Versatile recipe works well as boule, baguette, pita, sandwich loaf, pizza dough, baguette, focaccia, fougasse, rolls and more. Check out Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day for ideas, tips, etc. Adapted from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day (book, website), which has a number of other great bread recipes. We make this every week. -- Darienne
3 cups water, lukewarm
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast, (2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds, optional
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour, or AP white
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
whole wheat flour, for pizza peel
1. Mixing and storing the dough: Mix the yeast and salt with the water in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon. (You could also use a 14-cup capacity food processor with dough attachment or a heavy-duty stand mixer with a dough hook.) If you're not using a machines, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.
3. Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in lidded (not airtight) container and use over next 14 days.
5. For sandwich loaf, on baking day, spritz loaf pan with cooking spray. Dust surface of refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 1/2-pound piece. Dust piece with flour and quickly shape into a ball by stretching surface of dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Set in loaf pan and allow to rest for 40-90 minutes, until slightly wobbly. (See notes for alternative refrigerator rise.)
6. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place an empty broiler tray on any shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread.
7. Sprinkle loaf liberally with flour and slash the top using a serrated bread knife. Leave the flour in place for baking; tap some of it off before eating.
8. Set loaf pan in oven. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm. Smaller or larger loaves with require adjustments in baking time.
9. Cool at least 1 hour before slicing.
Store in regular Tupperware-type container.
To measure dough: Plunk a handful of flour in bowl, put on scale, and set to zero; add chunk of dough and weigh.
You may need to bake at slightly higher temp, up to 475.
The “refrigerator rise” will allow you to shape your dough and then have it rise in the refrigerator for up to 14 hours before baking. This is what you do:
1. First thing in the morning cut off a piece of dough and shape it as normal. Place the dough on a sheet of parchement, loosely wrap with plastic and put it back in the refrigerator. (The dough will have spread slightly, but may not seem to have risen at all. Don’t panic, it will still have lovely oven spring! Because you don’t handle the dough at all after the refrigerator rise the bubbles in the dough should still be in tact!)
2. Right before dinner preheat your oven with a stone on the middle rack. When the oven is nice and hot take out your cold dough, slash it as normal and bake with steam for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and serve.
Serves 64.
