Having no idea if it was going to work, I went to an art and
craft store and bought a nice stencil sheet
(pretty cheap, about 8 dollars) – my idea was to spray water on the top of the
bread after proofing it and then careful put the stencil on the top and
sprinkle Semolina on it.
The result was awesome! :-) Tested and approved! Check out the photos:
The bread recipe I used was my Olive and Rosemary bread – It has a very crispy crust and a soft full of
flavour centre. It smells soooooo good
that you might have to share it with your neighbor (I did). Enjoy it!
Olive and Rosemary Bread
250g Bread White Flour
50g Whole Wheat Flour
30g Pitted Calamata
50g Olive Oil
50g Olive Oil
180g Lukewarm Water
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons dried yeast
1 Tablespoon Fresh Rosemary Leaves
In a small bowl mix up the water, the yeast and the sugar until
all dissolved.
In a very large bowl mix up the flours, the rosemary and the
salt. Make a cavity in the middle of
Stir in the Dissolved yeast and
the olive oil.
the
Knead the mixture for about 10 min – you can use a food
processor or a mixer to knead, in this case it will be much faster. Mix up the olives and knead for 5 minutes more until all
incorporated. This is a Wet dough,
resist the temptation of adding more flour, use only the enough to knead.
Oil a bowl and put the dough inside, cover with plastic wrap
and leave it to rest in a warm place for about two hours, until it has more
than double its size.
Place the down in a floured surface and gently deflate it
with your hands, folding it in four.
If you are using a Banneton, dust inside well with flour and
place the loaf in it with the seam facing up.
If you don’t have a Banneton just shape the loaf and put it in a baking
sheet lined with baking paper and dusted with flour or semolina. Cover with a humid tea towel and let it
rest proof for another hour or until almost double its size.
Heat the oven to 240C.
Put a Dutch oven or a heavy iron cast and ceramic casserole with a lid
inside the oven and leave it there for at least 30 min.
When the bread has risen enough, if you are using a
Banneton, gently turn the bread on a sheet of baking paper. If not just place it in the sheet of baking
paper.
If you want to make the patterns, this is the time for
it: Spray some water, place the stencil
on the top and sprinkle Semolina.
Score the Bread with a Lame or a Knife – if you choose to do
not score and make patterns, is also ok… it is just a cosmetic detail.
Spray the loaf with water (not necessary if you already did
it for making the patterns). Quick
remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven, take out the lid and carefully
transfer the baking paper with the bread to it. Cover with the lid again and pop it into the
oven for about 40 min.
Remove the lid and bake it for about 10-15 min more until
golden brown.
The load will be baked when it sound hollow when tapped on
the bottom. For crispier crust allow it
to cool inside the oven.
Very beautiful. I'm definitely trying this!
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