Let Them Eat Bread!

There's nothing better than doing something extra special for people who work hard for you every day.  Last night I mixed together a batch of no-knead yeast bread and let it rise all night long.  Getting up early this morning, I plopped it into a bread pan then cooked it until it was brown and crispy on top, risen and fluffy in the middle.  Packing it up along with butter and strawberry preserves, I brought it in to work to surprise my team with fresh, warm goodness on this very cold morning.  It was a big hit!  Too much for us to eat so I spread the word for fellow employees to partake in the carb goodness.  So happy it turned out - making bread is always a moving target!!!

No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread

 

Yield: Makes 1 loaf

 

Ingredients:

 

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt (not table salt)

1/2 teaspoon dry yeast (active dry or highly active dry work best)

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

 

Directions:

 

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and yeast. Stir in water using a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a shaggy but cohesive dough. Do not over-work the dough. The less you "work" it, the more soft, fluffy air pockets will form.

 

Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough sit at room temperature for 8-24 hours*. Dough will bubble up and rise.

 

After dough is ready, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place your Dutch oven, uncovered, into the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

 

While your Dutch oven preheats, turn dough onto a well-floured surface. With floured hands, form the dough into a ball. Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap and let rest.

 

After the 30 minutes are up, carefully remove Dutch oven. With floured hands, place the bread dough into it. (You can put a piece of parchment under the dough if your Dutch oven isn’t enamel coated.)

Replace cover and bake for 30 minutes covered. Carefully remove cover and bake for 7-15 minutes* more, uncovered.

 

Carefully remove bread to a cutting board and slice with a bread knife.

 

NOTE – Okay, I have no Dutch oven.  I made a double batch of the dough, using the dough mixer on my Kitchenaide, let it sit to rise overnight, then plopped it into bread pan and cooked it at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes (if it was a single batch, I’d cook it for 15 minutes.)  I took it out when the top was crispy and golden brown.  Turned out perfecto!!