Well, for some reason I've become interested in baking bread. Not just any bread but mindless, no-knead yummy bread. Jim Lahey's recipe for no-knead and truly no-work bread is beyond easy. Four ingredients, 20 hours, one bowl, wooden spoon, oven and a cast iron vessel is pretty much all you need. We have been using a pizza stone for, yes, pizza. Who would guess.
Recipe is 3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry yeast
1 1/3 cups cool water
Mix the dry ingredients then stir in the water. The dough should be very sticky. If its not, add another tbsp water. Place it in a warm shaded spot, covered, for 18 hours. Slow rise is the key (as Jim says in his recipe book - see title link). When 18 hrs have passed, removed the dough from the bowl in one piece onto a floured surface. Fold the four sides into the centre, place onto a generously flour dusted tea towel and fold the tea towel closed. Let is rise again for 2 hours. (If you want to make pizza dough separate into 4 and add salt and olive oil to the dough, flour and let it sit to rise.) Once 2 hours have passed and the dough has doubled in size, heat up the oven to the 400 F with the cast iron pot and lid (best to remove the handle as it might melt.) Once the oven is hot, place the dough into the pot and cook for 30 mins with the lid on and then 30 mins without (or until its golden brown). (Best to put the folded side of the bread face up into the pot.)
If you want to make pizza; preheat the oven with the stone, dress the pizza with lots of corn meal under the dough as you prep (to allow it to slide easily onto the pizza stone). Bake for 10-15 minutes....eat.
Mark Bittman wrote about the bread and here is a video from the baker
DINING & WINE | January 26, 2011
The Minimalist: Video Gallery: The Minimalist's Greatest Hits Twenty of Mark Bittman's most-watched cooking videos from 2006 onward.
fyi
tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes (or whole and mash them in the pot)
2 crushed cloves
one smashed whole garlic clove
large pinch of rosemary, oregano and thyme.
Simmer until it thickens.
