This bread is hands down some of the yummiest bread I've had the pleasure of making. It is the BEST dinner companion to almost any meal. Delicious crusty European-style bread....dip it, spead it, YUM! Although, you do have to plan a little ahead....cause it does take awhile. But it is SO easy!! We call this Kip Bread at our house because the recipe is from Kip! And it totally needed a better name, so we gave it one. There is no kneading, no fancy ingredients, just mix and sit.
The one thing you do need to have is the right type of pan to bake it in--a pan that is the right size, that can withstand the high temperature of the oven, and that has a lid. The recipe calls for a 6- to 8-quart pot. I use either a small Dutch oven, or I have an enamel-coated cast iron pan that I bought at T.J. Maxx. Pyrex or ceramic can also work, provided it meets the above requirements.
Recipe adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (to be honest, I'm not sure what "instant" yeast is, so I use "rapid rising" yeast and that seemed to work great)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed (I usually just use flour and sometimes a little cornmeal)
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Then place the ball of dough back on the floured work surface, cover it with the plastic wrap and perhaps a towel on top of that, and let it rise for 2 hours. (Then when it's ready to go in the pan, simply lift it carefully with your hands and move it over to the pot.)
4.Sprinkle cornmeal along the bottom of you pot to prevent sticking.
5. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot in the oven while it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. . Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes (Note: I often like a less dark and crunchy crust, so I'll usually reduce the final baking time by at least 5 minutes), until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.
Once again with a few pictures...
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
This is the point that I finally let my two year old "touch the bubbos!"
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Then place the ball of dough back on the floured work surface, cover it with the plastic wrap and perhaps a towel on top of that, and let it rise for 2 hours. (Then when it's ready to go in the pan, simply lift it carefully with your hands and move it over to the pot.)
4.Sprinkle cornmeal along the bottom of you pot to prevent sticking.
5. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot in the oven while it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. . Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes (Note: I often like a less dark and crunchy crust, so I'll usually reduce the final baking time by at least 5 minutes), until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.
