Hey Kell-
Sorry no pics. Just wanted to share the awesome bread that I made today. I stumbled across a recipe for no knead bread on http://everybodylikessandwiches.blogspot.com/. I think that you told me about the blog. I went to try it out last Sunday but once I read it closely I saw that the bread has to sit for 15 hours!!!!! I did not have the time.
I started it last night at 10pm and let it sit for 16 1/2 hours. I searched for other versions and some have the bread rise for up to 19 hours. It was so easy. Here is how I did it:
I took 3 cups flour (I used whole wheat but lets face it, white is so much yummier in bread).. Yea, I said yummier sue me. Added 1/2 tsp yeast and 1 1/4 tsp salt. If you let the bread rise closer to the 19 hour time, 1/4 tsp yeast is sufficient.
Next, slowly stir in 1 1/2 c water. You do not want over sticky dough. Add bit extra flour if it is. Now let the bread rise for 12-19 hours in an oiled large bowl that is covered with wrap.
The next step is to remove the dough to a floured surface and fold it and then let it sit for 15 minutes before forming it into a ball. I sort of just formed it into a ball, sit for 20 minutes and then reshape. No harm done. Oh, I forgot but my floured surface was to cover a flexible cutting board with flour.. Once I shaped my dough I covered it with plastic wrap that I had sprayed with release and then put a towel on top of that. Good move on my part!!!
Let the dough rest for another 2 hours. After 1 1/2 hours take a cast iron or heavy enamel pot with lid and place it lid and all in the oven and turn it on to 450 degrees. Make sure that the knob on your pot can tolerate the heat. Mine is only ok to 400 so I removed it and then put the screw in the hole so that the steam would not be released. The pot will need to preheat for 30 minutes.
After the dough has the final 2 hour rise,poke it. The hole should close up slowly or let it sit longer. Now the tricky part is to bring out the pot, dust the bottom of it with cornmeal and place the dough inside. I used 1/4 c cornmeal to coat the bottom of the pot. Be sure your hot mitts have no holes and can hold up to the temperature. Remove the lid and put in the dough. I flipped the dough over onto the plastic wrap and then used the wrap to carry it to the pot and dump in. It came off the coated wrap super easy. I read about people having trouble on different blogs when they just used a towel. Plastic wrap=good.
Place the lid back in and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 20 minutes. Bread should be done. My oven must run too hot because once I removed the lid my bread looked done and it was. Next time I will try 400 degrees to compensate.
I love this. Yes it took a long time but since I do not have a mixer here in Hawaii it did the trick. I just can not see investing in a new mixer or shipping the one that I have still in NJ here unless I plan on staying forever. But, now I can make bread. You can add in anything that you would normally to make different versions. Can not wait to try. This is going to offset the hour of cardio I do at the gym everyday. This bread must be eaten with butter. It is an insult to homemade bread not to.
I will try and take a quick picture of it tomorrow. It is 8pm and too dark to do so now. Here is the link to the recipe if you would rather have it with out my rambly (is that a word?) ways. everybody likes sandwiches
Well, write back. Sorry no pics. I will do better next time. I need to show you pictures of the whale watch mom and I went on.
Kim
