A little something for knead-a-phobes

It's the end of the road for my trusty bread maker. It has accompanied us through 6 moves (Beloit via Washington DC via Austin, TX) over the past 13 years, but it can no longer beat down raised dough. I bought a new knead bar, to no avail. So, I've been trying to figure out how to keep making bread, without having it turn it into an all-afternoon affair. I don't have a good kneading surface, I tend to overknead, I have an entourage that doesn't like a distracted mother.

Mark Bitten has come to my rescue. He is The Minimalist for the NYTimes and specializes in simple to fix, yet complex to taste, recipes, accompanied by a thorough description of what he is doing and why. He has taken a no-knead recipes for bread and shortened the prep time down to about 5 or so hours. Brilliant. The white bread is divine and, frankly, less work than the bread maker bread was.

Speedy No-Knead Bread
(adapted from Mark Bittman)
3 c. bread flour (MB says you can use reg. flour, but the loaf will be shorter. I recommend bread flour; it has more gluten in it which contributes to the chewy texture of bread. Usually gluten is developed through kneading, which we aren't doing, so I would think the extra would help)

1 package (1/4 oz.)instant yeast (I used quick rise, because that what I had for the bread maker...some comments on MB's blog suggested that was better)

1 1/2 t. salt
Oil as needed

1. Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 c. water (I warmed mine slightly--100 degrees or so), and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. (I put mine in the microwave, which happens to be the warmest place in the kitchen. It's also a more consistant temperature than leaving it out on the counter.)
2. Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 min.s more. (I'm not sure you can call what I did "folding"; I slurped it around a couple of times and left it on the counter)
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) (I used a Corningware casserole dish) in the oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from over. Slide dough into pot, seam side up (?) and shake pan once or twice to distribute dough.
4. Cover with lid and bake 30 min.s, then remove lid and bake another 15-30 min.s until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

This makes a big, oval loaf that has a great crust. It is moist and almost sourdough-y on the inside--because of the yeast? I don't know but, anyway, it barely made it past dinner. We all had fourths.