Crusty bread in a pot

I enjoy the smell of bread baking in my home and eating it warm and fresh straight out of the oven. However I don’t always have the time to go through the whole process of mixing and kneading the dough (although it can be therapeutic at times).

But what would you say to a recipe for a crusty French-style loaf which requires no kneading, rolling or thumping on the kitchen counter at all? This recipe is so simple, it will blow your mind away!

I discovered this amazing recipe on Simply So Good and tried it out for myself. I have to say this is the easiest bread recipe I’ve ever made.

Ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 1/2 cups water

In a large bowl, just mix all the ingredients together. Start with with the dry ingredients first, whisking it all together to ensure it’s all evenly distributed. Then pour in the water and mix everything thoroughly together.

You will end up with sticky wet dough that looks something like this…

I know things don’t seem hopeful at this point, but trust me, you are on the right track. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave it aside overnight for 12-18 hours. Do NOT refrigerate.

The next morning, your dough will have doubled in size and look something like this…

Now you’re thinking things are taking a pretty weird turn, but stay with me.

Next, preheat your oven to approximately 230 degrees Celsius. Then take an ordinary covered pot and pop it into the oven to pre-heat for 30 minutes.

Back to the dough, turn out the sticky dough onto a well floured surface and shape it into a round loaf. Then cover it with with cling film or a clean tea towel and leave it aside to rest for 30 minutes while the pot is pre-heating in the oven.

After 30 minutes, take the pre-heated pot out of the oven then pick up the dough and plop it in. Cover the pot with the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for a further 15 minutes.

Then comes the big reveal…

Voila! Crusty French-style bread freshly baked from the oven…

It was yummy just as it is. If you make again, you can experiment with various herbs, spices, cheese, nuts and dried fruits for different variations.

Happy Friday!

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