Easy Bread

from New York Times

3 cups flour (pictured above is 1 1/2 c bread and 1 1/2 c whole wheat four)
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tbs kosher salt
1 1/2 c warm water

Mix dry ingredients and add warm water stirring until the batter chases the spoon around the bowl. Cover and set in a warm place for 12-20 hours (overnight). Drop on floured surface and pull ends to the top of the ball to make a taut surface (wet hands to avoid sticking). Wrap in well-floured towel in a bowl and set in a warm place for 2 hours, the towel should cover the dough while it doubles in size. A half hour before preparing to bake, preheat oven to 450 degrees and warm a lidded casserole dish in the oven. Line the warmed casserole dish with parchment paper (very important! I lost the lower half of my second loaf to the bottom of the dish because I forgot this, lol) and drop in dough. Bake covered for 20-30 minutes, uncovered for another 10-25 minutes or until sufficiently browned. When it's baked through, bread should sound hollow when tapped (or be 210 degrees in the center).

UPDATE! I've made this bread I think 6 or 7 times since I posted this and each time it's proven fool-proof. Honestly, I have not been able to mess this bread up (Andy did by adding too much salt one time but that actually had a silver lining since he's back to staying out of my kitchen, lol). I started to think: why do I need that second rising? It's no a No-Knead Bread! It would make sense if I had to punch it down but I don't so...I skipped the second rise this past weekend (Dec 4) and dropped it into a parchment paper-lined bread loaf pan and covered with tin foil. I even put it into a cold oven! 45 minutes later, I had a fluffy sandwich bread. Seriously, this bread is that EASY.