Directions: |
Directions:Don't deviate even one little bit from these instructions. It is unique, simple and the best tasting bread you will ever have.
1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add 1 5/8 (one and five eigths) cups of water. Stir until blended. Dough will be shaggy and sticky. Wet is better as it allows the gluten molecules to line up. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rest at least 12 hours (preferably 18 hours) at room temperature.
2. Dough is ready when surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a working surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice only. Cover loosely with a plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or your fingers, gently and quickly shape the dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not a terry cloth towel) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal, and then put the dough, seam side down, on the towel and dust with more flour, bran, or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half an hour before dough is ready, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, pyrex, ceramic, etc) in the oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven, and remove cover. Slip hands under the cotton towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. It is OK is it looks like a mess. Don't try to rearrange. Just a couple of shakes of the pot to distribute the dough in the pan. It straightens itself out as it bakes.
5. Cover with a lid and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and back another 15-30 minutes until loaf is golden brown. Cool on a rack |
This recipe for Carl's Fabuloso Magnifico Breado is from