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I am *finally* all set with a new ISP with more web space. So, I can finally post what I wanted to post last week. As time permits, I will update the links in my other JEs to reflect the new location of my files.

This loaf comes from a book about soups, of all things. I made this with the intention of having it with the soup I made for dinner, but unfortunately I missed the part about the first step taking 4-6 hours so it had to come later. For dinner I ended up making whole-wheat biscuits, but that's a subject for another time.

The obligatory pic.

As always, recipe first followed by notes.

Peasant Loaf

• 2 packages dry yeast
• 2 cups water, room temperature
• 6 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons salt, dissolved in 2 teaspoons water

Dissolve yeast in 2 cups water in a large mixing bowl and allow to proof. Add 3 cups of flour and stir into a smooth, thick batter. Cover and set aside to ferment for 4-6 hours. It should rise to approximately double its original volume.

Pour the salt mixture into the batter and add flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough resembles a solid, shaggy mass. Turn out onto floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding additional flour as needed. The dough is ready when it is smooth and elastic and is firm but not hard.

Place ball in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, approximately 90 minutes.

Punch down dough and turn out onto lightly floured work surface. Shape it into desired loaf shapes - boules, bâtârds (pictured), baguettes, rolls, etc. Place shaped loaves on greased sheets (or baguette pan if applicable) and allow to double in volume again, approximately 90 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 C) and place 1 cup water in a shallow pan on the floor of the oven to generate steam. Slash loaves and bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom. Allow to cool on wire rack.

Notes:

1. The recipe calls for a cup of water in a shallow pan in the oven to make the necessary steam. I didn't do this - I took a half-gallon garden sprayer and put a quart of water in it and shot it into the oven, which created instant water vapor when it hit the hot oven walls. This was much more effective and it saved a pan from rusting later.
2. I did not grease a sheet - I used parchment paper instead, which is what I prefer.
3. This bread is a hybrid between slow rise and "regular" loaves. The first rising takes 4-6 hours and the flavor develops nicely.
4. This is the crustiest bread I have ever made. I finally have a bread that has the kind of crust I have been trying to make.
5. Though I did not try this, I suspect it would make phenomenal French toast.
6. The family wiped out one loaf in a single meal, and the second mysteriously disappeared the next day while I was at work...
7. I am making this one again today as a gift to someone I have really come to appreciate over the last several weeks.