I know it seems a bit weird to post a recipe for no-knead bread on a fly fishing site, but we all need to eat and this is one of the really, really good things to eat. It’s super easy to make and it really is so good that you’ll wonder why you haven’t been making it all your life–sandwiches, French Toast, regular toast,  cut into cubes and tossed into soup, just straight up with butter on it, and every other way you like bread, you’ll like it more with this bread. Give it a try, and don’t blame me if you become a bread junkie.

Easier than Easy No-Knead Bread

3 cups bread flour

1 heaping tbs. gluten (available locally as Bob’s Red Mill, “Vital Wheat Gluten Flour”–this is not “flour” but gluten that is as fine as flour)

1 heaping tbs. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt (more if you like salty bread, on none if you prefer—I use none)

1/4 heaping tsp. rapid rise dry yeast

• Blend the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, by hand, using a mixing spoon.
• Add 1 ½ cups of warm water (pleasantly warm to the touch)
• Blend well, by hand, with a mixing spoon. The final mix should be sticky and look just a bit moist. If the mix is too dry, add a tiny bit of water (I add it one tbs. at a time and blend well before adding more). If the mix is too thin, add a tiny bit of flour (I add one tbs. at a time and blend well before adding more). One need not get upset about the precise look and feel of the mix; if it’s a too dry, it just takes longer to rise. Eyeball it—it should look just a bit moist and be just a bit sticky—that’s all you need to worry about.
• Cover the bowl with plastic or with a lid so that the mix doesn’t dry out.
• Allow mix to stand overnight or all day long. I mix my batches the night before I want to bake, or, if there’s an evening meal and I want nice fresh bread, I’ll mix the dough early in the day and bake it so that it’s ready at dinner time.
• The bread will be baked in a cast iron Dutch-oven (I use an enameled one so the bread is easy to get out after baking—make certain that any non-metallic handles can tolerate the heat), or use ceramic cookware (I use Corning, white French-style with glass lid). I use a 2.5 L (2.75 qt.) for the single recipe, and a 4 L (4.5 qt.) for a double recipe.
• You may put the baking pot in the oven while preheating the oven to 400 F., but I’ve found that the pot does not need to be preheated. I spray the cold pot with a little PAM baking variety and then wipe it out so just a thin film remains.
• When the oven has fully heated to 400 F,, turn the risen dough out onto a well-floured surface. I use a 20” x 20” plastic, pie-crust mixing sheet from Tupperware because it’s easy to clean. Use a wetted spatula to scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl. I use a rather stiff, plastic one that allows me to really scrape—this stuff is sticky! I keep a glass of water handy to dip the spatula as needed, so it won’t stick to the dough.
• Fold the edges of the dough up and over onto the top of the blob until the mass is about the same diameter as the interior of the baking pot.
• Wet your hands, pick up the dough, and flop it into the baking pot. If you want, you can make cut marks on the top with a knife. It isn’t necessary to form the dough ever so carefully. Get it in the pot, press it out just a bit, but don’t burn yourself if the pot is hot.
• Put the lid on the pot and bake 45 to 60 minutes, until the crust is a dark golden brown. I bake it 45 and then check it (usually adding 5 more minutes).

The bread will have a tough, but very tasty crust. This is a moist bread, so don’t expect it to be light and fluffy. It is chewy, tasty, and the way real bread should be. The slices are best called “bread steaks.” Warm, with a little butter or margarine and strawberry jam (or honey), it is fabulous. Makes great toast, wonderful with soup, makes a great sandwich, and does everything better than pasty, white American bread. I store it right on the counter top: cut it in half. I slice out pieces from each side, and shove the two haves back together. This works well for a day or two. If the crust gets too hard, store the bread in a zip lock bag.. The bread can be stored in the refrig; it can be warmed in the microwave.

To make a slightly larger loaf use 4 c. flour, 2 level tbs. gluten, 2 level tbs. sugar, ½ tsp. salt (or no salt, your preference), ½ tsp. yeast, and 2 c. water.