Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

1/4 Cup, (2 ounces) very warm
Water (105 to 115 degrees)
3/4 ts Active dry yeast
1 Cup, (8 ounces) cool water (
75 Degrees)
1 1/2 Cups, (12 ounces) Sponge
Starter, recipe follows
3 1/2 Cups, (16 ounces) unbleached
Allpurpose flour
1 Tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon
Kosher salt

Combine the warm water and yeast in a large bowl and stir with a fork
to dissolve the yeast. Let stand for 3 minutes.

Add the cool water and sponge starter to the yeast mixture and mix
with your fingers for about 2 minutes, breaking up the sponge. The
mixture should look milky and slightly foamy.

Add the flour and salt and mix with your fingers to incorporate the
flour, scraping the sides of the bowl and folding the ingredients
together until the dough gathers into a mass. It will be wet and
sticky, with long strands of dough hanging from your fingers. If the
dough is not sticky, add 1 tablespoon of water.

Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5
minutes, until it becomes supple and fairly smooth. This is a
sticky, wet dough; don't be tempted to add more flour to the work
surface. Just dust lightly and use a dough scraper as necessary to
loosen the dough from the table during kneading. Allow the dough to
rest for 15 minutes, covered with oiled plastic wrap. (This rest
period is the autolyse.)

Knead the dough 3 to 5 minutes, until it is stretchy and smooth, yet
still slightly sticky. Shape the dough into a loose ball, place it
in a lightly oiled bowl, and turn the dough in the bowl to coat with
oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise
at room temperature (75 to 77 degrees) for about 1 hour, or until the
dough looks slightly puffy but has not doubled.

Place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or
preferably, overnight to let it relax, develop flavor, and become
more manageable.

Take the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room
temperature for 1 to 2 hours, until it begins to warm up and starts
to rise.

Flour a work surface well and gently dump the dough onto it. Divide
the dough into three equal pieces, about 13 ounces each. Gently
flatten one piece, pressing out some of the air bubbles, and stretch
it into a rectangle. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up
as if you were folding a business letter. Now form the loaf into a
short baguette by rolling the dough over from left to right and
sealing the seam with the heel of your palm. Fold the dough over
about 1/ 3 of the way each time, seal the length of the loaf, then
repeat. You want to gently draw the skin tight over the surface of
the loaf while leaving some air bubbles in the dough.

Seal the seam, being careful not to tear the skin of the dough or
deflate its airy structure. Do not elongate. These loaves are about
10 inches long. Cover an area on the work surface with a thick layer
of flour and place the loaf, seam side down, on the flour. Repeat
with remaining pieces of dough. The loaves will be loose and
slightly irregular in shape. Leave plenty of space between the
loavesthey will spread as they rise. Cover the loaves with welloiled
plastic and let them rise for 1 to 2 hours, until bubbly and loose.

Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place a
baking stone in the oven to preheat and position an oven rack just
below the stone.

Sprinkle a peel very generously with cornmeal. Line an upsidedown
baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle very generously with
cornmeal. Lift one loaf, flip it over so the floured side is on top,
and gently tug on the ends to stretch the loaf to the full length of
the peel, or about 14 inches on a pan. Repeat with the remaining
loaves, placing 2 on the peel and 1 on the pan. Dimple each loaf
with your finger in about 6 places, but don't deflate them too much.
Be sure the loaves are loosened from the peel, then carefully slide
them onto the baking stone. Place the pan of bread on the rack below
the stone. Using a plant sprayer, quickly mist the loaves with water
8 to 10 times, then quickly shut oven door. Mist the loaves again
after 1 minute. Then mist again 1 minute later.

Bake for about 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 450 degrees
and bake 15 minutes longer or until the loaves sound slightly hollow
when tapped on the bottom and the crust is a medium to dark brown.
(If the crust is not brown enough, the loaves will soften as they
cool.) Transfer the bread to a rack to cool for at least 30 minutes
before serving.

BAKERS' DOZEN AMY SCHERBER SHOW #BD1A52

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