No-Knead Bread with Lentils

Directions

1. Put the lentils and ½ cup water into the bowl of a food processor and purée until smooth.
2. In a large bowl stir together the flour, yeast and salt. Add the lentils along with 1 cup of water and stir until blended; the dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a dinner plate and let it rest on the countertop at room temperature for 18-24 hours.
3. When the surface of the dough/batter looks wet and is dotted with bubbles, flour the countertop and scrape the dough out onto it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice, then roughly shape into a ball. (It should be so wet and sticky that you couldn’t knead it if you wanted to – resist the urge to add more flour!) Dust with flour, cover with a cotton tea towel and let it sit for another hour or 2.
4. While the bread is resting, preheat the oven to 450°F. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex, or ceramic) into the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and flip the dough over into the pot; cover and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake another 10-15 minutes, until it’s crusty and golden.