Nancy Silverton’s Rustic Bread (adjusted for high altitude and flavor)

This is a recipe I found that I think is just wonderful.  I altered the recipe for high altitude.  I’ve skipped a few steps and have also increased the salt.  I’ve also given you some options to add different flavorings.  This is a wonderful rustic bread that has a nice crust, and the inside has different shaped pores, which is characteristic of its country Italian roots.  It’s great with soups.  It does take a day to make this, but it’s the proofing time that’s consuming.  The wait is well worth it.  I bake several loafs and freeze some.  After freezing, simply let it thaw and place it in the oven directly on the rack to warm slightly.  And, it’s good to go…

2 2/3 cup lukewarm water
2 cup plus 2 tbsp sourdough starter or grape starter (see recipe below)
1 tsp packed fresh yeast or a ½ package of regular dry yeast.  NOTE:  the slower the rise, the more varied the pores.
7 2/3 cup bread flour
2 tbsp kosher or sea salt
3 tbsp cold milk, cream or butter milk
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting
Optional:  Add herbs for flavoring (e.g., rosemary, garlic, oregano etc.).  For a sweeter dough, you can also add a tbsp sugar

NOTE:  The above recipe can be halved.

• Place 2 1/3 cups water with starter, yeast and bread flour in bowl of a mixer and stir with a rubber spatula to moisten. (reserve 1/3 water for later)
• Fix the mixer with dough hook and mix the dough at medium speed for approximately 6 minutes.
• Rest dough in mixer for 20-minutes
• After 20-minutes, add salt on medium speed for 2-minutes.
• Place milk, olive oil and remaining 1/3 water into a bowl and stir.
• With the mixer on low speed gradually add the liquids.  Continue mixing for 4-minutes at high speed once liquids have been well incorporated and will not slosh.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to proof for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until it doubles in volume.  I recommend placing the bowl in a closed oven with the oven light on.
• After it has doubled, sprinkle the work surface heavily with flour and pour the dough out to form a rough oval shape.  Note the dough will be extremely wet, heavy and sticky; this is how it’s suppose to look.  Let it rest additional 20-minutes by covering it with a dish towel.
• Cut 2 pieces of parchment paper 12 x 16 inches.  Dust with flour and semolina.
• After 20-minutes, split the dough in half and you can shape each dough into round or square rustic bread onto the parchment paper.  Be sure the dough has even thickness.  Flour your hands to help you shape the dough.  Sprinkle the top with semolina and flour.
  • Note:  You can also make baguettes, but use ¼ of the dough since it will expand.
  • If you make baguettes, since it is wet dough, use a baguette form, which is available at any kitchen store.  It looks like two long side-by-side ½ tube pans (W shape) with tiny holes.
• Cover dough with kitchen towels and let rise an additional 2 hours, or until dough nearly doubles.  It should feel soft and tacky, but not sticky.
• Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees.  I strongly recommend you use a pizza stone, which should already be in the oven pre-heating.  It’s important to get the pizza stone very hot.  If you do not have a pizza stone, get some quarry tiles at a lumber store and place them evenly on the rack. I don’t recommend substituting with a cookie sheet, the sheet has a tendency to lose its shape, plus it’s not porous and tends to make the bread soggy.
• Spritz the dough lightly with water.  Than spritz the oven walls with water.
• Using a pizza paddle, or a very, very large and wide spatula, place one dough on the paddle and then slide it on the stone.   This step should be easy, since the dough is sitting on the parchment paper and you’re placing the parchment paper directly on the stone. Immediately turn down the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
• You will spritz the oven walls 2-3 more times within the first 5-minutes.
• After 5-minutes, leave dough in oven for 15-minutes.  DO NOT open to look at the dough.
• After 15-minutes, using the pizza paddle, separate the dough from the parchment paper, turn the dough upside down leaving the bottom of the bread to brown.  This should take about 5-8 minutes.  Be careful not to burn it.
• After 5-8 minutes.  Turn the dough right side up again and let it brown an additional 5-minutes.  This ensures the bread will have a nice crust.
• Bread should be crusty.  If you tap the bread, it should have a nice thump sound.
• Cool bread before slicing.
• Use the same method for the second dough.  I found that baking the bread together on 2-separate racks tends to crowd the oven; hence, makes the bread less crusty, since the air doesn’t circulate.  You can try baking them together if you have a convection oven.  If you do, please let me know how turns out.

Grape Starter

2-cup bread flour
2 ½ cup unchlorinated water.  Let tap water sit out uncovered for 24-hours.
½ lb unwashed organic red grapes stemmed

• Mix the bread flour and water into a tall container (e.g., Tupperware container) with air tight lid.
• Wrap the grapes in well washed cheesecloth, tying the corners to form a bag.  Lightly crush them with a rolling pin
• Press the grapes into the flour/water mixture. 
• Cover and let it ferment.
• Leave this out at room temperature for 6-days shaking the container once or twice a day.  If you do not plan on using your oven for 6-days, simply leave it in your oven with the oven light on. This is especially true for Serene Lakes, since room temperatures vary a lot from day-to-night.
• After 6-days, you need to feed the starter.  Squeeze out the remaining grape juice into the mixture and discard the cheesecloth with the grapes.  Feed it for 3-consecutive days by putting 1-cup flour and 1-cup unchlorinated water and letting it sit uncovered for 3-4 hours at room temperature (you can put it in oven with the light on).  You’ll notice it start to bubble.  This is a good sign, which means it’s alive.  After 3-4 hours place it in the refrigerator overnight.
• Take it out of the refrigerator, and feed it again.  Remember it should be at room temperature.
• On 3^rd day, the starter is ready for use.

NOTE:   The recipe calls for feeding the starter for 3-days before each use, but I found that because yeast is so active at high altitude, I only need to feed it once before using it.  It is; however, a good idea to feed your starter at least once a month, even if you’re not going to use it.  If you haven’t used it in a month, drain about a cup out and replenish it with a fresh cup of flour and water.  The recipe says it stays alive for 6-months, but I’ve noticed if you feed it regularly, there is no time limit.