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Picnic Bread

Source of Recipe

From "The Hands-On Home" by Erica Strauss


Recipe Introduction

"Somewhere between a baguette and ciabatta, this versatile bread is excellent alongside winter soups, topped with asparagus as a springtime tartine, or slathered with butter and homemade jam in the early morning. We call it picnic bread because we build a giant sandwich from a loaf and slice it up to take along on picnics."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2¼ cups room-temperature water
â—¦ 3 cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 cups whole wheat flour
â—¦ 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
â—¦ 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
â—¦ Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing


Recipe

In a large bowl, add the water, flours, yeast, and salt and stir well with a strong wooden spoon until the dough is fully combined. There should be no dry flour spots in the dough, and it will be tacky and shaggy but should partially pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free towel. Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and let it rise for 8 to 24 hours, until bubbly and at least doubled in size. The longer the rise time, the more complex the flavor development will be.

Line a sheet pan with lightly greased parchment paper. Set aside. Scrape the dough out onto a floured surface and divide the dough into two pieces. Fold and gently roll each piece into a long cylinder several inches shorter than your sheet pan. Place the dough cylinders on either side of the pan, lightly dust them with flour, and cover them with a damp lint-free towel. Let the dough rise for 2 hours in a warm place, or until the loaves are doubled in size.

While the loaves are rising, move an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 425° F.

Brush each loaf with a bit of oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Cut three or four long, diagonal slashes along each loaf with a serrated bread knife and transfer the sheet pan to the oven. Bake until the loaves are golden brown and crunchy on the outside and sound hollow when you tap them, about 30 minutes. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool completely.


Makes 2 medium loaves