Make your own sandwich bread!

Looking for a fast, easy meal to put together?  Versatile and classic, sandwiches are a quick and cost-effective way to put together a meal during the week. 

Baking your own bread at home for sandwiches has a lot of benefits! Commercially prepared breads often have higher levels of sodium compared to home-baked breads and have lower levels of vitamins and minerals due to a production process that strips the bread of some of its nutrients. They also include various preservatives and artificial ingredients. When baking your own bread, you can avoid preservatives, high sodium, cross-contamination, and insure you get all of the nutrients. Baking your own bread is also super cost-effective when compared to buying from the store!

Kayte Young, Nutrition Coordinator

When choosing a sandwich bread, whole wheat is a nutritious and delicious selection. Most individuals need between 6-8 oz of whole grain a day (3-5 oz for children 8 years and younger). Whole wheat is an example of a recommended whole grain as opposed to refined grains, such as refined breads and white rice. 

Whole wheat also has more fiber than most breads, which will keep you feeling full for a longer period of time in between meals!

You can try the recipe we used in our sandwich bread workshop. You might like it so much you'll want to work it into your weekly routine. 

Finished products from The Hub's winter breadbaking workshop

           

Sourdough Bread Making: four ingredients for delicious bread

Flour, water, salt and sourdough starter--that's all you need to make delicious bread, once you have a sourdough starter going. Starters are made with flour and water, plus wild yeast. The science behind wild yeast, and the making of a starter is a larger discussion, better explored elsewhere, but making your own delicious, affordable sourdough bread at home is relatively simple. We explored the process this winter in our annual bread baking workshop with Alex Chambers. We walked through all the steps and everyone had a chance to shape and bake some bread to take home. We also sent everyone home with sourdough starters.

What follows are instructions for a great tasting bread made with “wild” yeast. There is no commercial yeast added. It is not hard to keep the sourdough starter alive, and you only need to store a small amount of starter in between baking sessions. There are several steps, and lots of resting and rising time, but the times are flexible and most of it is unattended.  It is not difficult to get into a routine of making sourdough.

No-Knead Sourdough (makes 2 loaves)

Step one: activate the Starter

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon of sourdough starter (kept in the fridge when not in use.)

Mix these three together and let it sit out for 3-6 hours*.

Step two:  Make the Leaven

1 cup flour

½ cup water

The Activated  Starter that you mixed and let sit for 3-6 hours

Mix these together and let it sit for another 3-6 hours*.

Step three: Save Starter for next time.

Take out 1 tablespoon of this mixture and put it in the fridge as a Starter for next time.

Step four: Make the Dough

6 cups flour (I use mostly whole wheat, ideally a finer grind than stoneground. I recommend experimenting with various proportions of whole wheat, white, rye, and anything else you think of.)

2½ teaspoons salt

2-3 cups water

The Leaven that you mixed and let sit out for 4-8 hours.

Mix the dry flour and salt. Add some of the water to the leaven and mix it, adding more of the water, until it becomes soupy. (Sometimes this requires squeezing it through your fingers, since the developed gluten has trouble absorbing water.) Mix the soupy leaven and the rest of the water into the dry ingredients. Add enough water to mix it all into a “shaggy mass” – a pretty wet dough.

Let it sit for 4-8 hours, until it has visibly grown and become airy and tender to the touch.*

Step five: Shaping and Proofing

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel or saran wrap and let rise for about 30-45 minutes. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

Step six: Bake using one of the two methods below:

Covered Pot (dutch oven) Method (if you have a pot that will work, this method gives the bread great oven spring and a wonderfully crunchy crust)

At least a half-hour before dough is finished proofing, heat oven to 450 500 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid,

Turn oven down to 450  place in oven, and and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Steamy Oven Method (if you don’t have a pot to use, or want to bake more than one loaf at a time, use this method) Preheat the oven to 525 (or as hot as your oven goes), and pour 1 cup hot water onto a tray underneath the baking tray right after putting the loaves in the oven. After about 3 minutes I turn the temperature down to 450 and bake about 30-40 minutes, until the loaves are golden-brown and give a good hollow thump when I tap the bottom.

