THE BEST BREAD EVER!!!!! Seriously.

No-Knead Bread ready for the oven

Bread baked to absolute perfection!

In an attempt to diversify this blog and post something other than meat, here you go. This is the best bread you will ever eat! Run, don't walk and go make this bread. It is f'in good.  Seriously, I can't bake. I am not exact or patient enough. This is a bread recipe we got from our next door neighbor. Before giving up gluten, this was just about my favorite things to eat. Give me some butter and some fresh bread and I was a happy camper.

This recipe was taken from the New York Times who took the recipe from a baker in NYC. This is called no-knead bread because seriously, this is the easiest bread you will ever bake.

Here is what I did. Remember that the options are endless. The picture is of walnut, cinnamon and raisin bread. It is perfect just plain. Add herbs or sun-dried tomatoes or olives. My neighbor added figs and walnuts. OMG!

No-Knead Bread (this is for plain bread)

3 cups of bread flour (extra for dusting)
1/4 tsp instant yeast (ours was like the super instant yeast)
1 5/8 cups of water
1 and 1/4 tsp salt
450 degree oven
5 qt or small dutch oven with lid or cast iron pot with lid

*This requires a lot of rising. So make it the night before and have it ready for the next night.

1) Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl. Slowly add water to the mix. It should be shaggy and sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 18 hours. First step....done! Dough is ready when there are bubbles on it. Make sure the dough is in a warm place. We were making bread in the wintertime, so we had to take our bread upstairs to rise because Chicago is brutal in the winter.  Since going no-carb, this bread does not enter our house. Poor hubs.

2) When the dough is bubbled, you are ready for the next step. Put some parchment on a sheet pan or cookie sheet (might be a good idea to grease the parchment). Take out the bread with rubber spatula and put on parchment. You can fold it,* but I never did...too lazy for that. I seriously just plopped it on the parchment and covered it with a towel.

*After the bread rises for 18 hours, the original recipe calls for putting the dough on a floured surface and folding it several times. My neighbor and I deem this step unnecessary. We move the dough straight from the bowl to the parchment lined cookie sheet. Whatever you decide, the dough needs to rise two more hours. Cover it with a damp kitchen towel. The first picture depicts what it should look like.

3) As oven preheats to 450, put the cast iron or dutch oven pot in the oven. This step helps make a crust on the bread. The pot will be super hot. In the meantime, cut out some parchment that fits in the bottom of the pot. It can be a guesstimate. You really can't mess this up.

4) Carefully remove the bread from the parchment and put it in pot when the oven is ready. Wear your oven mits. That pot should be hot.  COVER!!!! and put it in the oven. It does not matter if it looks sloppy. With parchment, it is a cinch to get out.

5) Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake 15-30 minutes. It will be golden brown and will make your house smell amazing.

Note: if you want to add things to your dough, add it before you have added the water. Mix it well with the dry ingredients. Don't overmix after the water has been added. This is true of all baked goods. You will have to play around with it. The recipe above is for plain bread. If adding ingredients like raisins or dried fruits, you may need to change around how much water you add. Dried fruits soak up liquid. Regardless of the ingredients you add, the dough should be sticky and thick. As always, altitude affects baking. We are on flat land, so mountain bakers will likely have to play around with it.

Enjoy this recipe for me. I would totally eat bread if this was placed in front of me. Call me weak, but this bread will change your life. Thanks to my Polish neighbor for turning me on to this one. They have not bought bread in 2.5 years. Cheers.