Not Just Another No-Knead Bread√

I've spent the past six months obsessed. Obsessed with making a no knead, no fuss bread. The other post on this blog is a variation on the No Knead Bread recipe that is to be found all over the internet. I found it too fussy, too time-consuming and I didn't want to spend $150 on a cast iron dutch oven. I found the whole kitchen towel routine extremely annoying and having to wash those towels each time drove me crazy. Yes it was a no knead loaf and it worked - but there was wwwaaayyy too much fiddling around with this and that. I experimented with each and every step to see how far I could push things - or not. Finally this weekend I triumphed. No kitchen towels. No dutch ovens. A perfect loaf. Here it is - please make it and let me know how it works out for you. (Photos coming soon ...)

4 full to the brim cups of flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pint water

Mix ingredients quickly in a big bowl
Cover and let it rise for 12-18 hours
Punch down the dough and rest it for 15 minutes
Fold the dough over a few times and shape into a ball
Place in an oiled skillet and cover
Let it rise for up to 2 hours (till doubled in size)
Chck there's a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 500
Place skillet in oven and immediately turn it down to 400
Bake for 50 minutes

Here are some more words in case you are looking for explanations or additional hints or tips.

Ingredients
I full cup = 5 oz. x 4 = 1 lb and 4 (5) oz
I use 2 cups white and 2 cups brown flour
More yeast is not better curiously - the 1/4 teaspoon is just perfect.
I use water straight from the tap - our water is fine and the temperature doesnt' matter.

Mix ingredients quickly in a big mixing bowl
The dough should be pretty sticky - not wet but not dry either.
I use a thin, stiff rubber spatula to mix it as it's good for scraping the sides of the bowl down as well.

Cover and let it rise for 12-18 hours
Cover - I use a pie dish - and put in a place where it isn't going to get too cold (ideally it shouldn't drop below 70 degrees) for at least 12 hours.
It should double in size and the top should be flat and full of small holes.
The longer you leave it the more it will 'bubble' up.
The longer you leave it the more holey your final loaf will be.
It can be too holey and also the taste starts changing - becoming more 'sour' after 16 hours or so.
I rarely leave it longer than 12.

Punch down the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes
Use the spatula to punch it down.

Fold the dough over a few times (use some flour if need be) and shape into a ball
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour over the top of and use the spatula and/or your hands to mold it into a nice round mound. I sometimes have to use more flour. You don't want to womanhandle the dough - you have to resist all urges to 'knead' it - just schmoosh it a bit and make sure it isn't too sticky but it isn't dry either. The success of this loaf depends on the dough being wetter than doughs usually are - at each stage. I add a bit of flour at this stage to prevent it sticking to the skillet while baking.

Place in an oiled skillet and cover it
Use a conditioned skillet and it will not stick. Rub in a light flavorless oil - grapeseed is my favorite - enough to cover the bottom and the sides - about a tablespoon. Use the same pie dish to cover the skillet.

Let it rise for up to 2 hours (till doubled in size)How long you let it rise will depend on whether you use more white or more brown flour and how holey you like your finished loaf. I have let my bread rise too much and not liked the finished fluff.

Check there's a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 500 degrees
If the loaf is too high in the oven it will burn - too low and it won't cook hot enough.

Place skillet in oven and immediately turn it down to 400
Open the door - place the skillet in quickly (don't leave the door open for long otherwise the oven will lose heat) but gently (don't bang the loaf - you can damage some of its holes!) You can leave the oven on 500 for 10-15 minutes and then turn it down as per the original no-knead bread recipe but I find I get a better bread that is never burnt if I turn it down immediately. In the spirit of speed and efficiency it's one less thing to remember, one less thing to do.

Bake for 50 minutes
Depending on your oven you may need to bake it for a shorter or longer time. You will quickly it work out. After your bread has cooled your bread knife should be clean after you cut it. If it isn't then you didn't bake it quite long enough.

Take it out of the skillet and tip it upside down on a rack to cool.
I sometimes have to use a metal slice/spatula to unstick it. If your loaf is very stuck - especially stuck to the sides of the skillet then chances are the dough was too wet. Use a steak knife to separate the sides from the pan and a metal slice to get under it and unstick its bottom! The next time you make iti you can add a bit more flour before the final rise.

Cutting warm bread isn't easy but I can't resist a couple of slices with cold butter and sweet home-made jam or a chunk of cheese.

You can cut a cooled loaf in half and put one half in the freezer or you can cut it in quarters and put 3 quarters in the freezer, taking out one at a time so you have fresh bread every day or so and don't have to throw any away. Bread defrosted at room temperature is just perfect.