| Makes four 1 lb. loaves. This recipe is easily doubled or halved. Add yeast and salt to water in a 5 qt. bowl. Mix in flour with a wooden spoon until dough is uniformly moist. It will be wet and sticky. Allow to rise 2 hours. You can let it rise up to 5 hours without harming the dough. You can bake the dough at any time after this step, but it is easier to handle if it's been refrigerated overnight. Coat pizza peel or thin cutting board with cornmeal. Sprinkle surface of dough with flour. Pull up and cut off grapefruit size piece of dough. Add flour as needed so the dough doesn't stick your hands. Gently stretch the dough around the bottom, rotating as you go. Rest loaf on the peel or board and rise 40 min. 20 min before baking preheat oven and stone on the middle rack to 450.* Place broiling tray on a rack under the stone. Dust top with flour and slash 1/4 inch crosses. Slide loaf onto the stone. Pour a cup of hot water into broiler pan. Bake for 30 min. Store remaining dough in refrigerator in a lidded-not airtight container for up to 2 weeks |