If you don’t trust your thumb and ears to determine when the thump is good and hollow, you can check the loaf’s doneness with a kitchen probe thermometer/meat thermometer. For a lean loaf like this one, the temperature in the center should be about 195-205°.

*depending on the temperature of the room. Note that any of these steps can be slowed down further by refrigerating.

Warm up your kitchen--bake bread!

Last week's single digit temperatures didn't phase us in the Hub Kitchen. With the ovens cranked up to 450F, and the classroom filled to capacity with eager bakers, we were plenty toasty all afternoon.

Our Guest Chef Alex Chambers shared his enthusiasm and know how for handling wet dough, and how to work sourdough bread baking into your weekly routine. We focused on slow-ferment, wet dough because it is easier to schedule around, doesn't required kneading, and delivers excellent flavor and texture (no-knead bread recipe). While it is very forgiving and great for beginners, the wet dough can be hard to handle and difficult to get used to, so we provided hands-on exposure.
After shaping and proofing, we popped our loaves into a hot oven, with a baking stone and a shallow pan of steam (for a crispy crust, and extra oven-spring).

Most of us imagine lengthy kneading sessions when we think of making yeast breads, and since kneading can be such a pleasurable part of bread baking, we offered that experience as well, along with recipes for traditional, enriched sandwich bread.



Our multi generational group enjoyed tasty samples, great conversation and each took home a warm, hand-crafted loaf of bread.

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

After much searching for a sandwich bread that would be soft yet nutritious, I found this recipe on a website called The Fresh Loaf. I think the texture and crumb are just what I was looking for. The dough can also be nicely worked up into individual soup rolls. 

Recipe from Ben Chaffee

Makes 2 loaves (8-1/2" by 5-1/2")

2-1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup water
2-1/2 cups hot water

1/2 cup brown sugar (can interchange honey or molasses 1:1 for brown sugar)
3 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter (Other fats, such as vegetable oil or shortening, can be used 1:1 for the butter)
3 cups (374 g) stirred whole-wheat flour
5 cups (663 g) stirred all-purpose white flour

       Soften active dry yeast in 1/4 cup warm water (110°)
       Combine hot water, sugar, salt, and butter in a separate bowl; cool to lukewarm.
       Stir in all of the whole-wheat flour, 1 cup of the white flour; beat well. Stir in softened yeast. Add enough of remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough.(about 2.5 more cups) Turn out on lightly floured surface; knead till smooth and satiny (10 to 12 minutes), adding extra flour if it gets too sticky.

       Shape dough in a ball; place in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. 

       Cover; let rise in warm place till double (about 1-1/2 hours). Punch down (or fold). Cut in two portions; shape each in smooth ball. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Shape into loaves. Place the dough on counter. Press out large bubbles and gently form each dough ball into a rectangle. Ensure the shortest side of the rectangle is approximately the longest size of your loaf pan (8-1/2"). Roll up the dough. Pinch the seam closed. Tuck open sides down and under. 
Place them in greased 8-1/2" by 5 2-1/2" loaf pans. Cover with a damp towel. Let rise till double (about 1-1/4 hours).

8.       Bake 375° for 45 minutes. When tapped, the bottoms of the loaves should have an almost hollow sound. Cover with foil last 20 minutes, if necessary.

A Valentine's Day Special

Kroger has whole chickens and chicken drumsticks and thighs for 89 cents a pound. Honeysuckle 93% lean ground turkey is $1.99 a pound with a digital coupon. Peeled baby carrots are 99 cents a pound, strawberries are two pounds for $4.00, or $2.00 a pound, and asparagus is $1.99 a pound.

IGA has seasoned ground turkey in one pound packages for $1.00.  One-pound bags of frozen vegetables are $1.00. Assorted pork chops are $1.59 per pound. These prices are good through Sunday, February 9.

