In the food game, you are either a baker or a cook. I'm a cook - I don't like to measure, I time things by instinct, and I don't follow recipes to the letter. Bakers are exact - and they have to be, because if you are slightly off chances are your baked goods will look like a hippy made them. For some reason, this bread recipe is the exception to the baking rule - there's a lot of leeway and room for experimentation. For now, though, follow the steps exactly and you can make boules that look like they came straight outta old world France. The recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman's minimalist column for the NYT. The first time I tried making it, I was shocked at how good the results were. Then I got addicted and made lots of variations - rye, sesame semolina, chocolate cherry, chocolate cranberry walnut, rosemary, blueberry, and on and on. Here I'll show you how to make cinnamon, and once you get the hang of that the rest are even easier. 
STEP ONE: MIX together 3 cups flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast. If you have a stand mixer, slap the dough hook on that baby, turn it on and stand back. You can also do this by hand, but you will be mixing for a while - it's done when it looks like the above picture. Commercial bread ovens are injected with steam - that's what gives the loaf a nice chewy crust. We get around that by adding extra water to the dough and using a nice big pot with a lid to keep the steam inside. But first, we wait - transfer your dough to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap:
STEP TWO: WAIT 24 hours. I usually get two loves going at once - it's not much more work than making just one, and eco-friendlier as well. Leave the dough out at room temperature - don't put it in the fridge, or the oven. I added about 1.5 cups of dried black currants at the end of the mix stage to the dough in the upper right hand corner. One of the interesting things about letting the dough rise for a full 24 hours are the flavors that develop over time. Dried fruits can even ferment a little - very tasty. The reason we don't knead this bread (aside from the fact that it's too wet to handle) is that in all that time the yeast is working away, the proteins in the flour are linking up. Or hooking up, if you play your dough some Marvin Gaye.
STEP THREE: FLOUR a surface, and make sure to use a lot - your dough should be two times its original size, and still very wet, so don't let it stick to the table. Add more flour to the top and flatten it out by hand, like so:
If you are just making white bread, add a liberal amount of flour to your bowl, form the dough back into a ball and toss it in. But why settle for that? Let's get some cinnamon going on there:
And about this much sugar:
Now, fold that sucker over:
STEP FIVE: REST the dough after you fold it over itself again and form it into a boule. This is the only part of the process that takes any skill - the idea is to fold the dough into itself by pushing up on the bottom with your fingers, hopefully making a nice even surface on the top. If you do it right it looks the picture below. Put a lot of flour in the bowl, gently place the loaf inside and let that baby rest for two to three hours. Actually, an hour will work if you are pressed for time, and since there's sugar inside, I don't recommend much more time than two - you can end up with a syrupy mess.
STEP FIVE: BAKE in a covered pot for 30 minutes at 450. If you are gonna mess up your bread, here's where you will do it - so listen up. The weapon of choice by far is the Le Creuset enameled cast iron dutch oven, but almost any large pot (5 qt or bigger) with a lid will work. If you have a plastic handle on the lid, unscrew it and plug up the hole with foil. If you don't have a lid, use a plate. Place the pot and lid in the oven and set it to 450 so everything is blazing hot when you get ready to put the dough in. It takes a while to get up to temp, so you can pre-heat as your dough is completing it second rise. Get some over mitts - don't use a dishtowel that is wet unless you want third degree burns on your delicate fingers. When the oven tells you it's ready, take out the pot, uncover, and gently place your dough inside. Don't worry what it looks like, don't add flour, and don't try to go too fast - just work deliberately. Once covered, place the pot back inside the oven and set your timer for 30 minutes. Now get ready for those freshly baked bread aromas to hit. When the timer beeps, uncover and cook for another 10-15 minutes - this is how you get a nice crispy crust.
STEP SIX: COOL your loaf on a rack for at least 30 minutes. If you cut your bread while it's hot, all the moisture will come out. It's really better to wait an hour, but who can resist? We've been working on this thing for a day and a half now.
SUMMARY:
1. Mix 3c flour, 2tsp salt, 1/4tsp yeast, and 1 1/2 C water in a large bowl. If you want to use another kind of flour (wheat, rye, semolina, etc.) substitute only 1c of the other and use 2c of the white. I recommend King Arthur for its high protein content.
2. Wait 24 hours. Or, 18 if you are feeling lucky.
3. Flatten out the dough on a floured surface, form it back into a boule and rest covered with a dishtowel for 2-3 hours.
4. Bake in a preheated, covered pot for 30 minutes at 450. Remove the lid and bake for another 10-15 or until the crust is crispy and brown.
5. Slice, slather with butter, and enjoy.
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