Mix 3 cups of flour, and a teaspoon of salt in a mixing bowl.
In a glass measuring cup, mix together 12 oz of warm water, and 1/4 teaspoon of
yeast and let it sit until the yeast starts to foam.
Pour the yeast/water mixture into the flour/salt mixture.
Stir it with a wooden spoon until most of the flour is incorporated (no kneading required!)
Place your dough in a sealed container (or a mixing bowl covered with saran wrap),
and let it sit/proof for 7-24 hours.
After about 7 hours, your dough should have risen to double and have lots of bubbles
in it!
Take the dough of the oven. Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on the counter,
plop the dough out on the flour, and fold in all four corners. Place that ball of dough in a clean pie plate and cover with a tea towel.
Let it rise for 1-2 hours. I find 1 1/2 hours works best for me. 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with a dutch oven or casserole dish
inside.
Remove piping hot dutch oven/casserole dish from oven, spray with cooking spray, and plop your dough into it being careful not to burn yourself (it really hurts).
Using kitchen scissors, or a sharp knife, make some cuts in the top (i'm not
sure why, but it looks pretty). Put the lid on, and put it back in the oven.
Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, I like to remove the lid and let it bake for another 5 mintues to let the top crisp up.
At that point, remove the casserole dish/dutch oven and carefully dump the loaf of bread out and place on a cooking rack until it's cool. Slice and enjoy!
