This is modified from the Cooks Illustrated "Almost No-Knead Bread". Pam Zack shared this recipe with me a while back and it is one of my favorites! It is incredibly easy to make.
Course: Bread
Keyword: Bread, No-Knead, Pecans, Tart Cherry
Equipment
3½ quart enameled cast iron pot
Ingredients
3cupsunbleached al -purpose flourplus additional for dusting work surface
¼tspinstant yeast
1½tspkosher salt
¾cupwater, at room temperatureplus 2 tablespoons, (7 ounces)
Whisk flour, yeast, and salt in large bowl. Toss in cherries and pecan halves. Add water, beer, and vinegar. Using rubber spatula, fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours.
Lay 7¾-by-18-inch sheet of parchment paper inside a 3½ quart enameled cast iron pot and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10-15 times. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle. Transfer dough, seam side down into parchment-lined pot and spray surface of dough with nonstick cooking spray. Cover and let rise at room, temperature until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours.
Remove cover and put into a cold oven, set the temperature to 425°F and **bake until loaf is deep brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 210 degrees F, approximately 50 minutes. Carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and cool to room, temperature. about 2 hours.
**Cooks Illustrated says to bake the bread covered for the first 30 minutes and then remove lid to finish baking. I set the bread in the oven, uncovered, and programed my oven to bake at a specific temperature at a specific time and then turn off at a specific time. It bakes up beautifully this way and doesn't require any babysitting. Just be sure to be at the oven door to take it out when it is done.