Yen Family Site

No-Knead Rustic Bread

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour (or 1 cup whole wheat and 2 cups white), more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (not rapidrise or active)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, 
and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with 
plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at 
warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a 
work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it 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.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or 
to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously 
coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; 
put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or 
cornmeal. [Sue May's note:  Instead of letting the dough rise on a towel,
put a sheet of parchment in a skillet, dust with flour and put dough on the paper. 
When ready to bake just lift dough out using the paper and place the dough
in the pot, paper and all.  Much easier and no worries about the dough sticking
to the towel]
Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. 
When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not 
readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. 
Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or 
ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot 
 from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam 
side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. 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. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.