NO-KNEAD FRENCH BAGUETTES

    I was introduced to no-knead bread about 10 years ago.  A friend gave me the recipe after I raved about it at a luncheon she hosted.  In addition to the great taste, it was just so impressive to see the stack of baguettes in her kitchen, making it look as though I had just entered a French boulangerie… and then to be told that this bread couldn't be any easier to make, I knew I had to start baking these baguettes myself.  As the story goes, an elderly neighbor of my friend gave her the recipe insisting that it be shared with absolutely no one--supposedly their little secret.  Fortunately for me, my friend thought this was nonsense.  I've been baking baguettes about once a week ever since.  With the black, embossed aluminum Matfer French bread pans I use, (non-perforated--it's a very wet dough) I get 5 baguettes from the recipe.  I wrap them up, toss them into the freezer and after rewarming in a 350˚F oven for about 20 minutes, I have homemade bread every night with dinner.
    I have limited myself to making baguettes, but if you are really ambitious the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois, will give you nearly 100 recipes using the no-knead method.

                       No-KNEAD BAGUETTES

• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 7 cups King Arthur (no substitution here!) all-purpose unbleached flour

    Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 2 cups warm water and let it proof about 5 minutes.  Combine the salt and flour in a very large mixing bowl.  When the yeast/water mixture is ready, pour that onto the flour and mix with a wooden spoon.  Add another 1 to 1 1/2 cups warm water.  The amount you use will depend on the dryness of the air.  I do not like my dough really wet and add just enough water so that I can combine the ingredients.  I try to stick to the 1 cup additional.  At this point, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 2 hours.  Have waiting the French bread pans, oiled (I spray mine with PAM).  I use Matfers, narrow double-channel, black steel pans with NO perforations.  Dipping your fingers into water so the dough is less likely to stick to your hands, evenly distribute dough into 5 channels.  Let rest another 30 minutes.  In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425˚F (450˚F if not using blackened aluminum).  Place the pans onto a rack set in the middle of the oven and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove bread from pans and place onto a cooling rack.  When cool, the baguettes can be wrapped and placed in the freezer.  Whether frozen or not, the bread should always be warmed in the oven (never wrapped in foil) to remove moisture in the bread.
√ DO NOT substitute any other flour for the King Arthur.  You will be sorry... I tried it once and the difference in taste was astonishing.