Rustic Country Bread
Prep Time:
About 7 minutes total
Yield:
12 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 c Flour
- 1 Tbs Active dry yeast
- 1 Tbs Extra virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 3/4 c water
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Process:
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In a large bowl mix 1 c flour, yeast and 1 c water.
Stir well.
Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes minimum until foamy.
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Add remaining flour, oil, salt and 3/4 c water.
Stir to mix well.
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Turn out onto heavily floured table and knead somewhat (1-2 min.)
Return to bowl and cover.
Let rise until doubled in size (1 to 2 hours.)
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Carefully remove dough from bowl.
Stretch dough and fold back over on itself in thirds like a letter.
Cut into 2 or 3 pieces and shape the dough.
Place on floured parchment and cover with dry cotton dish towel.
Let rise until doubled in size.
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Sprinkle corn meal on cookie sheet and carefully transfer dough to sheet.
Place in 400° oven on middle rack for 35 min.
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Remove from oven and let cool slightly (10 min.) before cutting.
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Rustic Country Bread
Few things satisfy like a simple loaf of freshly-baked country bread, a wedge of soft ripened cheese with some fresh fruit. Add a glass of wine and you have found the perfect combination to kick back and relax.
TIPS:
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Mix the flour, yeast and water and place in a covered bowl in the refregerator overnight. This will creat a yeast foam ("poolish") that will make a much more tasty bread.
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Put your bread on a pizza peel generously sprinkled with corn meal for the final shapes to rise.
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Place a terracotta pizza stone on the middle shelf in your oven and heat for at least 1/2 an hour to get it nice and hot before putting the bread on it.
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Place the bottom of an oven roasting pan on the lower shelf of the oven to get it hot.
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Jiggle the peel slightly to loosen the dough before sliding it into the oven. Make slight insisions in the top of the bread with a very sharp knife just before putting bread into oven.
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Immediately after you add the bread to the pizza stone, pour 1-2 cups of cold water into the roasting pan and close the oven quickly to catch the steam. The bread will rise higher when baked with this humidity.
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When the bread is ready, it will have a nice hard golden crust and a hollow sound when tapped.
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