No-Knead Bread

This beautiful loaf is the easiest bread I have ever made, perhaps the tastiest too. Definitely a revelation, as it took the equivalent of what - 5 minutes, 10 minutes effort? And it turned out like the sort of bread labelled "artisan" or "rustic". A very, very crisp crust. And big holes. Proper.

By all means stick "no knead bread" or "5 minute bread" in google, and loads of links and people's recipes will come up. I looked at how Cuts777inthehizzy, did his, and you can watch him here if you want.

BASICALLY anyway, all you need are four ingredients. Mix them in a bowl. Just mix. Don't knead. Save yourself.

3 cups bread flour
1.5 cups water
1 tsp salt
quarter tsp dried yeast

You will also need a heavy casserole pot with a lid, and an oven which can reach 230c.

Cover the dough and leave it in a warm or warm-ish place (the kitchen worktop should be fine) for anything from 12-20 hours. The dough should appear rather sloppy. Apparently it is the sloppiness, the high water content, which makes the crust crispier.

After the long proving, turn (or plop) the dough out on a floured surface. Again, no need to knead. Shape it into a round, which will fit neatly into your pot.

Now comes a second proving, which, based on everything I have read online, you can leave out if you really cannot wait any longer, and you will still get a lovely loaf. But if you want to go all the way, give it another 2 hours to prove again.

Preheat the oven (230c) AND preheat the cooking pot too. Put the dough in the pot and put the lid on. Bake for a total of 45 mins, and remove the lid for the final 15-20 minutes.

I am sure there are possibilities here for amazing pizza dough, rolls or mini ciabattas. Or just toasted doorsteps smothered in butter with poached eggs on top (drool) .. enjoy!