I don't know what took me so long to make it - a friend of mine had given me the recipe a couple of months ago, but I just got around to making it today. All I can say is "Yummy!" - it's by far the best bread I've ever made. And it's definitely better than anything I can buy in town. Plus it gives me an excuse to use my pretty flame orange LC Dutch oven :-) Here it is again for anybody who missed it the first time or two around. I really don't know where I was when it was making the rounds last Fall.

Becky

Lompoc, CA

* Exported from MasterCook *

No-Knead Bread

Recipe By :

Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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3 cups all-purpose flour -- more for dusting

1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

cornmeal or wheat bran -- as needed

1 5/8 cups water

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 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.

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.

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.

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 okay. 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.

Source:

"The New York Times, November 8, 2006 and Jan Andrews"

Yield:

"1 1 1/2 pound loaf"

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