Really Easy and Delicious No-Knead Bread

I've written this recipe for the most amateur of bakers to understand! The thing is, I really know NOTHING about cooking. Prior to baking bread, my best dish was Kraft macaroni and cheese. A little over a month ago, I discovered no-knead bread and it CHANGED MY WORLD! 

So tonight, I was assigned with the task of making bread for my fiance's lunch tomorrow. My previous breads have come out very heavy, very moist, and had a VERY thick, crunchy crust. The crust was so hard you almost couldn't cut it, but had to break it - don't get me wrong, it was delicious in a very Panera sort of way, but my fiance has broken a tooth on Panera bread before so soft crust is definitely the way to go for us. I decided to experiment tonight, and man, am I glad I did! This has been my best bread so far, hands down, and I came up with the recipe ALL BY MYSELF! (Recipe writing is a major accomplishment for this chic!) The crust is perfectly soft yet slightly flaky, the inside is fluffy and not so moist, and the flavor is just delicious! So let's get started, shall we? =)

Candi's Super Easy 1-Hour-ish White Loaf Lazy Bread!

(High Altitude Recipe)

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups room temp water

2 tsp bread machine yeast or 1 packet instant yeast

1 tsp salt (I use sea salt)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (can likely be substituted with another cooking oil, but haven't tried it myself)

1 tbsp sugar

**Wooden spoon needed for mixing**

1. Mix dry ingredients together. Make sure everything is pretty much evenly dispersed. 

2. Make a well with your fist in the flour mixture, and pour water and oil into it. Mix for about 5-10 minutes or until ingredients are well incorporated and there are no more dry spots. It will start out looking too dry but if you keep mixing and turning it into itself, it will eventually come together. When finished mixing, dough should be tacky yet slightly dry. If mixture is still too dry after mixing, add water 1 tsp at a time and keep mixing thoroughly until it seems like it could form a loaf and hold its shape. 

3. Get out a piece of parchment paper and lightly flour it. Turn the dough out onto the floured parchment. You may have to form the loaf in your hands before setting it down. To do this, flour your hands if necessary, and turn the dough underneath itself, stretching the top as you go. You're making what's called a "gluten cloak" on the top of the loaf. The bottom won't be pretty, but that's okay. If you think of the loaf as a mushroom cap, it makes sense. 

4. Leave the loaf to rise for about 45 to an hour, depending on your location. The loaf should have about doubled. I just used the bowl I mix my dough in, turned it upside down and placed it over my loaf while it was rising. I've heard that a wet kitchen towel over the top also works, but I've never tried this because 1) I have only one kitchen towel right now 2) I crocheted it and 3) I am NOT using it on fresh dough! So the upside down container works for me.

5. While the loaf is rising, turn the oven to 450 and preheat a cookie sheet at least 20 mins. This should be done about halfway thru the rising process.

6. When the oven is preheated, and your loaf looks about twice the size as when you started (about 30-45 mins from my experience), shove that baby in the oven! BUT be careful to do it gently to prevent the dough from falling. Slide the dough and parchment paper onto the cookie sheet together, being careful not to burn yourself like I always do on this part. 

Ready to go in the oven!

**Most recipes suggest making a slit in the top of the bread to allow gases to escape while cooking - I've found that my bread turns out better if I actually DO NOT do that, but that may very well be a product of my high-altitude, dry, thin air environment. If your bread comes out deformed or has huge bubbles in it, try cutting slits or an X into the top RIGHT BEFORE it goes into the oven, after it has risen. You can use a very sharp knife, or an Exacto blade works even better.

7. Let it cook for about 25-30 minutes. Loaf should be a delicious golden brown. To check for sure if it's done: Take it out of the oven, lift the loaf on its side using parchment paper so you don't burn yourself, then tap on the bottom of the loaf right in the middle. If it sounds hollow, it's done! If not, pop it back in the oven and check it every 5 minutes.

8. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP OF ALL!! I know you want to eat it now, but if you cut into the loaf you're going to be REALLY disappointed. You MUST let the loaf cool before cutting into it! From my experience this can take anywhere from 30 mins (if you're really impatient) to an hour or more, but an hour is best. If you don't let it cool, the center will be wet and/or doughy, and you'll think you didn't cook it all the way. The bread is actually still cooking while it's cooling, so don't skip this part!

9. Once it's somewhere close to room temp, go ahead and sample the glory that is your creation!!! You won't even need butter =)