Directions: |
Directions:In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt.
Add 1 5/8 cups room temperature water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably 18-24 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.
Lightly flour a work surface and pour dough onto it. Sprinkle it and your hands with flour and then fold it over on itself (north to south, south to north, east to west, west to east). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with the wheat bran (cornmeal or flour will do).
Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape into a ball. Put dough seam side down on the towel and dust with more wheat bran.
Cover with another towel and let rise for 1.5 hours.
Put the covered cast iron pot into the oven and turn heat to 500 degrees. Let the bread rise and the pot warm for at least 30 minutes. (When its ready, the dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.)
When bread is ready -- using oven mitts -- slide out the pot and remove the lid (you can put it on the open door.)
Then slide your hand underneath the towel under the dough and flip the dough into the pot, seam side up. It may look like a mess but that's OK. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
Cover with lid and reduce oven to 450 degrees. Cook for 30 minutes.
Remove lid and cook for 15-30 minutes more until the loaf is beautifully browned. (I've found 20 minutes to be ideal.)
Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
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This recipe for No-knead bread is from