No Knead, No Fail Bread

Stupid easy and Stupid good. This recipe is a serious confidence builder for the hopeless and lazy cook.  Which is where I was quickly headed in the dead of winter. 

As Fall turned cold and the Holidays crept closer yet flew past, I snuggled into our new house and new projects. In the past season I also spent lots of time weeded in the kitchen, but it was not my own kitchen and I certainly was not at leisure to photograph it. I learned a lot and managed to survive the crash course as acting sous chef during peak tourist season. 

Now that things are warming up ( joking!) and tall dark and handsome hit the stacks again, I have more time in the kitchen. In the past month I hosted cookie parties, won the fruitcake wars, was introduced to Bacon Jam. I also learned that, when asked, people say they want Swedish meatballs because that is the only type of party meatball they can think of. Even after all of that adventure I was in a bit of a food rut.

I had entire meals that never made it to leftovers because the hit the bin first. After much consultation (aka, a night of wine with ladies), I decided to give the no-knead bread a chance. And WoW!

Bread made without kneading! It is stupidly good and stupidly easy. Who knew?? Apparently everybody. The no-knead phenomena is nothing new. I believe it has been produced by notable chefs like Jacques Pepin, replicated in Cooks Illustrated Magazine,  and all over the blogosphere. After reading multiple variations, I went with the simplest. It was so simple that I had my doubts the ‘bread’ could be edible at all, but it was ah-mazing! I was happily surprised at the rustic loaf with a chewy crust.

This is great for toast, sandwiches, french toast, bruschetta ……

No-Knead Bread

• 4cups flour
• Scant 2cups room temp. water
• 1 heaping tsp salt
• 1 heaping tsp yeast (active or rapid)

Whisk together the dry. Stir in most of the water, adding enough to form a sticky batter-like dough. Let the dough rest for 90 minutes and stir a couple of times. Cover dough and let rise overnight. Bake @ 450 degrees for 40 minutes. Tip loaf from pan and allow to cool on a rack.

Notes:

1. Feel free to change up the flour experimenting with different ratios of white, rye, wheat, corn, and bread flours.
2.  This can be mixed and baked in one sturdy casserole dish. If you are worried about sticking, then mix and rest in a mixing bowl, transferring to a greased casserole to bake.
3.  I let the dough rise overnight in the coolest part of my house. If you live in warmer climates, you may want to let it rise in the fridge.
4. When heating the oven, place a small dish of water on the bottom rack. This will help the texture of the crust
5.  Before baking, feel free to score the top of the loaf and season with salt, seeds, grain…