No-Knead Bread

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 and place seam side down on a piece of parchment paper (you can oil and add cornmeal for added texture) and sling into a steel bowl. Cover with a 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 425 degrees F. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered cast iron pot in the oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Cut a 1/2 inch deep slice into the top of the dough ball, running the diameter to create an opening for steam to vent (prevents an unsightly blowout from another part of the bread while cooking). Pick up your parchment paper sling and slide it and the dough ball into the pot. For added crunch, you can oil the top of the bread and consider sprinkling it with flour or salt for an artisanal look. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned and the internal temperature reads 208 - 210 degrees F. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.

Notes:

For a whole wheat loaf, 215 grams of whole wheat flour and 215 grams of all-purpose white flour.

Sources:

• http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread

• http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/06/dining/06mini.html?_r=1ize worked)