April: Bread

Thanks again Mark Bittman! You make my life awesome because I can make super good bread for a quarter (if that) of the price I'd normally pay!

Jim Lahey's No-Work Bread
from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

-4 C flour
-1/2 teaspoon yeast
-2 teaspoons salt
-2 C lukewarm water
-olive oil

1. Combine flour, salt, and yeast in a big bowl. Add water and stir until blended. Dough will be sticky and shaggy.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight and then some (about 18 hours). The surface will be dotted with bubbles.
3. Lightly flour a counter or table, turn the bread onto it and fold it a couple of times until it's smooth and soft. Add it into another deep bowl that's been lightly greased with the olive oil.
4. Let rise for at least 2 hours (I usually allow at least 4 because my house is cold) until the dough has more than doubled in size and doesn't spring back once poked.
5. At least half an hour before the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 450. Put a 3-4 quart oven-proof pot with an oven-proof lid (I use a cast iron dutch oven) in the oven and let it heat up.
6. When the dough is ready, dump it into the pot and cover it. Bake for 30 min with the lid on and then 20 min longer without the lid. Let cool before slicing (or at least try to. I never can)