Pane Toscano Recipes

Steps:

• Make the sponge: Dissolve the yeast in the water in a small bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon.
• Place the one-half cup flour in a larger bowl, add the dissolved yeast and mix with a wooden spoon until all the flour is incorporated and a small ball of dough is formed. Sprinkle the additional tablespoon of flour over the ball of dough, then cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and put it in a warm place, away from drafts. Let stand until the sponge has doubled in size, about one hour.
• Make the dough: Arrange the six cups of flour in a mound on a clean work surface or pastry board and make a well in the middle. Place the sponge from the first rising in the well along with one-half cup of the lukewarm water. Carefully mix the water into the sponge with a wooden spoon.
• Add the remaining water and then, using your hands, gradually begin to mix in the flour from the rim of the well little by little. Keep mixing until all but four or five tablespoons of the flour are incorporated (about 15 minutes). Then begin to knead the dough with the palms of your hands until the dough is homogeneous and smooth, about 20 minutes. Mix the remaining flour into the dough if necessary to keep the dough from being sticky.
• Shape the loaf into a round or oval and place it on a floured cotton dish towel. Wrap the dough loosely in the towel and put it in a warm place away from drafts to stand until double in bulk, about one hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Be sure the bricks or tiles you are using are free of dust.
• As soon as the dough has doubled in size, carefully remove it from the towel and place it on the bricks in the oven. Bake the bread for 55 minutes. Do not open the oven for the first 30 minutes of baking.
• Remove the finished bread from the oven and place it on a board on one of its sides, so the air can circulate around it. Do not lay the bread flat. You may have to balance it in some manner. If you have one of those V-shaped racks used for roasting poultry, you can balance the bread in it for cooling. The bread must cool at least three hours before it is cut or broken for eating.

Steps:

• STARTER, stir the yeast into the water and let it stand for 10 minutes, until creamy.
• Add the flour and stir with 100 strokes of a wooden spoon, or w/ the paddle of an electric mixer for 1 minute (I recommend the latter unless your arms look like Popeyes).
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until tripled, 6 hours to overnight.
• DOUGH, stir yeast into the warm water and let it stand for 10 minutes, until creamy.
• Add the room temp water and the starter.
• Stir vigorously or squeeze the mixture between your fingers to break the starter up.
• Stir in the flours, half at a time, until thoroughly mixed.
• Knead dough on floured work surface until firm and resilient, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and punch it, then shape it into a large round loaf, or 2 oval loaves.
• Place on cornmeal-sprinkled peel or an oiled baking sheet.
• Dust the top (s) lightly with flour, cover with a lightly dampened towel, and let rise until doubled again, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 450F.
• Score top of loaf (ves) with a sharp knife or razor in a"tic-tac-toe" pattern and slide onto a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.
• Bake 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 400F& bake 20 minutes for the smaller loaves, and 25 to 30 minutes for the large loaf.
• Loaf is done when they sound hollow when tapped.
• Cool on a rack.

Steps:

• 1. First make the starter. Sift 1 1/2 cups flour into a large bowl. Pour over the boiling water, leave for a couple of minutes, then mix well. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel and leave for 10 hours.
• 2. Lightly flour a sheet pan, set aside. Cream the yeast with the lukewarm water. If using dry yeast, mix the 1 1/2 tsp. dry yeast with the 4 TBSP lukewarm water. Stir this into the starter.
• 3. Gradually add the remaining flour and stir well to form a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-8 minutes.
• 4. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowel and cover with a piece of oiled plastic wrap. and leave in a warm place for 1 - 1 1/2 hours until doubled.
• 5. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and punch down and shape into a round.
• 6. Fold the sides of the round to the center and seal. Place seam side up onto the prepared baking sheet. Cover with another piece of lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.
• 7. Flatten the loaf slightly ( about 1/2 risen size) and flip over, covering with a large bowl. Leave to rise again for 30 more minutes.
• 8. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F. Slash the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Move the loaf to a wire rack to cool.
• 9. Note: the recipe states that salt controls the leavening action so if the bread over-rises, the loaf may collapse