Italian Bread

Preferment:

1 cup water

1 cup bread or all purpose flour

1/2 tsp instant yeast

Dough:

All of the preferment

5 cups bread or all-purpose unbleached flour

1/2 cup nonfat dry milk

1 Tbs diastatic malt powder, or carnation malted milk powder, or brown sugar

1 Tbs salt

2 tsp instant yeast

1 Tbs olive oil, plus more to coat bowl

2 cups water

Directions:

A "preferment" is just a glob of dough that you make first. There are a lot of different names, depending on the type of yeast, amount of liquid, etc. You may recognize "biga" or "starter". The reason you make this little mix and let it sit for a while is because it gives the yeast a chance to grow and develop flavor. Consider it Head Start for yeastie beasties.

Mix up your preferment before you go to bed. One cup of water, one cup of flour, 1/2 tsp instant yeast, in a big bowl (it's going to double in size or more) and put a lid or towel on top to keep the dust and the household feline out. It will be fine all night on your kitchen counter.

The next day, put the water, olive oil, yeast, salt, malt powder, dry milk, 2 cups of flour, and the nice bubbly preferment into your mixer's bowl. Start on slow, and increase to the first setting as you mix in the flour, one cup at a time, just until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl - about 10 to 15 minutes. You want a slack but not sticky dough.

I use a very large, clear plastic food safe storage container with a lid to let my dough rise. I wipe the inside with a little olive oil, transfer the dough into the container, and mark the height with a piece of tape on the outside. It will take about 2 hours for this dough to rise to double the size. If it takes a little longer, or less time, that's fine. Temperature makes the yeast grow so if it is warm in your kitchen it will be ready sooner, if it is cool then it will take longer. When it is doubled, punch down. Just push down in the middle of the bowl, then grab an edge of the dough and pull it on top. Do that all around the bowl to get all the gasses out of the dough.

Let rise again for another half hour. You're developing flavor and texture. At the end of 30 minutes, punch down, remove from the container, and divide in half. Cover with a towel and let rest for 20 minutes.

If you are going to use a baking stone, or cast iron pan in your oven, you need a long preheat time. Preheat your oven to 425F now. I position two shelves in my oven - one on the lowest level, and one in the middle.

Come back and shape the dough into its final shape. I flatten it with my hands and roll it into the famliar Italian loaf, and place it on parchment paper. But you can make your loaf round, or put it in a loaf pan. Let your dough rise for one hour. 10 minutes before you are ready to put your bread in the oven, place a pan of water on the bottom shelf.

Bake your loaves on the middle shelf for 20 minutes, then open the door and quickly rotate the loaves, and bake for 20 minutes more.

Tips and Tricks:

• This bread is a family favorite, and freezes very well. I almost always have 3 or 4 loaves in my freezer. As soon as the loaf is cooled all the way through, wrap it in aluminum foil and place in your freezer. It should stay good for 3 months, but it never lasts that long in my house.
• Dice up salami, pepperoni, or insert whole garlic cloves into the dough before baking.
• This bread makes incredible garlic bread. Just slice and spread on some garlic butter. Toast on a cookie tray in your oven, or place under the broiler until golden brown.
• You can also slice the bread lengthwise, spread with garlic butter, then put the two halves together and wrap with foil before freezing. Take out of the freezer and pop into the oven without unwrapping for hot, delicious, butter soaked garlic bread.
• While still warm serve with a small bowl of olive oil and dipping spices.
• Wonderful for panini.