no kneed, bread in a pan

i know i haven't posted on here for ages. i think about it all the time, but actually taking the time to do it just hasn't happened in a while. 

today was bread baking day. we've been up at the resort for a couple days now, and our store bought, enough-to-tide-us-over bread was running low. the oven in the cabin here is super tiny and i had feared that it might not even get hot enough. i got oven thermometer and found out that its sort of messed up on the lower end, but it goes to 500 no problem. which was good, cause that was what i needed it to be! 

i left most of my cookbooks at home, cause they are heavy and paper! both don't really do well when you have to pack all of your gear in a skimmer behind the skidoo for 165 km's! i also knew that we would have internet, so really my options would be endless. i didn't really need the books. 

i ended up finding this recipe.  its a no-kneed, long fermentation bread thats baked in a pot in the oven. this worked great for me, because the oven is so small i can't do more then one free form loaf at a time anyway, and i really wanted the crust that just baking it like normal probably wouldn't produce. the pot went in the oven while it was preheating, and then i popped the loaf in the pot when it was done rising. about 50 minutes later out it came and its quite lovely if you ask me! :) 

3 cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt

1.5 cups water

cornmeal

mix yeast and water, let sit for 5. mix all of your flour and salt together and pour in the water and yeast mixture in and mix with your hand until just combined. put it in a medium sized bowl and let it sit in a warm room over night, about 12-18 hours. 

turn it out on to a lightly floured board. dust it with flour, and flatten lightly. fold it over and itself a couple times and let rest for 15. 

do this again, but this time heavily sprinkle a tea towel with cornmeal and place the loaf seam side down. sprinkle more cornmeal on top and fold the ends of the tea town on top to cover. let rise for 2 hours. 

pre-heat your oven to 450 and place a large cast iron or ceramic pot (that has a lid) in the oven. once the bread is almost double, invert it onto your hand and place it seam side up in the pot. cover with a lid and bake for 30 minutes. uncover and back for about 15 or more, just enough to get a nice and caramelized on the top! enjoy! :)