Evening Edge
What’s For Dinner?
DEL.ICIO.USRustic Bread
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In the Kitchen With . . . Michael Iademarco, Atlanta
Nominated by neighbor Jane Ross:
"My husband, Tom Difulco, and I were recently invited to dinner with Michael and his wife, Elizabeth. We had no idea that what we and nine other guests were to experience was a seven-course dinner - including a fois gras antipasto plate with Elizabeth's dad's homemade pear/apple sauce, butternut squash ravioli, homemade risotto with truffles, tilapia on bruschetta with anchovy paste, salad with homemade bread, gourmet cheese platter, fruit, homemade apple tart and a divine homemade flourless chocolate hazelnut torte. It was beyond amazing.”
Hands on time: 1 minutes Total time: 5 hours Serves: 16
Ingredients:
-
1 1/2 teaspoons dry instant yeast
7 cups white bread flour, plus extra for kneading
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
2-3 tablespoons coarse cornmeal
Instructions:
Heat 1/2 cup water in microwave to 100-110 degrees. Stir in yeast and let sit 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until very foamy.
Measure flour into a large bowl; stir in salt. When the yeast mixture is foamy, pour it over the flour and stir with a strong wooden spoon. Add another 2 cups room-temperature water, 1/2 cup at a time, while stirring. The final product should be somewhat sticky but without puddled or visible liquid. Cover the bowl with a damp, lint-free towel and let the dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
Dump and scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface (the countertop works fine). Knead for 20 minutes with three 1- or 2-minute rests, adding more flour to the work surface when necessary. Try not to add too much flour while kneading; it can result in a drier loaf.
Coat a large bowl with the olive oil. Let the dough rise in the bowl, covered with a damp, lint-free towel, for 90 minutes.
Knock the dough down gently by folding repeatedly in half and pressing until all the large bubbles are gone and most of the air feels like it's out --- about 8 to 10 folds. Let rise another 60 minutes under the same damp towel.
Knock down the dough in the same fashion. Divide the dough in half. Shape each into a loaf or round and place on a heavily and evenly floured wooden board. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, place a cold bread stone into a cold oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
After 40 minutes, lightly touch the dough; it should bounce back. If it does not, fold out the air, reshape and try again, letting it rise for 40 more minutes.
Open the oven door, pull out the rack, sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of cornmeal on the stone, and gently lift and set a loaf onto one side, and the other loaf on the other side. Spray water a few times into the oven space. Close the oven door. After 3 minutes, mist the oven again and reduce the temperature to 400 degrees. The misted water turns to steam and is what creates a hard crust. Vary the steam depending on how hard you like the crust. In the first phase of baking, the bread will "jump, " increasing in volume.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes. It's done when you hear a hollow sound when you bang a wooden spoon on the bread. Cool completely on a rack before cutting.
Measure flour into a large bowl; stir in salt. When the yeast mixture is foamy, pour it over the flour and stir with a strong wooden spoon. Add another 2 cups room-temperature water, 1/2 cup at a time, while stirring. The final product should be somewhat sticky but without puddled or visible liquid. Cover the bowl with a damp, lint-free towel and let the dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
Dump and scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface (the countertop works fine). Knead for 20 minutes with three 1- or 2-minute rests, adding more flour to the work surface when necessary. Try not to add too much flour while kneading; it can result in a drier loaf.
Coat a large bowl with the olive oil. Let the dough rise in the bowl, covered with a damp, lint-free towel, for 90 minutes.
Knock the dough down gently by folding repeatedly in half and pressing until all the large bubbles are gone and most of the air feels like it's out --- about 8 to 10 folds. Let rise another 60 minutes under the same damp towel.
Knock down the dough in the same fashion. Divide the dough in half. Shape each into a loaf or round and place on a heavily and evenly floured wooden board. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, place a cold bread stone into a cold oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
After 40 minutes, lightly touch the dough; it should bounce back. If it does not, fold out the air, reshape and try again, letting it rise for 40 more minutes.
Open the oven door, pull out the rack, sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of cornmeal on the stone, and gently lift and set a loaf onto one side, and the other loaf on the other side. Spray water a few times into the oven space. Close the oven door. After 3 minutes, mist the oven again and reduce the temperature to 400 degrees. The misted water turns to steam and is what creates a hard crust. Vary the steam depending on how hard you like the crust. In the first phase of baking, the bread will "jump, " increasing in volume.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes. It's done when you hear a hollow sound when you bang a wooden spoon on the bread. Cool completely on a rack before cutting.
Notes:
Set aside a lazy Saturday for the bread-making process, advises Michael Iademarco. Plan on spending about 45 minutes in the morning and a few short intervals throughout the day. By dinnertime, you'll have two fresh loaves of bread. An oven stone and a water squeeze bottle come in handy.
Nutrition:
Per serving: 224 calories (percent of calories from fat, 5), 7 grams protein, 44 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 1 gram fat (trace saturated), no cholesterol, 401 milligrams sodium.
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