homemade bread

I saw this bread recipe on Katy Eliot. I gave it a try and boy was it sinchy. The only thing is that the dough needs 20 hours to rest and rise so you need to plan ahead if you want bread for say...supper tomorrow. No kneading involved. Just mix the flour, yeast, salt and water and let it sit then fold it a little and let it sit some more. The photo is MY bread just out of the oven. Isn't it professional, crusty and pleasantly peasant looking? The other interesting thing is that you bake in a pot with lid. I baked mine in a big Le Crueset. I hope it tastes as good as it looks....I'll let you know after soup and crusty bread supper this eve....

PS The smell of bread baking in your home is very cozy on a rainy day.


Here is the recipe via Katy Elliot:

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery via The New York Times.

Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed. (I used flour)

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 (I used flour), wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. 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, ceramic, I used my Le Crueset) 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.

Thank you Katy Elliot

This bread was SO DELICIOUS!!!  You must make it asap.  I have a second mound of dough ready for the oven.  I also just bought some whole wheat white flour to make some more.  I'll keep you posted on how that loaf turns out.  I read on Katy Elliot's comments that one gal skips steps 2 and 3 all together and the result is just the same....I'll see!

So I made bread with whole wheat white flour and it was very dense.  An all together different bread.  Some folks like that.  I am bananas for the original.  So much that I have another batch resting!  I may try 1/2 wheat 1/2 white.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!