No Knead, Crusty Bread

Thanks to Mother Earth News for this modified version of an article that originally appeared in the NY Times in 2006.

You can find it online here (without my editorial comments, in italics below).  There are also instructional videos at www.breadtopia.com.  Look in the bar on the left for quick links to the easy no knead info.

No Knead, Dutch Oven Bread

1⁄4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1⁄2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting. You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two.  (I use a generous 3 cups, not fluffing too much like he does in the video.  That seems to result in a rather anemic, flat loaf for me.  So I just shake the container of flour so it's not packed and then take a full scoop... result, nice round loaves.)
1 1⁄2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap (or a dish towel). Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.  (If your house is cold or drafty, try putting it inside the off oven.)
   
2. The 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 it rest for about 15 minutes.  (You can put a bowl over it instead.)
   
3. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it's ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.  (I don't recommend this dish towel routine.  The dough is too gluey and it makes a mess.  Instead, I lightly oil the bowl I mixed it in originally and put it back in there for the final rise.)
   
4. At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic -- in a pinch you can use stainless, but it may start to craze after too many hours in a hot oven dry) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that's OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don't worry if it's not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.
5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned.  (The length of time will likely vary from one pot type to another.) Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.  (I've had two out of more than 10 loaves stick for some reason.  Probably because they got overdone.  Just pry them off and enjoy the pre-toasted remains.)

Yield: One 1 1⁄2-pound loaf.

(You can bake as many as will fit in their own pots in the oven at once.  I've been using slightly smaller pots to do so, though the shape is more pure with the larger ones.)

You can search the web for variations and options (breadtopia lists parmesan and olive, walnut raisin, other dried fruits, etc).  Thus far, I have been mixing and matching different flours and have only just started with more adventurous options.  Adding either 1/2 cup of steel cut oats or a combination of 1 cup raisins and 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (right at the beginning) to an otherwise unchanged whole wheat/white 50/50 mix have both been successful.  You do have to pick off a fair number of sacrificial superficial raisins that get scorched by the high heat.  In general, such additions can make a very hearty loaf, though the texture will be more dense with fewer large holes in the crumb.  The wetter the dough, the bigger the holes and these additives pull some of that mositure out.  You could try presoaking them or adding more water.  I haven't done either -- yet.