View source

Makes 1 loaf. 

Total time: 15 hours.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
*3 cups flour (white, whole wheat or a mixure)
*1.5+ cups water
*1/4 tsp dry active yeast (really!!)
*1 tsp salt

Do not heat oven yet.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, add the water by the 1/2 cupful, mixing with a wooden spoon.
dough should all stick together and form a slightly shaggy ball of dough. no need to knead it, but make sure there is no dry flour in the bowl. add a little water if needed.
cover in bowl, and leave to rise overnight, or 12 hours in a warm part of the kitchen.  Dough should have roughly doubled in size, if it didn't rise enough (after 12 hours), knead a few times (sorry Bittman) and return to bowl for another few hours. 

Deflate the dough and gently form a nice ball, try not to tear the dough too much while you do so. Dough should be smooth and slightly sticky. 
Place on a well floured surface and cover with a towel for 1 hour. 
Place a oven safe pot (preferably thick cast-iron) in the oven and pre-heat the oven to 450F.
Once oven is hot, decorate the loaf with a few slits on the top (I do a cross-hatch pattern) and place gently (and carefully) in the pot, cover. Bread will not stick to hot pot, but it will stick horribly to a cold one.
Lower the temperature to 425 and bake for 45 minutes. Loaf should be crusty brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Let cool for 20 minutes before devouring.

To double, double the recipe, make two loaves and bake in two pots.

Back to [[Recipes]]