Artisan Bread
(from to_reason_why’s recipe box)
Source: http://www.foodess.com/2009/03/artisan-bread-in-five-minutes/
Categories: bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 3 cups water
- 6 1/2 cups flour
- cornmeal
Directions
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In a large bowl, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups warm water. Add flour, and stir to combine completely. Let dough rise in a warm place for at least two hours, until it rises and collapses. The dough may be baked at this point, or refrigerated for later use.
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Cover dough, but make sure it is not airtight and place in fridge. When you are ready to use it, throw a small fistful of flour on the surface and use a serrated knife to cut off a piece of the size you desire. Turning the dough in your hands, stretch the surface of the dough and tuck in under. The surface will be smooth, and the bottom with be bunched.
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Dust a cookie sheet with cornmeal. Allow dough to rest in a warm place for 40 – 90 minutes.
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Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with baking sheet inside on the middle rack, plus a shallow pan on the top rack. Throw a small fistful of flour over the dough, slash it 2-4 times with a serrated knife, and slide it into the oven, onto the baking stone. Throw 1-2 cups of tap water into the shallow pan, and quickly shut the oven door to trap steam inside. Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is well browned and bread sounds hollow when you knock on the bottom.