No-Knead bread, try 2

I stayed up late last night to make some more bread.

9:18AM, Sunday: I mix the flour, yeast, and water in a bowl (notice the sun streaming through the kitchen so bright and early).

10:23 PM: After doing some housework, going to service, playing some softball, and eating dinner, I return home to my dough. (Notice the lack of natural light at this hour, even though there are so many hours of daylight now.)

10:33 PM: I punch down the dough, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest.

10:51 PM: The dough has rested and I attempt to form it into a ball. However, the dough is too wet for my novice hands to handle. I barely fold it over onto itself but I think the idea is to stretch out the dough without breaking all the air pockets, which I think I was more successful doing than last time. Because of this inability to fold the dough over, there is hardly a crease in the final product (see below).

12:36 AM, Monday: The second rise -- the dough expanded slightly beyond the Silpat (have I mentioned how I love that thing?!). I'm not sure if this is because I didn't quite form it into a ball or because the dough really got a chance to rise this time (unlike attempt #1).

1:12 AM: The bread was thrown (rather sloppily) into the heated cast iron pot and covered a half hour earlier (I didn't get a picture at this point because I was afraid of losing the heat from the oven). Here it is with the cover removed to brown it. (Dear's modified ragu sauce is cooking beside it.)

1:30 AM: Finished product right out of the oven -- like I said, the dough was thrown in too sloppily and the pot was too hot to handle to clean up the dough on the edges. Unfortunately, it was too late to have fresh bread and I also had issues getting the loaf out (more on that later) so I left it in the pot overnight. The truly foolish thing I did was cover the pot so the next day all the condensation from the trapped heat moistened the crust. :(

10:32 PM: Bread wrapped in plastic after a few slices were taken for a simple sandwich. (Yeah, I know, we have a lot of clutter in the kitchen.)

This bread attempt came out a lot airy-er (see the giant air pockets above) and the inside is nice and soft and moist (but not like Wonder Bread-moist). I think I can get back the crustiness that I so desire by popping it back in the oven.

Some thoughts:
* This cast iron pot needs more seasoning so that the bread can be released more easily when done. Parts of the bread stuck to the bottom of the pot and there are little black specks on the bread's bottom as well. Hey, we all need a little iron right? :P j/k, I've had to cut/scrape/eat around those lovely bits of crust, losing even more of my favorite part. Other than the slight sticking, I like using this pot more than the enameled cast iron because it produces a higher loaf (much like what you would find in the store) and I don't have to worry about the pot handle being able to withstand the high temperature.
* Even though this bread takes little effort, it still takes quite a bit of time. I'm not sure if this is exactly worth it, but worth doing once in a while for fresh bread.
* I used different flour and yeast this time. I'm not sure if this contributed to better results but the Fleischman's yeast did not have as strong of a yeasty odor as the other one I used (forgot the name of that one and I can't find that unfinished packet). The King Arthur flour feels more fine to me than the generic store brand one. Again, not sure that makes a difference.
*I wonder if my dough is still too wet at the point of making it into a ball.
* I'd like to try using some whole wheat or multi-grain flour for a more healthful option next time. In the far off future, I'd also like to try adding some herbs, nuts, or olives.

Unrelated note: I had some Indian food on Friday and that has cured my Indian cravings at least for a while. More on that if I have time later this week.