Aldi has cantaloupe again for $1.49 each, and blueberries are $1.49 for 6 ounces. That’s almost $4.00 a pound, and I wouldn’t mention them except that they go so well with cantaloupe and Valentine’s Day is next week, after all. Cantaloupe and blueberries would make a good Valentine’s Day splurge, should you feel so inclined. Strawberries are $1.99 a pound, which again isn’t a great price, but would make a good Valentine’s Day splurge.

Marsh has boneless skinless chicken breasts in the family pack for $1.79 a pound. The pork combo packs (center rib chops, country style ribs and sirloin roast, all from the loin) are $1.29 a pound, limit two, with $25 in additional purchases. Not nearly as good a deal as the 99 cents a pound that they were just a few months ago, but not bad. Watch how much you pay for the “additional purchases,” or the extra costs may make the pork not such a good deal after all. Asparagus is $1.99 a pound, which isn’t great (it was $1.49 a pound at Kroger last week), and Red Flame seedless grapes (my favorite!) are $1.28 a pound. Hillshire Smoked Sausage in 14-oz to 16-oz packages are two for $5.00, or about $2.50 per pound. I’m not sure whether that’s a particularly good price. It may just seem like a good price because it really appeals to me today for some reason.

(Incidentally, that’s exactly why you should have a price book that lists the regular and sale prices of things you buy frequently or would like to buy if it is ever reasonably priced. It’s way too easy to justify buying something you want “because it’s on sale,” even when it’s not at a good price. I haven’t update my price book for several months, and prices have definitely changed over those months. That’s one of my goals for February, to update my price book, at least for the things I use most often and those I include in my recipes and menus here.)

How about a Valentine’s Day dinner for two this week, instead of supper for four? I’ll keep it inexpensive, but it will go over $1.50 per person. How does Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo, asparagus, garlic bread (just make sure you both eat it!) and chocolate dipped strawberries sound?

CHICKEN FETTUCCINE ALFREDO is a snap to make and somewhat reminiscent of that romantic movie Lady and the Tramp. (Remember the spaghetti scene?) If you don't eat wheat, you can put the chicken and sauce over spaghetti squash, broccoli, zucchini, or other vegetables, or just eat it plain, adding a salad to make it a full meal.

Selecting and cooking ASPARAGUS is really a matter of personal preference. Some people like the very thin stalks. I prefer the big fat ones. Some people like the stalks cooked whole. I prefer it cut into bite sized pieces before I cook it. Some people like it boiled or steamed. I prefer it sautéed in butter, with maybe some garlic. I’ll tell you how to cook it the way I like it, but you can cook it however you like. A pound of asparagus serves two to four people. With everything else in this meal, and especially the rich Alfredo sauce, I’m going with half a pound for two people. Don’t forget that you have to cut off the tough end of the stalk, which may be a lot or it may be just a bit. You won’t end up with as much as you might think you will, because of that waste.

GARLIC BREAD isn't really necessary, of course, but nice to have. (And I have a bit of a problem thinking of garlic bread as a romantic food, but as long as you both eat it…) Try to get just one small loaf of French or Italian bread – something like a hoagie roll. Check the prices, though. Sometimes that single roll can cost as much as a whole loaf of bread! To save some time, you can serve the loaf whole and cold and you can each butter your own at the table.

Not much says Valentine’s Day like CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES! I haven’t priced them in stores recently, but I remember that they used to be a dollar each at a candy store about twenty years ago. What an indulgence! What a ridiculous price to pay for something so easy to make!

So how much will this dinner cost? The Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo will cost about $3.50. $1.00 for the asparagus. The bread, about 50 cents. It depends on the bread you get. Assuming fifteen strawberries per pound, they’re about 20 cents each, so let’s say another dollar for the Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Total for the meal, about $6.00, or about $3.00 each. More than my meals usually run, but it is for Valentine’s Day, after all!

Of course, that’s a bit deceptive, because you had to buy a whole pound of strawberries, and the rest of the asparagus and the Parmesan and the cream, which probably cost more than you would normally spend for things. But it’s still a pretty reasonable price for a romantic dinner for two.

Banana Bread

(from a recipe at simplyrecipes.com)

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve. Makes one loaf.

