No Knead Bread

So I have never been much of a baker, but have always loved the idea of baking bread at home.  I mean, picture bringing a homemade loaf to a friend's house for dinner and having this conversion--

Friend:  "This bread is amazing!  You must have paid a fortune for it at (insert name of fancy local bakery here)!"

You:  "Oh this old thing?  No biggie... just made it myself this afternoon.  Yes, I bake my own bread now..."

Friend:  "OMG YOU MADE IT YOURSELF!?  THAT IS AMAZING!  YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR OWN BAKING SHOW ON THE FOOD NETWORK IMMEDIATELY!"

Sounds awesome, right???  Well, unfortunately, I don't have any sophisticated kitchen gear like a Kitchen Aid or bread maker, so I figured I was out of luck.  That is, until I started checking around on Pinterest and came across a super easy recipe from The Comfort of Cooking that requires no kneading and bakes in dutch oven!

Seriously, you can't mess this recipe up!  Just mix everything together, let it sit for at least 8 hours (I've found that overnight is best), throw it in the oven and you are good to go!  I mean... look at it you guys.

Not only is the recipe easy, you can also change it up to suit your individual taste.  I've made all kinds of variations and they always turn out beautiful and delicious!  Here are a few of my favorites-

Left: For delicious toast alongside your morning coffee (our grandma can attest to this one!) add a teaspoon of cinnamon, a 1/4 cup of raisins and 1/4 cup of walnuts 

Right: For a great dinner side, add a couple of chopped garlic cloves, a tablespoon of fresh oregano chopped, a tablespoon of fresh basil chopped, and top with  poppy seeds and kosher salt

For bread that is so good you want to eat it (and it alone) for the rest of the day, add about 1/4 shredded or roughly chopped Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon of peppercorns (smash them a little with the bottom of a cup or a rolling pin first) 

Please, please, please try this at home and let us know how it turns out.  We'd love to add to our repertoire- let us know in the comments what combos you try!