ARTISAN BREAD IN 5 MINUTES

ARTISAN BREAD IN 5 MINUTES image

Yield 4 1 lb loaves

Number Of Ingredients 4

Ingredients

3 cups lukewarm water (100*)
1.5 Tablespoons yeast
1.5 Tablespoons coarse salt
6.5 cups flour

Steps:

Add yeast and salt to the water. Add flour all at once. Mix until all flour is incorporated. You are finished when everything is uniformly moist. The dough will be wet and loose enough to conform to the shape of the container. Cover with a lid (not air tight) that fits well. Allow to rise at room temp for 2 hours or until the dough begins to collapse You can use the dough at any time after this first rise but it's easier to handle when refrigerated. Store in the refrigerator until you want to use it. Getting ready to bake: Prepare the peel by dusting it with cornmeal to prevent the loaf from sticking. Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour. Pull up and cut off a 1 lb (grapefruit size) piece of dough. Hold the mass of dough in your hands, add flour as needed to prevent sticking. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around the bottom on all 4 sides, rotating a quarter turn as you go. Most of the dusting flour will fall off, it's not intended to be incorporated into the dough. Quickly shape into a ball ~ this whole process should take no more than 60 seconds. Place the shaped ball on the cornmeal covered pizza peel. Allow the dough to rest for 40 minutes. (depending on the age of the dough, it may or may not rise a lot during this period) TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE BAKING TIME, HEAT THE OVEN TO 450* WITH A BAKING STONE PLACED ON THE CENTER RACK. PLACE AN EMPTY BROILER TRAY ON ANY OTHER SHELF THAT WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH THE RISING DOUGH. Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour and slash a 1/4" deep cross pattern into the top with a serrated knife. After a 20 minute preheat, you're ready to bake even if the oven has not reached 450*. Slide the loaf off the peel and onto the stone. Quickly, pour about 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler pan and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake about 30 minutes (or to internal temp of 190*). Allow to cool completely before slicing.