simple rustic bread
1½ tablespoons yeast
1½ tablespoons kosher salt
6½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough
3 cups lukewarm water, plus 1 cup for broiler pan
Cornmeal for dusting
Mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water. Stir in flour and
mix until there are no dry patches—the dough will be loose.
Cover bowl with a dish towel and let the dough rise at room
temperature for 2 hours.
To bake, sprinkle a little flour on the dough and cut off a
grapefruit-size piece with a serrated knife. Turn the dough in
your hands to lightly stretch the surface, creating a rounded top.
The bottom will be lumpy. Put your unbaked loaf on a pizza peel
sprinkled with cornmeal and let it rest for 40 minutes. If you
don’t have a pizza peel, a large cutting board works as well.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place a broiler pan on the bottom of the
oven and a baking stone on the middle rack. Heat the stone for
20 minutes.
Dust dough with flour, and slash the top with a serrated or
very sharp knife a few times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot
water into broiler pan and shut the oven quickly to trap steam.
Bake about 30 minutes or until well browned. Cool completely.
Remaining dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to
two weeks.
YOUR HOME MAGAZINE® | 45