FOOD Rustic Bread

[Grock]

Made a few loaves of rustic bread. I used Gold Medal Semolina flour and Fleischmanns yeast.

Recipe is very simple:
6 1/2 cups flour,
1 1/2 tsp yeast
3 cups tap hot water
2 1/2 Tsp sea salt

I like to prove the yeast, so I add 1 tsp sugar to the water and then mix in the yeast.
The yeast proves in about 10 minutes, then I add it to the Kitchenaid bowl.

I mix the flour and salt into the water, and let the Kitchenaid dough hook do the mixing.
After about 10 minutes I remove the bowl from the mixer and I cover the bowl with foil and let it set for about 45-60 minutes in a warm location, or until it doubles in size.
Once it doubles I remove it from the bowl and hand knead it on a flour dusted countertop. After its well kneaded I divide it into 3 equal parts, and then set it in 3 buttered glass bread pans.

Then it sits again in a warm spot for about 30 minutes until if rises about an inch or so out of the pans.
Meanwhile I preheat the oven to 450.

Once its risen fully it goes in the oven for 30 minutes.

Pics are the rising loafs and the finished bread after baking
This is a very hearty bread, excellent toasted with butter, and can stand up to the job of cleaning up after a beef roast or stew.

 

[Orion Commander]

Sounds good. Does it have to be semolina or will regular unbleached flour work?

 

[Pinecone]

Beautiful! There's nothing like the aroma and taste of fresh warm bread slathered in butter to brighten a day.

 

[Grock]

Sounds good. Does it have to be semolina or will regular unbleached flour work?

You can use any high gluten flour, regular white bread flour will work fine.
I prefer the semolina, and use it to make pasta as well, so keep it around.

 

[straightstreet]

Here's my own recipe for one loaf of honey wheat bread. Y'all could adjust it or make changes. Baking is not my thing but this loaf of bread turned out well for me. After getting frustrated with other bread recipes, I just decided to make up my own.

2 cups warm water
1 package yeast
2 tablespoons honey (locally sourced)
2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups wheat flour

In mixing bowl, combine water, yeast and honey and see it aside for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile turn on oven to warming feature (if you don't have that feature, turn on oven to lowest setting just to warm it).
After 10 minutes, add 2 1/2 cups of wheat flour and 2 tsp salt to water/yeast/honey in mixing bowl.
I use a cheap stand mixer to combine the ingredients in that same mixing bowl but it can be done by hand.
Turn the oven off and place in it the mixing bowl covered in a damp towel for 1 hour to rise.
After one hour, take it out of the oven and knead on floured surface several times turning and forming into loaf shape.
Place dough into loaf pan and return to you warm oven covered in a damp towel to rise for one hour.
After one hour, remove loaf pan, heat oven to 375, return loaf to oven and bake for 40 minutes. Oven temperatures vary so baking time may need to be adjusted.

 

[Grock]

Just a note on Semolina,
it’s considered a high-protein flour (21 grams of protein per cup vs 16 grams of protein per cup for regular flour, per the USDA) and it also packs higher concentrations of minerals like iron, zinc, potassium and phosphorus.
And it tastes great!

 

[Melodi]

Hint, it will last a bit longer without getting hard if you add at least a little oil (butter, olive oil, corn oil, coconut oil, lard) even 1 to 2 tbsp will extend the shelf life.

If your family eats it all in one day anyway, it doesn't matter much but this is the main difference between French Bread and Italian Bread.

French bread is made in a similar way to the first recipe only cooked at high heat with a pan of water or in a steam oven, Italian bread is about the same but with a tablespoon or two of olive oil in it.

The French tend to buy small amounts of bread every day (or make it into "French Toast" and breadcrumbs) the Italians like to keep there's for 2 or 3 days running.

 

[yeller]

I learned how to make sourdough with my 20 year old Y2K wheat berry this past year. I have not looked back. However, I was grinding it by hand. Forget it. Bought a Bosch mill.

Take care everyone,

yeller