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Round Country Loaf

Source of Recipe

From "Williams-Sonoma: Cooking at Home"


Recipe Introduction

"This recipe yields a rustic country-style loaf similar to what you might find in a great bakery. It's an all-purpose recipe that's easy enough for a beginning baker yet impressive enough for guests. Serve it warm with butter, or toast thick slices and serve with jam."

List of Ingredients

◦  1 package (2½ teaspoons) active dry yeast
◦  1 tsp sugar
◦  2 cups lukewarm water (110° F)
◦  5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
◦  1 Tbsp salt
◦  Unsalted butter for greasing
◦  Cornmeal for sprinkling


Recipe

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in ¼ cup of the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 3 minutes. In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix together the flour and salt. Stir in the remaining 1¾ cups warm water and the yeast mixture to form a soft dough that holds its shape. Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.

Warm a bowl with hot water, dry it with a kitchen towel, and butter the inside. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in the prepared bowl, cover it with buttered plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 to 1½ hours.

Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal. Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface, punch it down, and knead it a few times to dispel any air pockets. Shape the dough into a ball, roll it lightly in flour, and place it on the prepared pan. The dough should remain in a sphere; if it doesn't, knead in a little flour. Cover the dough loosely with a kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 30 to 40 minutes.

Position the rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 425° F.

Using a sharp knife, make a slash ½ inch deep in the top of the loaf. Bake the bread for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375° F, and continue to bake until the loaf is crusty, golden brown, and sounds hollow when tapped on the underside, 30 to 40 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.


Makes 1 loaf


◦ Making bread by hand:
This recipe calls for stirring the dough with a wooden spoon and kneading it by hand. It's an old-fashioned, particularly satisfying method, and is a perfect weekend project for the whole family. You can modify this for the stand mixer, if you like, using a dough hook and kneading the dough on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.