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