Artisan Style "No Knead" Bread

With lots of downtime during my recent visit to the US, I decided to attend a baking class near my area.  While searching online, artisan + no knead got me hooked at this class at Baking Arts in San Mateo.  Sure enough, no kneading is necessary but only long proofing time before you can get eat a piece of this bread.

Artisan Style "No Knead" Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (400g) unbleached bread flour
• 1-1/2 tsp salt or 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp instant or active dry yeast
• 1-1/4 cup (300g) cool tap water
• Corn meal for dusting (optional)

Yields:  1 large 10 inch round loaf

Shelf life:  2 days in room temperature

Instructions:

1.  Mix flour, salt and yeast in a medium bowl.  Add water to bowl, mixing until you have a wet sticky dough, about 1 minute.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at cool room temperature for 12-18 hours.

2.  Line a colander or medium sized strainer with parchment paper and sprinkle with optional corn meal.  Set aside.

3.  Generously dust a work surface with flour and using a dough scraper, gently coax the dough out in one piece.  With well floured-hands, gently nudge and tuck the dough under to form a round ball.  Transfer to colander.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

4.  Thirty minutes before the dough is finished rising.  Place a covered 5-6Qt heavy pot on the lower third shelf of an oven and preheat to 475F.  If the lid of your pot does not have an oven safe handle on lid, remove it before placing in the oven.

5.  Lightly flour the top of your dough, if desired, and use a razor blade to decoratively slash the dough about 1/4 inch deep.  Carefully remove the lid from the pot and immediately place the dough, parchment and all, in the pot.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid (be cautious, steam from inside the pot can hurt unprotected hands) and bake 15-20 minutes more.  Remove bread from pot and cool at least 2 hours before eating.