I just made bread! This is my first time making bread using yeast, and it couldn't have been simpler. Folks, if I can do it, you can too!

*I can't believe this came out of MY kitchen!*

I'm not sure why I've been so intimidated by the thought of making bread. But since I'm self-quarantined at home, I figured I had the time for some experimentation and/or trial and error. Turns out, something truly magical happens when flour, water, salt and yeast get together in a bowl, and my actual involvement was scarcely necessary!

The key to my success is 100% the recipe. Jim Lahey, the genius behind New York City's Sullivan Street Bakery, developed a bread-making method that requires little labor but a lot of time. With his no-knead recipe, you just mix the ingredients in a bowl, and walk away for a day. When you come back 24 hours later, you shape the sticky dough into a ball, place it on a big sheet of parchment paper, and then walk away again for 2 hours. Finally, you just pick up the parchment paper, drop it into a screaming hot cast-iron cocotte or dutch oven, and let it bake. This recipe was published in The Staub Cookbook, which I highly recommend if you own any cast-iron cocotte, Dutch oven or braiser.

I'm not sure there's a better smell in the world than baking bread. And the flavor and texture of warm, homemade bread fresh from the oven, well, it actually feels like it's feeding your soul. Enjoy!

NO-KNEAD CAST-IRON BREAD

INGREDIENTS

3 cups bread flour, plus more for the work surface
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 and 1/3 cups lukewarm water, plus more as needed

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and yeast. Pour in the lukewarm water and, using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until it comes together into a sticky dough. If it isn’t sticky, add more water, a couple tablespoons at a time, to get there. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and keep in a draft-free place for 18 to 24 hours.
Lightly flour a work surface. Gently remove the dough from the bowl onto the work surface. Form the dough into a ball, gently tucking the sides of the dough under. Place the dough onto a large piece of parchment paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Place a medium cast-iron cocotte or Dutch oven into the oven while it preheats.
When the cocotte is hot, carefully remove it from the oven. Using the parchment paper sides as handles, gently lower the dough into the cocotte. Cover the cocotte, place it into the oven, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the bread is golden brown in color. Remove the bread from the cocotte and allow to cool for 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Recipe from The Staub Cookbook (2018), courtesy of Zwilling J.A. Henckels.