Sullivan Street Bread

This is yet another recipe from the book Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist.  This bread was really good, and is really easy, as long as you plan ahead for the 12 hour rise time.  I'm certainly not an expert, but I have successfully made a good amount of bread and dough recipes and found this dough VERY sticky.  So sticky in fact, that I was sure I had left out some of the flour.  But I proceeded as is, and it produced wonderful results.

Ingredients
-3 cups all-purpose flour
-1/4 tsp yeast
-1 1/4 tsp salt
-1 1/2 c water
-Olive Oil (about 1 tblsp, for coating)
-Extra flour, wheat bran or cornmeal (about 2 tblsp, for dusting)

Equipment
-2 med mixing bowls
-6 to 8 quart pot with lid (Pyrex glass, La Creuset cast iron or ceramic)
-Wooden spoon
-Plastic wrap
-2 or 3 cotton dish towels (not terry cloth)

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add water and incorporate with a wooden spoon or spatula for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Lightly coat the inside of a second medium bowl with olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest 12 hours at room temperature (approx. 65 to 72 degrees).

After 12 (or more) hours, remove the dough from the bowl and fold once or twice. Let the dough rest 15 minutes in the bowl or on the work surface.

Next, shape the dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; place the dough seamside down on the towel and dust with flour. Cover the dough with a cotton towel and let rise 1 to 2 hours at room temperature until more than doubled in size.

Preheat oven 450 to 500 degrees. Place the pot in the oven at least 30 minutes prior to baking to preheat. Once the dough has more than doubled in volume, remove the pot from the oven and place the dough in the pot seamside up. Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake 15 to 30 minutes uncovered, until the loaf is nicely browned.

Cool on a wire rack.