In 2006 the New York Times published a recipe that quietly broke home baking. Jim Lahey claimed you could make a bakery-quality loaf with no kneading, no special equipment, no skill, just flour, water, salt, yeast, and time. Twenty years later it is still the best entry point to bread baking we know.
The trick is hydration and time. The dough is wet (80 percent hydration) and sits at room temperature for 18 hours. The long fermentation does the kneading for you, developing gluten through a slow autolyse. The high hydration gives you those big open holes and a crackling crust. Modern flour is slightly higher protein than 2006-era flour, so we adjust by knocking the hydration to 75 percent.
Bake the loaf in a preheated Dutch oven at 475F. The closed lid traps moisture for the first 30 minutes, mimicking a steam-injected baker oven. Then remove the lid for the final 15 minutes to crisp the crust to a deep mahogany. The crackle as it cools is the most satisfying sound in baking.