Golden Semolina Bread

Total Time: 3 hrs 35 mins Preparation Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 2/3 cup durum flour (3.5 oz/100g)
• 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
• 3/4 cup water (room temp)
• 1 cup durum flour (5.5 oz/155g)
• 3/8 teaspoon instant yeast (the total yeast for whole recipe is 1/2 tsp)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• bread flour, for kneading

Recipe

• 1 make the starter: in a medium bowl, whisk together durum flour and yeast; then whisk in water and stir until very smooth for 2 mins; scrape down the sides of the bowl and cover with clingwrap.
• 2 combine the 1/4 cup of durum flour and the 3/8 tsp of yeast, then whisk in the salt.
• 3 gently scoop it onto the sponge to completely cover it, cover with clingwrap and allow to ferment for 1-4 hours at room temp (up to 24hrs in the fridge, remove from fridge 1 hr before mixing the dough).
• 4 mix the bubbly starter together with flour mixture (covering the top of starter) using a wooden spoon until all flour is moistened.
• 5 knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together, then scrape it onto a surface floured with some of the remaining durum flour and knead for about 5 minutes.
• 6 add more reserved durum flour as needed to keep dough from sticking (use a bench scraper to scrape and gather the dough as you knead).
• 7 the dough will be slightly tacky and cling slightly to your fingers; cover it with the inverted bowl and allow to rest for 20mins.
• 8 knead dough for another 5 mins until it is smooth and elastic, adding more reserved durum flour if necessary.
• 9 it's ok if dough is still slightly tacky, but you should be able to form a ball and holds its shape.
• 10 let the dough rise in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with clingwrap, until doubled in bulk 1 1/2- 2 hours.
• 11 turn the dough out onto lightly floured counter and shape it into a torpedo-shaped loaf (or regular loaf), set it into a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• 12 cover it loosely with oiled clingwrap and let rise again until doubled in bulk (1 hr- 1 hr 15 mins); when the dough is ready to be baked, a fingertip-depression will very slowly fill inches.
• 13 one hour before baking, preheat oven to 450f, with a cast-iron skillet or sheet pan on the floor of the oven.
• 14 make a few 1/4-1/2 inch deep slashes in the top of the dough with a sharp knife.
• 15 mist the dough with water and quickly set the baking pan on the hot stone/sheet pan; toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath and immediately shut the oven door.
• 16 bake for 20mins, lower the temp to 400f and continue baking for another 10-20mins, until bread is golden brown (skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean or instant read thermometer read 208f).
• 17 for crispier crust, lift the bread from the pan with a heavy pancake turner about halfway through baking and set into directly on the baking stone.
• 18 when the bread is done, cool completely on wire racks.