18 ounces bread flour or King Arthur all purpose flour
12 ounces cool water
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/2-1 3/4 teaspoon salt
Mix dry ingredients together for a couple seconds and add the water.
Mix with a spoon until all the flour is taken up.
Dump out on counter.
Cover with the bowl you just mixed it in and let sit for 15-20 minutes.
Knead for a minute or two or until it is fairly smooth.
Gather into a nice ball of dough.
Spray the same bowl with a little Pam and put the dough ball back in and cover with plastic wrap.
Let sit for 45 minutes, stretch and fold, put back in bowl and cover.
Let sit for 45 minutes, stretch and fold, put back in bowl and cover.
Let sit for 45 minutes, stretch and fold, put back in bowl and cover.
Let sit 15-20 minutes and divide however you like, or leave whole.
I normally cut the dough into six pieces 5- 5 1/2 ounces because I'm ocd that way.
Preshape them.
Let sit on the counter covered for 15-20 minutes.
Give them their final shape and put on a parchment covered sheet pan or whatever you have.
Cover and let rise.
I have a big plastic box that will fit over the half sheet pan and that is what I use.
Let rise an hour to two hours depending on the temp of your kitchen.
Put a small skillet in the bottom of the oven and turn it on to 500 degrees.
When the breads are ready to bake, spray them well with a spray bottle of water.
Slash however you like.
Put them in the oven.
Throw a cup of water into the now hot pan in the bottom of the oven.
Turn oven down to 450 and bake about 20 minutes.
And that is how I spend every Sunday morning. : )
Much harder to type all that out than to actually do it.
You will note that there is a whole lot of waiting involved, while I'm waiting I fool around with the chickens, play on the computer and drink coffee. If anybody wants me to do anything; sorry, I'm baking.