Bread Pudding

Prep Time: 20 Min. Cook Time: 50 Min. Ready In: 1 Hr 10 Min

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 1/2 cups cubed stale bread

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups milk, scalded

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Generously butter an 8x8 inch baking dish. Prepare a water bath for the baking dish by placing a larger dish in the oven, and partially filling it with hot water. Place bread cubes in the baking dish. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Slowly whisk in the scalded milk. Pour over the bread. Sprinkle with nutmeg, brown sugar, and pecans. Place the baking dish in the water bath. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve either hot or chilled.

Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs can be made out of any kind of bread and can be either soft (fresh) or dry. Dry breadcrumbs are used for breading foods and make a crispy coating. Soft breadcrumbs make a softer crust or stuffing.

To make dry breadcrumbs, start with stale bread (it can be very stale) and dry in a slow oven (200 degrees) until very dry. Let cool completely, then process in a blender or food processor, or break into pieces, put in a plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin. Add seasoning if you like. Some Italian Herbs added to the bread before it’s processed turns plain breadcrumbs into Italian seasoned breadcrumbs.

To make soft breadcrumbs, start with slightly stale bread and dry it just a bit in a 200 degree oven. Process it in a blender or a food processor; a rolling pin won’t work. Season it if desired.

To make fresh breadcrumbs, start with fresh bread and don’t dry it in the oven. Process it in a food processor or blender (a rolling pin won’t work) and season as desired.

It depends on the size of your slices, of course, but figure on about four slices of bread to make one cup of dry bread crumbs or three slices of bread to make a cup of soft breadcrumbs.

You may be able to substitute crushed crackers, pretzels, stuffing mix, cornflakes, etc., depending on the recipe. Old fashioned oatmeal can be used instead of breadcrumbs in meatloaf and similar dishes. If you avoid grains, finely crushed pork rinds work.

Panzanella Bread Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Olive oil
• ¼ cup Olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons Balsalmic vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
• 6 cups day old Italian bread, cubed into bite-size pieces
• 5 medium red tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cucumber, peeled, and sliced
• 1 red pepper, diced roughly
• 1/2 cup pitted and sliced green or kalamata olives
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl toss bread with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.
3. Lay out on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool slightly.
4. While bread is in the oven, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
5. Gently toss together the vinaigrette, bread, and vegetables. Let stand for 20 minutes before serving.

Tomato Bread

Pan con Tomate (Bread with Tomato) is sometimes called Pan a la Catalana in other parts of Spain. It is one of the simplest, the most well-loved, the most widely eaten and the most famous dishes from Cataluña. In Catalan, it is called pa amb tomaquet and in Spanish, pan con tomate.  What is Tomato Bread? Tomato Bread is simply toasted bread rubbed with fresh garlic and ripe tomato, then drizzled with olive oil and a bit of salt. It can be eaten by itself, but is often topped with cheese, ham or sausage.

• Rustic-Style Bread
• 2 Large, Round, Ripe Tomatoes
• 2 Large Cloves of Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Salt to Taste
• Optional: If you wish, add thinly sliced Spanish cheese, chorizo or ham.

It is best to use a rustic-style bread, that is solid and dense. Slice the bread into pieces about ¾ inch thick. Toast the slices lightly on both sides. Peel the garlic cloves and slice a bit off the ends and rub the cut ends over each slice of bread. Slice the ripe tomatoes in half across the middle. Then, using the tomato half, rub the cut side of the tomato generously onto each slice. Finally, sprinkle some salt on the slice, and drizzle with olive oil. Enjoy with meals, or as an appetizer

Zucchini Spice Bread

Ingredients:

• A little butter or oil for the pan
• 2 cups (packed) coarsely grated zucchini
• 6 Tablespoons melted butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2  1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup nuts
• 1/2 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Place zucchini in colander and drain excess water.
3. Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
5. Add the sifted ingredients, alternately with zucchini, to the butter and egg mixture. Stir in the nuts and raisins.
6. Spread batter into the buttered pan. Bake 50-60 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes before enjoying!

