No Knead Bread

Many bakers from novice to expert have been trying their hands at this recipe. I finally gave it a try. The recipe is so simple that I didn't believe it was that easy and had to visit this video of Jim Lahey himself making the bread.  Sometimes the most simple things are the most challenging.

This bread was delicious - crusty with the just the right texture. The perfect bead for a crusty sandwich.  Turning it into the cast iron pan was daunting as the bread is a wiggly mass of dough -  add the dough quickly.

Jim Lahey's No Knead Bread
Makes one 1 1/2 pound loaf

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1 5/8 cups water
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal

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.

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 lint free cotton towel  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 browned.