No-Knead Bread

I am a carb-lovin' girl.  I see the merits of the South Beach diet, but could never, ever stick to it long term, because let's face it: Bread is Life.  Take away potatoes, take away noodles, but don't touch my bread!  I know my weaknesses, and because of this, I also know better than to stock up on crusty, fragrant, yeasty fresh bread.  I'm almost glad to live so far from Trader Joe's, as purchasing a loaf of their Cracked Wheat Sourdough was sure to lead to a bread binge (lightly toasted with a schmear of real butter). But when I came across the much-talked about recipe for No-Knead Bread, I had to try it (So I'm a couple years behind the hubbub.  And?).  I'm not printing the recipe here but will leave Google to provide it for you.

The catch to the recipe is that it takes a good 14-18 hours to yield a loaf of bread.  Good for practicing delayed gratification, bad if you want a loaf with tonight's meal.  The waiting was torture.... as was trying to keep up with the steps of flouring and resting and rising.  (Not really, I just wasn't used to it.) 

I was pleasantly surprised with the result.  

The exterior was crusty and crackly.  

The inside was airy and chewy.  

The loaf was big, and after eating it with dinner, I sliced the rest & froze it.  

Perfect for lunchtime sandwiches or for quick croutons!

I was intrigued by this experiment and checked out Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  I like the idea behind it, but would need to invest in a 5 quart bucket and a pizza peel to give this a try.  Maybe in a few months. My waistline will thank me.