Homemade NO KNEAD Bread

Basic White Bread (Sourdough too)

3 cups bread flour*, packed and leveled
1 1/4 teaspoons salt (iodized)
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups cool water
Coarse cornmeal for dusting

Step 2 - the wet dough

The Cast Iron Pot -3 Quarts

Proverbs 23:15

“My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad”.

Note: I like King Author Bread flour

1.  Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly

2.  Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir with rubber spatula. Add additional water and stir as needed, until you have a thoroughly mixed, wet, sticky mass of dough. This dough is much wetter than normal bread dough and will NOT form a ball. (*For Sourdough you add 1/2 - 1 cup of starter)

3.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 12-18 hours. 

4.  After 12-18 hours have passed, your dough should be dotted with bubbles and doubled in size. Dust a wooden cutting board with bread flour, using rubber scrapers turn out dough onto the board. Although the dough will be sticky do not add additional flour. Dust the top of the dough lightly with bread floor and cover with a clean cotton tea towel. Let dough rise another 1-2 hours.

5.  About 30 minutes before the second rise is complete, place your 3 quart cast iron pot (without lid) on rack positioned in the lower third of your oven. Heat oven to 475 degrees.

6.  Once your oven has reached 475 degree, remove the pot and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of course corn meal on the bottom of the pot. BE CAREFUL THE POT WILL BE VERY HOT!

7.  Uncover dough and using a rubber spatula, shape dough into a ball and carefully lift dough into the hot pan. Dust top of dough with corn meal. Place lid on pot.

8.  After 35 minutes remove lid, and place back in the oven for another 12 minutes until loaf is browned, but not burned.

9. Remove pot from over. With a sturdy wooden spoon remove bread from the pot, and place on a cooling rack. Do not slice for at least an hour. Mine always falls out when I turn the pot over, no need for any tools.

* If making sourdough bread add 1/2 cup of sourdough starter.

Yummy. Can you Smell it?

NOTE: This is easy bread dough that requires NO KNEADING! It is delicious, and my family loves it! However, the cast iron pot is very important to the bread. I've never tried using a bread pan, but I believe the main problem is that a typical bread pan doesn't get hot enough.