Jim Lahey’s original recipe was immediately and wildly popular. How many novices it attracted to bread baking is anyone’s guess. But certainly there were plenty of existing bread bakers who excitedly tried it, liked it and immediately set about trying to improve it. This is an attempt to cut the start-to-finish time down to a few hours, rather than the original 14 to 20 hours’ rising time. The solution is simple: use more yeast.
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 packet (1/4 ounce) instant yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- Oil as needed
- Nutritional Information
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
407 calories; 5 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 75 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 538 milligrams sodium
Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
1 big loaf
Preparation
- Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
- Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes more.
- 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 dough and put it into pot, seam side up. 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.
Dining and Cooking