I’m sitting here trying to figure out my brackets for the NCAA tournament.

Yes, I play the brackets every year, and every year my heart is broken and my mind is bent as the field of 64 begins the dance.  We started this tradition years ago at Babbo, and although some of us have scattered to other restaurants and neighborhoods, we always meet again through Yahoo Fantasy Sports to taunt, tease and be driven to tears by the Scenrio Generator.  Ahhh, I love March, second only to late September and the baseball playoffs.

In the meantime, many of you may not give a fig about college basketball, or sports for that matter.  You care about food, and eating and cooking. 

Me too. 

So, while my NCAA picks are fermenting in my brain, I’ll tell you about something else growing on my kitchen counter right now.  My own version of No-Knead Bread, made with whole wheat flour, flax seed and wheat bran.  I spent a few weeks perfecting this recipe and now it is ready for me to share with you, if you are into a good, sturdy, wheaty loaf.

My experimentation was prompted by my growing frustration over packaged breads that are chock full of additives and stabliziers that I don’t want.   Not to mention the sticker shock I’ve been getting when I do find a relatively additive-free loaf.  $5.99 for frozen, sprouted grain bread?  Geezus.

On a quest, I developed this recipe from the many versions that our out there in the intersphere, keeping true to my dear friend Jim Lahey’s original model.  I  got a consult from him on my proportions and method, flashed a picture of my finished product, and got his stamp of approval - Yay!  I’m happy to share it with you here and now. 

It slices like a dream, toasts up crusty and browned, and it really terrific with some organic butter spread over it.  Or some raw honey, natural peanut butter, homemade jam.  Try a sandwich of mashed avocado, sliced tomato, mustard and celtic sea salt.  Mmmm....the possibilities are endless.

I’ve even rehearsed the perfect timeline for you to bake the bread on a weekend day.  The night before, I mix it up right after (or before) dinner, around  7PM.  It rises overnight, and I usually fold and shape it between 8 and 9AM the next morning.  By 11AM it is in the oven, and I can have a sandwich ready for a late lunch on warm, fresh bread.

I use a seasoned 5-quart Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven to bake my bread, as I am still waiting for a good fairy to bring me a Le Creuset.

My Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread

2 cups whole wheat flour

½ cup rye flour

½ cup white flour

3 T. ground flax seeds

¼ cup wheat bran

1 ½ tablespoons vital wheat gluten

2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon active dry yeast

2 Tablespoons honey (I use raw, unprocessed honey)

2 cups water, some of it hot (see method)

Put all flours, wheat gluten, bran, flax, salt and yeast in a bowl and mix with hands to combine.

Dissolve the honey in ¼ cup of hot water, then mix the honey water with the remaining 1 ¾ cup of water.

Add the water to the dry ingredients, and mix vigorously with your hand to form a thick dough; be sure to make sure all the dry ingredients are moistened.  Cover and let rise 12-14 hours.

Lightly dust your board with wheat bran or more whole wheat flour and turn out the dough.  Pat it flat, then fold the dough envelope style on top of itself from all four sides.  Flip it over, seam side down and let rest 15 minutes.

Shape into a round ball and place on a clean towel, sprinkled with flour, bran, flax, oats, etc.  Cover and let proof 2 hours.

Preheat your oven and your oven-proof covered pan to 500 degrees.  Flip the dough carefully into the hot pan and shake the pan to settle the dough into it.  Cover and bake 30 minutes, then remove cover and bake for a remaining 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes one 2-lb. loaf