No Knead Rustic French Bread

No knead

No hassle

Fail proof

No oil

Less yeast

…

I can go on and on about the features of this bread recipe! But you have to make it to believe it!

Truth be told, I did not invent this one. A friend had shared a post with me in Chinese, and according to that post, this post here has the original recipe, which cited more back stories about the bread. After reading all the above I realized there has been a long history of fascination and evolution with the no knead bread recipes...All right, TLDR, here is what you need to know:

1. No fancy equipment- forget about moving that heavy stand mixer out from the back of your pantry closet! You just need a large mixing bowl and your two hands!

2. Long fermentation process - it takes 10 to 12 hours. You can start the dough before going to bed and wake up to continue the process; or start in the morning and finish up the baking in the afternoon to have freshly baked bread for dinner!

3. If you haven’t already done so, invest in a high quality dutch oven, or a cast iron pot with lid, or any heavy duty pot with a lid that can withstand 450 degree F! It’s crucial to the success of baking a crusty yet moist bread. It’ll also become the most frequently used, and multi-functional pot in your kitchen! Seriously, if I’m allowed to use only one pot for the rest of my life, my dutch oven is the one!

Now let’s make the bread!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Flour (Bread flour is better, but I only had all-purpose flour, which turned out just fine)

• 1/4 teaspoon yeast

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/2 cups warm water

Steps:

1. Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, cover and let it sit on the counter top for 10~12 hours.

2. Dust your hand and work surface with flour, take out the dough and punch out the air, fold a few times and shape the dough into a ball. This only takes about 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Brush the inside of the dutch oven with oil, put the dough inside the pot, cover and let it rest for 2 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 450 degree F, when the dough is ready, bake with the lid on, for 30 minutes; take off the lid, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. The bread should look golden brown now.

Take out the bread and cool it down on a rack before cutting. As the bread knife sliced over the thin crispy crust of the bread, I could've sworn I felt the surge of endorphins in my brain!

Happiness can be really simple. Try baking a bread next time when you are down!

This bread tastes really good already on its own. We tried ours with the following that are all very tasty!

• Butter

• Olive oil, balsamic vinegar and black pepper

• Artichoke spread

• Tuna salad

• Avocado and fried eggs

Tips:

The crust will soften and lose the crunchiness the next day. Simply slice and toast it in a toaster, or reheat the whole bread in the oven at 350 degree F for 10~15 minutes. If you feel extra fancy, slice the bread, drizzle olive oil on both sides, stick it in the oven, and broil each side for 1~2 minutes. Instead of olive oil, you can use butter, or pesto that works the magic just the same!