OVEN-DRIED-TOMATO STECCA RECIPE

Steps:

• Dry tomatoes: If your tomatoes are medium or large, cut away the stem, cut them in half, and scoop or squeeze out the juice and seeds, reserving the tomato guts for the dough. Then cut the tomatoes into bite-size pieces about ¼-inch thick. If you are using cherry tomatoes, you can just nick them to squeeze out the guts, then cut them in half. Drying is easiest with a dehydrator. If you have one, set it to medium (about 150°F) and dehydrate the tomatoes for several hours until semi-dry but still flexible. Or place the tomatoes on wire racks in an oven set as low as it goes and dry for several hours. You could also go old school and place the tomatoes on a wire rack, cover them with cheesecloth, then allow them to air-dry outside on a warm, sunny day or in a sunny window until ready to use. This method will take several days. You don't want them leathery like fully dehydrated tomatoes, just more concentrated and less watery than fresh tomatoes.
• Mix dough: Weigh the flour and the remaining ingredients, including the tomato guts. If you're short on tomato guts, make up the difference with water. We'll be mixing by hand, so everything will go into a mixing bowl.
• Combine the tomato guts, water, oil, yeast, poolish, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a spoon, dough scraper, or your hands, scraping the bottom of the bowl to hydrate all the flour. Keep mixing by stirring, folding, and breaking up the dough for another 3 minutes. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Then add the salt and repeat mixing (breaking up and folding the dough) for 3 minutes. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Then add the oven-dried tomatoes and mix again for 3 minutes. Finally, cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Then transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container with a lid and room for the dough to double in volume. Put on the lid and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Do a four-fold: Think of the dough as having a middle and four sides. If the dough is sticky, wet your hand to prevent sticking, then make your hand like a paddle (or just use a dough scraper) and dig it down one side of the container. Scoop up the dough, stretching just a little to create some tension. Then flop that section onto the center of the dough.
• Give the container a quarter turn and repeat the stretch-and-fold action. Repeat until all four sides are folded. The dough should now appear less slack and have some more height. (At this point, we like to flip the dough over, so the folds are on the bottom and the smooth side is on top. This helps to hold more tension in the bulk shape, a good thing for overall structure.)
• Return the container to the fridge for 8 to 24 hours. On the short end of that range, the dough will be bubbly and well risen, and on the long end, it may be more wobbly and on the brink of collapse. Try not to let it go too long.
• Shape: Pull the dough from the fridge. At this point, it should be very bubbly and inflated. Place a large baking stone on a rack, preferably near the top of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Have a couche, sheet pan or large cutting board, and a bench knife ready. Dust a section of countertop liberally with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Dust the top of the dough with more flour. This is a sticky dough, so be prepared to handle it lightly. Coax the dough from an oval into a loose rectangle, then divide the dough in half, bisecting the long sides. Divide each piece again to make four strips of dough, about 3 by 10 inches. Dust all the cut edges with flour. Roll each strip over once to ensure it is evenly coated with flour, then gently lift it onto the couche. Leave about an inch of fabric between each strip, lifting the fabric so that each strip of dough supports the other with folds of fabric between them. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for 30 to 45 minutes.
• Assemble your toppings, in this case, the olive oil and salt. Cut a sheet of parchment paper that will fit over the back side of a half sheet pan to use as a peel, then gently transfer two of the loaves to the parchment. If the dough has been very active, put the remaining two loaves in the fridge to slow the fermentation down a bit. Dock the stecca all over by poking your fingers down into the dough, almost all the way through. As the bread rises in the oven, it will push the indentations up, sometimes squeezing them out entirely, so you want nice, deep dimples. Drizzle the stecca with the oil, then sprinkle with the salt from high up for even distribution.
• Bake: Load the stecca into the oven by sliding the parchment paper onto the stone. Bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the loaves as necessary for even browning, then bake for an additional 5 minutes. When done, the crust color should be medium tan. Pull the stecca out and transfer to a rack to cool. Give the oven 5 minutes to rebound, then begin assembling your second round to bake.
• Stecca are great fresh, but they'll keep all right for a few days in a bag or box at room temperature. After day one, refresh them in a 350°F oven for a few minutes for the best flavor and texture.