Garlic Bread

Try to get just one small loaf of French or Italian bread – something like a hoagie roll. Check the prices, though. Sometimes that single roll can cost as much as a whole loaf of bread! To save some time, you can serve the loaf whole and cold and you can each butter your own at the table.

If you want crispy garlic bread, cut it in half horizontally, so you have two flat thin pieces. Butter the cut side of each piece and place the two halves, cut side up, on a broiler-proof baking sheet and bake it at 350 for about 10 minutes. Then broil it for a couple of minutes, until the edges become crispy. You can put some Parmesan cheese on it before broiling it, if you want to. Or don’t broil it, and just leave it in the oven a bit longer. It won’t be quite as crunchy, but still good. Cut in 1” thick slices. If you have any leftover, it makes great croutons for a salad.

If you like your garlic bread nice and soft, cut the loaf into 1” thick slices, cutting most of the way through but quite to the bottom. (If you goof and cut all the way through, it won’t hurt anything. In fact, it will be easier to get the slices apart when it comes time to eat it.) Butter one side of each slice with the garlic butter, then wrap it up in foil. Heat it at 350 for about 15 minutes. Open the foil as soon as you take it out of the oven or it will get soggy.

Ham and Cheese Sandwiches on the Cheap

(Note - this post was written in January of 2014, and is based on prices at that time. However, the basic ideas for making cheaper sandwiches are likely to hold all of the time. Even when not on sale, spiral sliced hams are likely to be a lot cheaper than deli ham, and slicing your own cheese will be cheaper than buying sliced deli cheese. Cooking and slicing your own roast beef and turkey breast will be cheaper than buying deli meats, too.)

Marsh has Hormel Cure 51 Spiral Sliced Hams for $1.29 a pound. True, there’s a big bone in it, so the meat itself probably costs about $2.00 a pound. Compare that to meat from the deli, which will probably run you anywhere from about $4.99 on up. The ham is sliced, which means you’ll get nice even slices, and a lot thinner than if you were slicing it yourself – or at least if I were slicing it myself! Cheese to go with the ham is on sale in various forms at most of the grocery stores. Aldi has 8-ounce blocks of several kinds of cheese for $1.79 each. Kroger has block cheese for $3.29 for 12 to 16 ounces. They also have some sliced cheese at $3.29 for 24 slices. Personally, I would go for the sliced cheese because the slices are thinner and more even than I could cut them, and they’ll go further. It depends on what kind is sliced, though. I’d rather have real cheese than a processed cheese. Even if I cut the cheese myself, it will probably end up cheaper than buying it at the deli counter. Beyond the meat and cheese, the last time I looked, Aldi had mayo and “whipped salad dressing” for $1.99 for almost a quart. I think it was 30 ounces instead of 32. A few different varieties of mustard were $1.19 a bottle, I think. When it comes to bread, remember to compare the price per slice rather than the price per loaf or the price per pound. Unless the slices are unusually large or small, two slices of whatever size you get will make a sandwich. If you go for a hoagie type roll, think about how many sandwiches – how many “servings” – you’re going to get from them, and compare the price to the same number of “servings” of regular bread. 

Garlic Bread Snacks

You can take a loaf of French bread that is split in two, spread each side with garlic butter, and bake until hot. Or take that same loaf of French bread, cut it vertically into slices (but not all the way through) and spread garlic butter in between the slices, and bake until hot. Or go ahead and cut the slices all the way through, put them flat on a baking sheet and spread the top side with garlic butter, then bake until hot and somewhat crispy. Or take regular old bread (or sliced sour dough would be good, too), spread one side with garlic butter, put them in a single layer on a baking dish, and bake until toasted and crisp. Or make your garlic bread however you like to. Or even buy a loaf of garlic bread! However you make your Garlic Bread, it makes a good base for spreading either the SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP or the COPY CAT FRITO LAY BEAN DIP on top of. Or other dips, too, for that matter. You may need to spread the dip instead of dipping the bread, depending on the dip.

