This is from Cook's Illustrated. I actually think the amount of beans in the Ingredients list, 1/2 lb, is incorrect, I think that should be 1 lb. Dried legumes generally come in 1 lb bags (or larger), and the instructions on the bags of several different types I checked say to cook in 6 - 7 cups water. Hard to believe 1/2 lb would need that much water. I get a lot of good recipes from the Cook's Illustrated family of products, but I do find a lot of dumb errors in them. I honestly believe in their zeal for TESTING their recipes, they quite often forget to simply PROOFREAD their recipes.
Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
7 cups water
1/2 pound white beans (such as Great Northern) or Black Eyed Peas, soaked until rehydrated, overnight or at least 4 hours
4 cloves garlic, whole
1 bay leaf
Directions
Bring peas or bean, bay leaf, garlic, and water to simmer in large saucepan. Simmer, partially covered, until beans are just tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in salt, cover, and let beans stand until completely tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserve cooking liquid, and discard bay leaf and garlic. (Beans in liquid can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated up to 5 days.)