Out of the Darkness and Into the Oven

Okay, so when I came home and my mom was raving about this new method of breadmaking that she hadn't tried yet, I was skeptical. My family, it seems, adores miracle products. Not ones that you have to spend actual money on, mind you, but miracles all the same. This last Saturday was my dad's 60th birthday party, which resulted in many elaborate baked goods in his honor...
Quite fabulous, as you can see. For the feast, my mom decided to finally test her magic bread recipe, and to our amazement, it really was the best bread we've ever made - no exceptions. Due to the unique no-knead method, it manages to have the most amazing crusty/chewey quality reminiscent of the artisan breads of old. And now, having hyped it to such a great extent, I will now give you the magic recipe:

No-Knead Bread:
(copied from the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dec. 7th)

Makes 1 1/2 lb Loaf
Ingredients:
3 c. All-purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp. Instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp. Salt
1 5/8 c. lukewarm water
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

To Mix Dough, Let Rise: In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water. Stir until blended (note: dough will be shaggy and sticky). Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise 12 - 18 hours at warm room temperature (approx. 70 degrees) or until dough surface is dotted with bubbles.

To Fold Dough: Lightly flour work surface. Place dough on surface. Sprinkle with a little more flour. Fold dough over on itself once or twice, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes.

To Shape Dough: Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat cotton towel (NOT terrycloth!) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put dough, seam side down, on towel. Dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel. Let rise for 2 hours or until dough is more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked.

To Prepare Oven, Pot: At least 30 minutes before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put 6-to-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats.

To Bake Dough: When the dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide hand under towel. Turn dough over into pot, seam side up (Note: It may look like a mess, but that's okay. Shake pan once or twice if dough
is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes). Cover with lid, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for 15 - 30 minutes, or until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on rack.
In our experimentations with the recipe, we've found that rye bread is a very tasty variation: simply add as much as 1 cup of rye flour (or any kind of flour that suits your fancy - whole wheat, oat, etc.). Experiment to find your favorite flavor, and please tell me how it goes!