highly recommend mixing rosemary and/or whole garlic cloves into the dough, as it makes a wonderful side to any Italian dish.

No Knead Bread - Basic Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour (bread flour or unbleached all purpose flour)
• 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp fine table salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water 

You will also need:

• A pot or dutch oven with lid that is oven safe to 450 degrees
• Parchment paper or silicone mat (oven safe to 450 degrees required) if not using a well seasoned cast iron pot 
• Plastic wrap
• Large bowl 

Directions:

1. Mix the flour, yeast, salt, and warm water together in a large bowl until combined.  The dough will be very shaggy looking.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest for at least 18 hours.  Make sure that it is in a warm (but not hot) location!
3. When you come back to the dough it will have increased in size and be all bubbly and sticky.  Lightly flour a small sheet of parchment paper or a silicone mat, and turn the dough out of the bowl onto it using either a wet spatula or wet hands.  If you're using a well seasoned cast iron pan, then simply lightly flour your counter top.
4. Fold the dough end to end a few times and form a ball.  Place this ball, still on the paper or mat, back into the bowl it rose in, and cover the bowl loosely with a towel.  Allow to rest for at least 2 hours.
5. An hour into the rest period, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Place the covered pot you will be using into the oven while it is preheating.
6. Once the 2 hours is up, carefully remove the pot and add the dough being careful to make sure the paper or mat goes into the pot first so it rests on the bottom.
7. Bake covered for 30 minutes.  Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is nicely golden.  The bread will make a low, hollow type sound if you tap it.

Makes great open faced sandwiches and french toast too!