Master Recipe #1 Artisan Bread Dough

Before you jump right in I will give you my own baking notes.

• I used all purpose and whole wheat flour combined and had excellent results. Also, I used regular yeast and everything rose very well (not sure if it's exactly the same results, but it worked).
  
• The spooning the flour out may seem a little ridiculous, but if you dig a measuring cup into a bag of flour, you'll end up with lots more flour than if you spoon it in because you're compacting it while you scoop - so just try this one.
  
• To get the plastic wrap to stick, wet the edge of your bowl just a little.
• Your dough may rise faster if your kitchen is warmer than 72F, but beware putting your dough outside to rise - beasts like bread dough more than they like bread.
• Risen dough should look about twice the size of original mass, and will sink a bit when you begin to handle it. That's what the second rise is for.
  
• The boule is only one way to use this dough. I made pizza crust out of it Friday, following the Foccacia recipe (just shaping it differently), and it was fantastic. The book also lists baguettes, naan, pita bread, breadsticks and fougasse, rolls, and batard, all from this basic recipe.
  
• I don't know what kind of midget volleyball the author has been playing, but 1/2 recipe of bread dough is not the size of a volleyball. Just divide it about in half and you're good. Artisan dough is supposed to result in every loaf being unique. Go with the flow.
• It's important your cookie sheet does not have sides, if you intend to slide your dough onto the stone after rising on the cookie sheet. However, when I made pizza crust I set the dough to rise on a cookie sheet with sides(grease it first!), put on my toppings and then just put the cookie sheet on the stone in the oven to bake (Does the stone give off a different kind of heat than an oven element? I assumed so, and still included the stone, even though my pizza was on a cookie sheet too.)
• I do not own a broiler pan. I know, how can I get through the day? I used two metal pie pans instead. I worried that glass might break when you put the water into it hot, so metal it was, and it seemed to work.
• I never measured the internal temperature of the loaf. I just left it in for a solid half hour (turning it half-way because my oven bakes unevenly) and it was good. The pizza took a little less time with very little toppings, and a little more time with heavy sauce and cheese.
• Lastly, I found I could form the boule without flouring a work surface, just holding the dough in my hands and sprinkling flour. This was easy, I ended up handling the dough less, and my favorite - less clean-up.
  

So here goes.


Artisan Bread Dough #1

6 1/2 C unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
1 1/2 T instant or bread machine yeast
1 1/2 T fine table or kosher salt
3 C lukewarm water

1. Measure. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup, level with a knife or your finger, then dump the flour into the mixing bowl.

2. Mix. Add the yeast and salt to the flour. Stir together with a wooden spoon or Danish dough whisk. Pour in the water and stir together until just moistened. Beat 40 strokes, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until the dough forms a lumpy, stick mass.

3. Rise. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature (72 F, 22 C) in a draft-free place for 2 hours or until the dough has risen nearly to the top of the bowl and has a sponge-like appearance.

4. Use right away or refrigerate. Use that day or place the dough, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge for up to 9 days before baking.

Boule
(photographed)

1/2 recipe prepared Easy Artisan Dough, about the size of a volleyball
1/2 C cornmeal
2 C hot water

1. Form. Place dough portion on a floured surface and dust very lightly with flour. Flour your hands. Working the dough as little as possible and adding flour as necessary, form the dough into a 12 inch round. Smooth the dough with your hands to form a soft, non-sticky skin. Pinch any seams together. Lightly flour any sticky places on the dough. The dough should feel soft and smooth all over, like a baby's skin, but not at all sticky.

2. Rest. Sprinkle the cornmeal on the cookie sheet and place the dough round on the cornmeal. Cover with a tea towel and let rest at room temp for 40 minutes.

3. Prepare oven for artisan baking. About 30 minutes before baking, place a broiler pan on the lower shelf and a baking stone on the middle shelf of the oven. Preheat to 450 degrees.

4. Slash boule with serrated knife. Using a serrated knife, make three evenly spaced slashes, about 1/2 inch deep, across the boule, exposing the moist dough under the surface.

5. Slide boule onto baking stone and add water to broiler pan. With a quick forward jerk of your arms, slide the dough round from the cookie sheet to the stone. Then pour the hot water into the broiler pan and close the oven door.

6. Bake. Bake for 27-30 minutes or until the crust is a medium dark brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the loaf registers at least 190 degreesF. Remove the loaf with oven mitts and cool on a wire rack.

recipe from 200 Fast and Easy Artisan Breads by Judith Fertig