Food Network: Amy's Crusty Italian Loaf

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Amy's Crusty Italian Loaf
Recipe Courtesy of Amy Scherber

Ingredients
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup (2 ounces) very warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees F)
1 cup (8 ounces) cool water (75 degrees F)
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) Sponge Starter, recipe follows
3 1/2 cups (16 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
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 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 should be wet and sticky with long strands of dough
hanging from your fingers. If necessary, 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 a lot of 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 for 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 the oil. Cover the bowl tightly
with oiled plastic wrap let the dough rise at room temperature (75 degrees to 77
degrees F) 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 warms up and starts to rise.

Flour a work surface well and gently dump the dough onto it. Divide the dough into
3 equal pieces (about 13 ounces each). Gently flatten one piece, pressing out some
of the air bubbles, and stretch into a rectangle. Form the dough into a log and
then into a short baguette about 12 inches long. The loaf will be loose and
slightly irregular in shape. Cover an area at one side of 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, leaving plenty of space between the loaves. They will
spread as they rise. Cover the loaves with well-oiled plastic wrap and let them
rise for about 1 hour.

Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. 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 upside-down baking sheet
with parchment and sprinkle very generously with cornmeal. Lift one loaf and flip
it over onto the peel so the floured side is on top. Gently tug on the ends to
stretch the loaf to the full length of the peel (about 14 inches). Repeat with the
remaining loaves, placing another one on the peel and last one 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 8 to 10 times, then quickly shut the 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 F and bake
for 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

Sponge Starter:
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) very warm water (105 degrees F to 115 degrees F)
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups (16 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl and
stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for 2 to 3 minutes until a smooth, somewhat
elastic batter has formed. The batter will be very stiff; it gets softer and more
elastic after it has proofed. You may find it easier to mix the sponge using an

electric mixer, with a paddle or a dough hook, on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
Scrape the sponge into a 2-quart clear plastic container and cover with plastic
wrap. At this point you have two options:

If you plan to make your dough later that same day, let the sponge rest at room
temperature until it has risen to the point where it just begins to collapse. This
may take 6 to 8 hours, depending on the temperature of the room and the strength
of the yeast. The sponge will triple in volume and small dents will begin to
appear in the top as it reaches its peak and then begins to deflate. The sponge is
now in perfect condition to be used in a dough. It's best if you have already
weighted or measured out all of your other recipe ingredients before the sponge
reaches this point so you can use it before it collapses too much.

If you're not planning to make your dough until the next day or the day after, put

the covered sponge in the refrigerator and let it rise there for at least 14 hours
before taking it out to use in a recipe. Be sure to compensate for the cold
temperature of the starter by using warm water (85 degrees to 90 degrees F) in the
dough instead of the cool water specified in the bread recipe. Or let the starter
sit out, covered until it reaches room temperature (this may take several hours),
but don't let it collapse too much before you use it.

Yield: 28 ounces