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No-Knead Bread

Adapted from New York Times Cooking

Yes, you can make bread. No, you don’t need any hard-to-find ingredients or expensive equipment. You don’t even “knead” to knead it!

Ingredients: 

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus a bit more for dusting

1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Preparation:

 Step 1

Combine the ingredients in a large bowl. Add 1 5/8 cups of water and stir until dough is shaggy and sticky. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rest for at least 12-18 hours at room temperature. This is the first proof.

How do I know if the dough is ready? The surface should be dotted with bubbles — that’s the yeast working!

Step 2

Spread some flour on a work surface and dump the dough on it. Using a bit more flour, fold the dough onto itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and rest about 15 minutes.

Step 3

Put a little flour on your hands to keep the dough from sticking, and shape the dough into a ball. Set your dough with the seam down on floured parchment, sprinkle a little flour on top to prevent sticking, and cover lightly with another piece of parchment. Let rise at room temperature for 2 more hours. This is the second proof.

How do I know if the dough is ready? Your dough should have doubled in size and should not spring back when poked!

 Step 4

About 30 minutes before your dough is ready, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (Pyrex, cast iron, enamel, or ceramic will work) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven. Uncover the dough, gently pick up the parchment, and turn the dough into the pot. Shake the pot once or twice to distribute evenly, but don’t worry if the dough looks messy. Cover with a lid and bake 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake 15-30 minutes more, until loaf is browned.

Cool on a rack before enjoying!