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I started this No Knead Bread recipe last night and will finish it up today. SO EASY and you do not need a bread machine. I love using my cast iron Dutch oven for this. I can't make it too often as I would just eat too, too much.

If you make this I'd love to hear from you.

If you make this your family will drool over it and sing your culinary praises.

No Knead Bread Recipe

Servings: One 1-pound loaf

*I tried this first in November 2011 while in PA with the family. Making it again since I liked it so much. I love having another reason to use my cast iron Dutch oven! I will also add that though the recipe says this is a wet dough it seemed too wet for me and I added additional flour...who knows how much??? I found it hard to shape into a round loaf. These directions and photos I got off Pinterest and you can go here to see more info.

No Knead Bread Recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman of NY Times who got it from Sullivan Street Bakery. When the recipe first came out, it was the blogging community who took the bread to new heights, especially Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of The Bread Bible. I followed Rose's experiments through the weeks and learned from her recipe adjustments and the why's of how this bread works.

Ingredients:
3 cups bread flour (I like Harvest King bread flour)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon fine table salt (or 3/4 tablespoon of kosher salt)
1 1/2 cups warm water

Covered pot (five-quart or larger cast iron, Pyrex, ceramic, enamel...something that can go into a 450F oven.)
Directions:
1. Mix dough: The night before, combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours on countertop.

2. Shape & preheat: The dough will now be wet, sticky and bubbly. With a wet spatula, dump the dough on a floured surface. Fold ends of dough over a few times with the spatula and nudge it into a ball shape. You can use your hands if you like, just keep your hands wet so that the dough does not stick. Generously dust a cotton towel (not terrycloth) with flour. Set dough seam side down on top of towel. Fold towel over the dough. Let it nap for 2 hours. When you've got about a half hour left, slip your covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450F.

3. Bake: Your dough should have doubled in size. Remove pot from oven. Holding towel, turn over and dump wobbly dough into pot, using your hands to get the dough off the towel. Doesn't matter which way it lands. Shake to even dough out. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf is 210F. Remove and let cool on wired rack. If not eating right away, you can re-crisp crust in 350F oven for 10 minutes.

Sourdough Bread

Since last weeks sourdough biscuits I've wanted to pursue making bread without commercial/store bought yeast. That would mean using the sourdough start only which actually is a wild yeast. I found what I thought was just thee right recipe and here are my results.

Spritzing the loaves with just an ordinary water sprayer when I first put them in the oven and again at 3 min., 6 min., and 9 min. gave this bread a very "artisan" crust, crisp and chewy. I loved it.

I needed a sharper knife to slash the tops just prior to baking.
I really, really hope you'll try this and you know I'll be only too happy to help!!! Really!!!

San Francisco Style Sourdough Bread,
from Bread Alone by Daniel Leader & Judith Blahnik:

First make up a sponge and let it sit at 74 - 80 degree draft free place for 24 hours:

Starter - 2/3 cup

Water (dechlorinated) - 1 cup

White flour - 1 1/2 cup

Final dough:

Water - 2 cups

White flour - 5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cups

Fine sea salt - 1 T

Mix final dough and knead it for 15 to 20 minutes. Let it ferment at 74 - 80 degrees in a draft free area for 2 1/2 hours in a large bowl, covered with a damp towel or plastic wrap.

Deflate the dough by pushing down in the center and pulling up on the sides. Cover bowl with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm (74-80) draft free place for 30 minutes.

Turn out on a floured area and knead briefly. Shape into a tight ball. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a warm (74-80) draft free place for 30 minutes.

Shape. You may divide the dough into two pieces and shape into two round logs or into round loaves (free form) or one large freeform loaf.

Proof the loaves in a warm (74-80) draft free place till they rise 1 1/2 times the size - about 1 hour - on a floured towel.

Preheat oven for an hour before baking. Bake an a baking stone at 450 for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 425 for 20 minutes longer.

Turn out and thump the bottom to test for doneness (sounds hollow) and cool on a wire rack for 25 minutes before cutting. Spritzing the oven at the beginning and each 3 minutes for the first 10 minutes will make a hard crust. One can use two conventional baking pans if desired.

My changes:

* used unbleached flour

* used regular table salt

* my draft free place was my oven w/ oven light left on since it was a chilly 24 hrs.

* just preheated oven in normal fashion

*divided into two pieces, too much dough for one loaf, mine made two large loaves

*baked on heavy, jelly roll pan

Go HERE for good sourdough info, recipes and starter.