No-Knead Miracle Bread

First Place Winner in the Bread and Muffin category at the 11th Annual Oatmeal Festival.

Adapted No-Knead Miracle Bread from Jim Lahey

Makes 1 loaf, about 20 slices
*3 Cups all-purpose, plus slightly more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon rapid-rise active yeast
1/1/4 teaspoons salt

1. In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, oat flour, yeast and salt. Add 15/8 cups water. Stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky.

2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. Note: I have left mine as long as 20 hours and it turn out just fine, it seems to be a forgiving recipe.

4. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.--Like a pancake before you turn it.

5. Lightly flour work surface. Place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more all purpose flour. Fold it over on itself once or twice.

6. Using just enough all-purpose flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.

7. Generously coat a cotton towel (not tery cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal: put dough down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. When making the "oat" loaf, I process Old Fashioned oats in food processor until chipped and use those instead of the above.

8. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours.

9. When it's ready, dough will be more than doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

10. At least 30 minutes before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. Note: I use my turkey roaster--and it works great. I think the pan selection is a determining factor in the bread's success.

11. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Remember at all times as you maneuver the dough that the pot will be hot.

12. Slide your hand under towel and turn doug over into pot; it may look like a mess, but that's OK.

13. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.

14. Cover with lid and back 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake 15 to 30 minutes more, until loaf is beautifully browned and sounds hollow when rapped. Note: I cook the bread a total of 45+/- minutes. Cool on a rack.

Nutritional information per serving:
68 cal., 0 fat, 0 chol., 14g carb., 134 mg sodium, 1 g fiber, 2 g pro.

*To make the "Oat Loaf" use 1 Cup of oat bran flour in place of one cup of the 3 cups of all-purpose 
flour.