Italian Bread
Makes 2 large 2 pound loaves
Preferment:
1 cup water
1 cup bread or all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
Dough:
All of the preferment
5 cups bread or all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1 tablespoon malt syrup, malt powder, brown sugar, or sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups water
* To start the preferment,
mix together the flour, water, and yeast in a small bowl and
cover with plastic wrap. Leave out at room temperature for at
least 4 hours and as long as 16 hours.
To make the dough, mix together the
preferment, water, olive oil, yeast, salt, malt powder, and dry
milk in a bowl with 2 more cups of flour. Mix thoroughly. Mix or
knead in the rest of the flour a half a cup as a time until you
have a slack dough but one that is no longer sticky. Total
mixing time should be in the ballpark of 10 to 15 minutes.
Place the dough in a well-greased bowl and
cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise at room temperature until
at least 2 times in size, approximately 2 hours. Punch the dough
down and let it rise again for half an hour.
Remove the dough from the bowl and divide
it in half. Shape the dough into a ball or log, cover with a
damp towel, and allow it to relax for another 20 minutes.
Shape the dough into its final shape.
Cover again and allow to rise for another hour until doubled in
bulk.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven and baking
stone, if you are using one, to 425 degrees.
Right before placing the loaves in the
oven brush or spray them lightly with water. Place them into the
oven and bake for 20 minutes before rotating them. Bake them
another 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of
the loaf reads 200 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow to
cool for at least a half an hour before serving.
