Crusty Rustic Bread

This bread turned out soo much better than I was expecting!  I was skeptical at first, because you don't knead it, and it was just so foreign to not do much too the dough.  But I went with it, and the results were A-MAZING.  Soo chewy, and the crust is just perfect-though mine didn't turn out as crusty as I was expecting.  It was so easy, and you can make lots of dough, and it will last for up to 2 weeks in the fridge!  Which means you can keep baking more loaves each week!  This is a recipe I will 100% keep coming back to. 

Found Here

(I cut this recipe in half and just did 1 big loaf-but I would suggest doing the full recipe and keeping the dough you don't use in the fridge to use another day)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough

Cornmeal or Parchment paper-and DO NOT think you can use Wax paper instead of parchment paper....like I did.  Fail.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).*I did 2*

2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put dough on pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes *I don't have one of these, so I used a cookies sheet turned upside down with parchment paper on top* Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.

3. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.

4. Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide onto stone-with parchments paper. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Yield: 4 loaves.

Variation: If not using stone, stretch rounded dough into oval and place in a greased, nonstick loaf pan. Let rest 40 minutes if fresh, an extra hour if refrigerated. Heat oven to 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Place pan on middle rack.