Bread Recipe

I have never made it but plan to do so just as soon as I find a good ole castiron pan to bake it in.

Courtesy of coworker Rob....

-I always double the recipe. I think the doubled recipe bakes higher in the 4-6 quart pot, plus it always gets eaten up.
-To double it, use 6 cups of flour, ½ t instant rise yeast, 2 scant T salt, and measure the water twice (so twice 1 5/8 cup, easiest to measure in one of those 2 cup liquid measure cups).
-Hot water from the tap works fine; the temperature does not seem to be key.
-I often use more whole grain flour than he recommends – up to 5 cups whole grain (wheat or rye) to 1 cup white flour. But it is true that the more whole grain flour you use, the denser the bread. Some people probably prefer a lighter loaf.
-I usually throw in a fair amount (even up to 2 cups – though I do not measure; just toss it in) of extra stuff, like whole oats, chopped nuts, sunflower seeds, ground or whole fax seed, fennel seeds, dried cherries, etc. You may want to add some extra water if the dough seems too stiff after all these additions. The dough should not form into a ball; it should be thick but still sloppy, so it spreads out in the bowl.
-One time I tried adding chunks of chocolate. I think you need pretty big chunks, or they just melt.
-It's easiest to let the dough sit overnight. You can then do the 2-3 hour second rising anytime the next day. In general, the timing is not so critical; if anything, err on the side of letting it sit around longer.
-Especially in the summer, or if you use more white flour and less whole grain, the dough will be really sticky on the second day – more like a liquid, bubbly blob. That's okay; it actually bakes up better that way.
-I always put some olive oil in the pot after it is preheated. Spray is easiest (but Burns) Carefully pour in some olive oil, and use a paper towel to quickly spread, around the edges, only about half way up from the bottom. VERY HOT!
-The trick is to let the blob spread out on a Silpat or cloth for the 2-3 hours, and then to scoop up the edges, carrying the whole mess on the Silpat/cloth to the waiting and extremely hot pot, dumping the blob in upside down. You can shake the pot if the dough sticks to the edges or seems lopsided.
-You can put a layer of whatever you'd like on the top of the bread on the Silpat/cloth, before you put the blob onto it. Later, when you dump the dough into the pot, upside down, that layer ends up being on top. Alternatively, you can sprinkle whatever it is (e.g., sunflower seeds, oats, or poppy seeds) onto the dough, after you have flopped it into the hot pot. (With great patience, you can even spell out letters or a design…)
-With my oven, I actually do the first half hour of baking, lid on, at 460 degrees. Then I turn the heat down to 445 for the second 20-30 minutes (lid off).
(Kathy and I do the first part @ 450 degrees with the lid on for 30 minutes, then leave it at 450 and take the lid of for 10-15 mins. Our Dutch oven said it was only rated to 450)
-You might want long oven mitts; I have burned myself multiple times!
Enjoy, Jill

Recipe: No-Knead bread
Makes a 1 1/2-lb. loaf.
Note: Instant yeast is also known as rapid-rise yeast. Active dry yeast can also be used without proofing (soaking to make it active). Author Mark Bittman reports success in using up to 30 percent whole-grain flour, up to 50 percent whole-wheat flour and up to 20 percent rye flour. When adding flavors -- caraway seeds, chopped olives, onions, cheese, walnuts, raisins -- Bittman suggests adding after you've mixed the dough, but they can also be folded in before the dough's second rising. Bittman adopted this recipe for the New York Times from Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street Bakery in New York City .
• 3 c. all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
• 1 scant tbsp. salt
• Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed
In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 c. tepid water and stir until blended; ! dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at room temperature (about 70 degrees) for at least 12 hours, preferably about 18 (Bittman said he has gone to 24 hours without a problem). Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles and gluten (long strands that cling to sides of bowl when tilted) is well-developed.
Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle dough 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. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface and to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) or Silpat mat with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam-side down on towel or Silpat mat and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel (or plastic wrap) and let rise for 2 to 3 hours. When ready, dough wil! l be more than double in size and will not readily spring back! when po ked with a finger.
At least a half-hour before dough is ready, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 4- to 6-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it preheats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel (or Silpat mat) and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that's OK. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Remove from oven, invert pan and cool bread on a rack.