Semolina Sesame Artisan Bread Recipes

SEMOLINA SESAME ARTISAN BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the yeast and salt with the lukewarm water in a large 5qt container. I use a large plastic tub with a lid, but I do NOT seal the lid to make it airtight.
• Mix in the flours using a large spoon. (I use a large wooden spoon. By the end of adding all the flour, I wet my hands to mix in the last bits of the flour into the dough. The dough is a fairly wet, sticky dough. You can certainly use a mixer if you'd like to, but I don't find that I need one.)
• Cover (not airtight...this needs to off gas a bit...but then...don't all God's creatures need to do that? Yeast is no exception.). Allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top) approximately 2 hours.
• The dough can be used at this point, or you can store it in your fridge for up to 14 days. As if you could wait that long!!!
• When You're Ready to Bake
• If you're going to bake one 2 lb. loaf, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off about half of it. (About 2 lbs.) Return the other half of the dough, to the plastic container and store it in your refrigerator till you're ready to use it. Dust the dough you'll be baking with more flour and quickly shape it first into a ball, and then into an oval (ish) shape. Allow to rest for 40 minutes on a sheet of parchment paper that you have sprinkled with cornmeal. (If you HAVE a pizza peel, then use that to let it rest on, and to help you transfer it into the oven. I don't have a pizza peel, so I use parchment paper as my sling for transferring the bread dough loaf to the oven onto my baking stone. It can stay on the parchment paper for the baking: no problem. No need to transfer it off directly onto the stone.)
• Twenty Minutes Before Baking
• Preheat the oven to 450º, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack, and the bottom of a broiler pan on the shelf just below that.
• Time to use that mysterious cornstarch that's in the ingredient list.
• You're going to make a Cornstarch Wash to make the bread shiny, and help the sesame seeds to stick to the outside of the bread.
• Cornstarch Wash
• Blend the 1/2 t. of cornstarch with a bit of water to form a paste. Add 1/2 c. of water, and whisk with a fork. Microwave for 60 seconds, till mixture appears glassy. You can store the unused portion in the fridge, covered with plastic, for the next loaf.
• Just before baking, paint the surface of the loaf with the cornstarch wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and slash the surface of the bread (I usually make 3 diagonal slash marks) about 1/2″ deep, using a serrated knife.
• Gently place the loaf and the parchment paper onto the hot baking stone, using the parchment paper as a sling to carry the loaf to the baking stone. Pour 1 c. of hot tap water onto the broiler tray below it, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for around 30 minutes, until deeply browned and firm. Adjust baking time to the size of your loaf, and your own oven's performance.
• Allow to cool before slicing and eating.

ARTISAN SEMOLINA AND ROSEMARY BREAD

Steps:

• In large bowl, mix 2 cups of the all-purpose flour, the sugar, table salt and yeast. Stir in warm water and 1 tablespoon olive oil until well mixed, about 1 minute. Beat with wooden spoon 2 minutes.
• Stir in semolina flour and 1 tablespoon rosemary. Stir in additional all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough leaves side of bowl, flour is incorporated and dough in not sticky. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 2 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
• Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Sprinkle parchment with cornmeal. Place dough on lightly floured surface; turn dough to lightly coat with flour. With floured hands, shape dough into 6x4-inch oval by stretching surface of dough around to bottom on all 4 sides; pinch bottom to seal. Place on cookie sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray; let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
• Meanwhile, about 20 minutes before baking, place pizza stone on oven rack. Heat oven to 400°F. Brush dough with 2 teaspoons olive oil; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon rosemary and sea salt. Slide dough and parchment paper from cookie sheet onto pizza stone.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on cooling rack, about 1 hour.