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Receta Rustic Italian Bread

Name: Rustic Italian Bread
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Sponge:; 2 C bread flour; 1/4 tsp. instant yeast; 1 C room temperature water; Dough:; 3 C bread flour; 1 tsp. yeast; 1 1/3 C warm water; 2 tsp. salt; 1 T olive oil

de myra byanka

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Tackle this wonderful bread recipe when you have some time on your hands. A baker with a little experience can make it. If you don't know the stretch and fold technique, look it up on YouTube.

If you haven't baked using a type of dough called a sponge, it's not complicated and is used to help give bread more flavor and texture.

I can't tell you how impressed I was at the way this bread turned out. The oven spring was surprising. The crumb was chewy and had some nice holes in it (not like ciabatta), and it was very flavorful. It's simply the best Italian bread I've ever baked.

The process unfolds over 2 days, but day 1 is just to mix up the sponge, and only takes a few minutes.

Note: you can cut this recipe in half, if you only want one loaf. But, it will freeze.

Suggested Equipment:

baking stone
parchment paper
cooling rack
very sharp knife or scissors

American

Ingredientes

Sponge:
2 C bread flour
1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 C room temperature water
Dough:
3 C bread flour
1 tsp. yeast
1 1/3 C warm water
2 tsp. salt
1 T olive oil

Direcciones

Sponge:
Put the water, yeast, and flour in a bowl and mix it well for 3 minutes.
Cover and let sit in warm area until it begins to bubble.
Place it in the reefer for 24 hours.
Remove and let it come to room temp.
Dough:
Mix the water with the yeast, then add oil and salt.
Mix in the sponge and dissolve it as best as you can, then add the bread flour.
Mix well and knead for 4 minutes.
Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
Knead again, cover and let rise in a warm place 1 hour.
Stretch and fold, let rise 1 hour.
Repeat stretch and fold and let rise another hour.
Shape dough as you wish (I made an oval) and place on parchment paper that has a bit of cornmeal sprinkled on it.
Let it rise 1 more hour. In the meantime, place a baking stone in the oven and heat it to 500 degrees. If yo do not have a stone, turn a pizza pan over and use it.
When ready to bake, sprinkle some flour on the bread, slit the top of the bread the depth of 1/2 inch close to both ends.
Slide the parchment paper with the dough on it into the over, and spritz the interior of the oven several times.
Repeat spritzing at 3 minute intervals 2 more times, then cut oven down to 450.
Turn the bread once for even browning (most home ovens have hot spots), and when it is nicely browned, place the bread on a cooling rack.
Let it cool a good 2 hours, even if you're tempted to cut a slice to try it, as it will cut properly when cooled.