Sort through the beans, removing any stones, dirt, or broken beans. Rinse the beans before soaking them overnight or quickly.

Cover the beans with water, leaving at least an inch above the beans. Allow the beans to soak for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

Remove the beans from the soaking liquid and set aside. Put the beans in the pressure cooker with 5 cups of water, a teaspoon of salt, and the garlic cloves and bay leaves. Lock the lid and pressure cook for 20 minutes on high pressure in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, or 16 minutes on stovetop pressure cooker. (In an Instant Pot, select "Manual" or "Pressure Cook.") Release the pressure immediately.

Remove the bay leaves and any garlic cloves that you find. Serve the beans with their broth as a side dish; drain the beans to add to another recipe. Enjoy!