A great tasting bread.
Ingredients
- 2 cup lukewarm water (105-115°f)
- 1 packet active dry yeast (7 grams)
- 3 cup semolina flour
- 1 tblsp salt
- 2 to 3 cups bread flour or unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 2 tblsp olive oil
- 3 to 4 tablespoons cornmeal
- 1 egg
- sesame seeds (optional)
Method
- Pour the water into a mixing bowl, stir in the yeast, and let stand for 10 minutes.
- Stir again to be certain all the yeast is dissolved.
- Add semolina flour and salt and stir well.
- Add 2 cups of the bread flour and stir to make a sticky dough.
- Turn dough out onto a work surface and let rest.
- Begin kneading the dough, sprinkling it with the remaining cup of bread flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to you hands.
- After about 10 minutes the dough will be smooth and elastic and will have absorbed more or less the last cup of flour.
- Shape dough into a ball and place it in the bowl.
- Pour the olive oil over the dough and turn it several times to coat with the oil.
- Cover bowl with a towel and set aside until dough has tripled in bulk.
- The increase in volume is more important than the time it takes; depending on room temperatures this may be 2 or more hours.
- Do not try to force the dough to rise more rapidly by setting it on radiators, etc.
- This can sour the bread. Patience is needed!
- Punch down the dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface knead briefly (5 minutes or less), and return it to the bowl.
- Cover and let rise again until doubled.
- Punch down the dough, cut it into thirds, and shape each third into a thin loaf about 24 inches long.
- Sprinkle a baking sheet with 3 to 4 tablespoons cornmeal and arrange the loaves on the sheet, leaving as much room between loaves as possible.
- Cover and let rise until not quite doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C/Gas 7).
- Beat together the egg and 1 tablespoon water.
- When the loaves have risen, brush them well with this egg wash.
- Slash loaves decoratively on top with a sharp knife, making diagonal cuts and sprinkle sesame seeds to taste.
- Slide the baking sheet onto the middle rack of the oven and reduce heat to 375°F (190°C/Gas 5).
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until loaves are brown and sound hollow when the bottoms are thumped.
- For a crisper bottom crust, remove loaves from the baking sheet and place them directly on the oven rack for the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking time.
- Remove loaves from oven and cool on a rack. Wrap when cool.
