No-Knead Bread 
 
Adapted from an adaptation by Mark Bittman of a recipe by Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery 
 
Time: About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising 
 
Edited ingredient list 
  3 cups flour   1/4 teaspoon yeast 
  1 1/2 teaspoons salt 
  1 1/2 cups water 
  flour, bran or cornmeal for processing 
 
1. In a large bowl stir together flour, yeast and salt. Add water, and stir until flour is completely moistened; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest 12 - 18 hours 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 from both sides and then from both ends. 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. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger. 
 
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. 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 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. 
 
Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.