Mix up the starter the night before, and read the recipe completely before starting.
Starter:
½ c. flour
¼ t. yeast
1/3 c. warm water (100-110 degrees)
Mix starter. Cover and leave at room temperature 12-24 hours. If you don’t use it immediately, you can keep in refrigerator for a week. Just let it sit on the counter for a half hour before using.
After starter has fermented,
Add 2 ½ c. all purpose flour
1 t. yeast
1 ¼ c. warm water (100-110 degrees)
Mix into starter for 1 minute, until water is completely absorbed by flour. Cover and let rest 15 minutes.
Mix in scant 2 t. kosher salt. Stir in with wooden spoon.
Cover. Let rest 30 minutes
Spray spatula with Pam
Using the spatula, fold the dough over on itself 8 times.
Cover. Let rest 30 minutes
Repeat the fold over and rest 2 more times
Put baking stone in oven on upper third rack
Preheat oven to 500 degrees
In 2, 9” cake rounds, in each pan put 2T. olive oil and sprinkle with ½ t. kosher salt
Gently turn dough out to flour covered surface
Dough will be very wet and jiggly
Spray knife with Pam and cut in half
With floured hands, gently fold edges under.
Put dough, top side down, in your oiled and salted pan.
Then gently flip over
Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
With oiled fingers, gently press dough to edges of pan.
Prick dough 25-30 times with a fork, bursting large bubbles.
Add toppings
[Toppings:
1 T. chopped rosemary
My favorite:
Sprinkle with 1/8 t. thyme and pieces of Greek kalamata olives
Let rest, uncovered, 10 minutes.
Place pans on pizza stone.
Turn oven down from 500 to 450 degrees.
Cook 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and let bread cool in pans 5 minutes, then place on a rack to further cool. Brush the bread with olive oil remaining in bottom of pan. (If using olives, drizzle a little of the oil from olives over top)
Remove bread from pans and let cool 30 minutes on rack before slicing.
(adapted from America’s Test Kitchen)
