When I was a teenager, my mom began expanding her baking horizons by baking bread. She and her best friend would experiment with different recipes and trade their baked creations, sharing their kinship and love for one another with every loaf.

Her loaves were light and fluffy, made with whole wheat flour and honey. My brother would gobble them up, leaving nothing but crumbs, but as for me, I wasn’t in love. As a result, of all the things I have attempted to make, a basic loaf of bread was never on my to-do list. The task seemed daunting and I was convinced nothing I made would be as enjoyable as a crusty loaf from the bakery.

Fast forward 40 years later and here we are in a world turned upside down. Basic staples are hard to come by, and that includes bread in some stores. Luckily, my pantry was already fairly well stocked since I am always baking something or other for my kids (usually cookies). Flour, sugar, and salt are on continual standby in my cupboard, and a jar of yeast was sitting idle in the fridge. With the market running low, the time had come to try my hand at baking bread.

I scoured the internet for easy recipes that also didn’t require an abundance of flour, or yeast for that matter, as soon both were becoming in short supply due to the pandemic. Rationing my current supply was important. My first attempt was a traditional loaf, which as it turned out , tasted more like Easter sweet bread than regular bread. Not bad, but, I wasn’t completely satisfied that I had found THE bread recipe. As I was reading the Times, I saw mention of no knead bread. I didn’t think such a thing was possible. The recipe listed seemed a little too involved for my taste, as it required multiple resting times. I didn’t have the patience. A little more digging turned up a recipe that was more “set it and forget it.”

I was in.

The result was a shockingly beautiful looking loaf that would rival that found in a bakery. The exterior crust was crispy, and held up well over the days. The interior had good texture, though it was a bit salty for my taste. I was hooked. I made this bread again and again, making some adjustments along the way, and each time, I yielded a beautiful loaf of crusty bread that was perfect for saucy dishes, grilled sandwiches, or alone with some butter and jam.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1/4 tsp sugar** (optional)

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

In a large bowl add flour, salt, yeast and sugar** if using. Add the water and mix together until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 12-18 hours to rise. After this time, you will see the top of the mixture slightly bubbled and it should have doubled in size. Take a cast iron dutch oven and sprinkle bottom with flour. You can use a dutch oven that is 3.5 quarts or larger. Mine was on the larger side and it didn’t hinder anything. Put the lid on and put in oven. Turn the oven on to 450’F and keep the empty pot inside while the oven is heating up. Sprinkle the top of your bread mixture with flour. When the oven reaches 450 F degrees, using oven mitts, remove the pot from the oven and take lid off. Careful, it will be hot!! Gently remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a round ball and drop it into the pot. Place lid back on and put in oven. Bake covered for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the lid from the pot and continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes until it reaches a nice golden brown. Remove bread from the pot. You can tap the bottom. If it sounds hollow, it’s done. Let cool before slicing completely.

Store the loaf on the counter covered in a cloth napkin.

**I made this recipe both with and without sugar. I found that adding a touch of sugar gives it a slightly more mellow flavour, but it’s personal preference. Both versions worked well.