French Bread Chips

I assume that there’s a name for these, but I don’t know what it is. Take some French bread and cut it into “fingers.” You might need to cut the bread into about 4 slices first. Then put the fingers on the baking sheet, brush very lightly with a bit of olive oil in which you’ve had a clove of garlic soaking, and then bake until crisp. You could use regular bread, too, if that was what you had on hand. Or maybe rye bread? Try baking different kinds of bread at different temperatures. You want them to dry out and get crisp without burning. Watch them closely!

No Knead Bread

This recipe makes enough for four 1-pound loaves and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I use it to bake 4 crusty boules, but you could also use it for cinnamon rolls, or incorporate other ingredients (nuts, dried fruit, olives, cheese) before shaping and baking. The flavor really improves when it sits in the fridge for a couple of days. (Adapted by Kayte Young, from Cooking Club Feb/March 2011) 

Total preparation time: 3 ½ hours, plus at least a half hour to cool. Most of that time is hands-off, so you can do other things.

3 ½ cups lukewarm water

4 teaspoons active dry yeast

3 teaspoons salt

5 cups unbleached all purpose flour (or white bread flour)

2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour

1.     Combine water yeast and salt in a large bowl. With spoon (or mixer with paddle attachment) stir in flour (dough will be wet).

2.     Place dough in 5-quart lidded container; cover with lid (do not snap airtight). Let rise at room temperature 2 hours. Refrigerate overnight or up to 14 days, or go ahead and bake a loaf, and put the rest in the fridge to bake at your convenience.

3.     

     To Bake a Crusty Boule (a small, round, free-form loaf)

Take 1 lb (grapefruit sized) portion of dough from the Master Recipe (above)

1.     Hold dough and dust top with flour; quickly shape into ball by stretching surface of dough around to bottom on all four sides, rotating a quarter turn as you go (pinch the dough at the bottom). The dough may feel wet, and not easy to handle, but you don’t need to handle it much. Just shape as quickly as you can, creating a nice tight surface on top (without tearing the dough). Don’t worry too much about how round it is, it will look lovely and rustic, whatever shape it ends up.  Just try to resist the urge to add a lot of flour and knead it. You want to preserve the nice pockets of air that are already in the dough.

2.     Place the dough on a pizza peel or baking sheet, sprinkled liberally with cornmeal or lined with parchment (I use parchment, sprinkled with cornmeal). Cover loosely with lightly floured plastic wrap. Let stand in warm, draft free place for 1-2 hours, or until dough is slightly puffed and no longer chilled. If you are taking dough from the fridge, this will take at least 2 hours.

3.     Thirty minutes before baking, place a baking stone (or a cookie sheet) on center oven rack; place an empty broiler pan on the bottom oven rack. Heat oven to 450 F

4.     Dust the loaf with flour or brush the top with a little water and sprinkle (heavily) with sesame seeds (or other small seeds). With a thin, sharp knife or blade (straight razor is best, but a sharp paring knife will work) make 3 or more slashes in the top of the loaf. Try to get them at least ¼ inch deep. You are giving the air a place to go when the extreme heat hits it. If you don’t do this, the loaf will “blow out” somewhere else (which is fine, but may not look the way you hoped it would).

5.     Heat 1 cup of water to boiling. Slide the loaf onto the baking stone or cookie sheet (this is easy with parchment paper--don’t remove the paper, but make sure it is cut small, so it doesn’t flap over the bread). Quickly pour the hot water in the broiler pan (don’t have your face right over it!) and shut the oven door. Do these two things quickly, and shut the door in between, if needed, to avoid losing too much oven heat. You want the dough to receive a blast of extreme heat and steam. This helps with the rise, and also makes a crisp crust.

6.     Bake 30 minutes or until deep golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom (I always use my instant-read thermometer to make sure the interior has reached 205 F). Cool completely on a wire wrack. The bread continues to bake a bit after it comes out, so resist the urge to cut right into it. Let it cool for at least 30 min. Store in a paper bag the first day, then store in a sealed container or plastic bag (if there is any left the second day J).

Note. The loaf may seem a bit small. If you need more bread, make two loaves rather than trying to make one big one. This particular recipe works best with small loaves.