Bread made easy
No knead to stress about this simple bread recipe.
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 ½ cups water
¼ teaspoon yeast
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
olive oil (for coating)
extra flour, wheat bran or cornmeal (for dusting)
Method
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Add water and, using a wooden spoon, spatula or your hand, mix until wet and sticky, about 30 to 60 seconds. Place the dough in another bowl lightly coated with olive oil. Cover and let rest for 12 hours at room temperature.
Remove the dough and fold once or twice. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Next, shape into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; place the dough seam side down on the towel and dust with flour. Cover with a cotton towel and let rise one to two hours at room temperature, until more than doubled in size.
Preheat a 5 to eight-litre pot, at 230 to 260 degrees, at least 30 minutes prior to baking. Once the dough has more than doubled in volume, remove the pot from the oven and place the dough in the pot, seam side up. Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake 15 to 30 minutes uncovered, until the loaf is nicely browned.
Yield: One 10-inch round loaf.
Recipe from New York Times adapted from Sullivan Street Bakery.