No Knead Bread

For all of you who are scared of making bread, here is a recipe you must try. No mixer needed, and no kneading required. It is no work at all, and when you are done, you will have a crusty, rustic, and soft-in-the middle loaf of homemade bread!

No Knead Bread (Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery)

3 cups flour (any combination of white, wheat, oat, whatever you want)
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 5/8 cup water
Cornmeal as needed

1. 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 room temperature.
2. Dough is ready when surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it, sprinkle 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.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton (not terry cloth) towel with flour or cornmeal. Put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour or cornmeal. Cover with a cotton towel and let rise for two hours, until double in size.
4. 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 the towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up. It may look like a mess, but that is o.k. Shake pan once or twice if dough is uneven, it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 minutes until loaf is browned. Cool on a rack.

So this takes a little time, but your hands on time is 10 minutes max. Give it a try, why don't you?