Loaves
Ingredients :
3/4 tsp Active dry yeast
1/4 cup (2 ounces) very warm
Water(105 to 115 degrees
F)
1 cup (8 ounces)cool water ( 75
Degrees F)
1 1/2 cup (12 ounces) Sponge Starter
(recipe follows)
3 1/2 cup (16 ounces) unbleached
All-purpose flour
1 tbl Plus 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Method :
• A sponge starter bread
• Combine the warm water and yeast in a large bowl and
stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast. Let stand for 3 minutes.
• Add the cool water and sponge to the yeast mixture and
mix with your fingers for about 2 minutes, breaking up the
sponge. The mixture should look milky and slightly foamy. Add
the flour and salt and mix with your fingers to incorporate the
flour, scraping the sides of the bowl and folding the ingredients
together until the dough gathers into a mass. It will be wet and
sticky, with long strands of dough hanging from your fingers. If
the dough is not sticky, add 1 tablespoon of water.
• Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for
about 5 minutes, until it becomes supple and fairly smooth.
This is a sticky, wet dough; don't be tempted to add more flour
to the work surface. Just dust lightly and use a dough scraper
as necessary to loosen the dough from the table during
kneading. Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes, covered with
oiled plastic wrap. (This rest period is the autolyse.)
• Knead the dough 3 to 5 minutes, until it is stretchy and
smooth, yet still slightly sticky. Shape the dough into a loose
ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, and turn the dough in the
bowl to coat with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap
and let the dough rise at room temperature (75 to 77 degrees
F) for about 1 hour, or until the dough looks slightly puffy but
has not doubled.
• Place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or
preferably, overnight to let it relax, develop flavor, and
become more manageable.
• Take the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at
room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, until it begins to warm up
and starts to rise.
• Flour a work surface well and gently dump the dough
onto it. Divide the dough into three equal pieces, about 13
ounces each. Gently flatten one piece, pressing out some of
the air bubbles, and stretch it into a rectangle. Fold the top
third down and the bottom third up as if you were folding a
business letter. Now form the loaf into a short baguette by
rolling the dough over from left to right and sealing the seam
with the heel of your palm. Fold the dough over about 1/ 3 of
the way each time, seal the length of the loaf, then repeat. You
want to gently draw the skin tight over the surface of the loaf
while leaving some air bubbles in the dough. Seal the seam,
being careful not to tear the skin of the dough or deflate its
airy structure. Do not elongate. These loaves are about 10
inches long. Cover an area on the work surface with a thick
layer of flour and place the loaf, seam side down, on the flour.
Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. The loaves will be
loose and slightly irregular in shape.
• Leave plenty of space between the loaves they will
spread as they rise.
• Cover the loaves with well oiled plastic and let them rise
for 1 2 hours, until bubbly and loose.
• Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 475
degrees F. Place a baking stone in the oven to preheat and
position an oven rack just below the stone.
• Sprinkle a peel very generously with cornmeal. Line an
upside-down baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle
very generously with cornmeal. Lift one loaf, flip it over so the
floured side is on top, and gently tug on the ends to stretch
the loaf to the full length of the peel, or about 14 inches on a
pan. Repeat with the remaining loaves, placing 2 on the peel
and 1 on the pan. Dimple each loaf with your finger in about 6
places, but don't deflate them too much. Be sure the loaves
are loosened from the peel, then carefully slide them onto the
baking stone. Place the pan of bread on the rack below the
stone. Using a plant sprayer, quickly mist the loaves with
water 8 to 10 times, then quickly shut oven door. Mist the
loaves again after 1 minute. Then mist again 1 minute later.
• Bake for about 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature
to 450 degrees and bake 15 minutes longer or until the loaves
sound slightly hollow when tapped on the bottom and the crust
is a medium to dark brown. (If the crust is not brown enough,
the loaves will soften as they cool.) Transfer the bread to a
rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. BAKERS'
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