Weekend Tuscan Bread Recipe

How to make it

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• Combine first 2 cups of flour and 1 1/2 cups boiling water in medium glass bowl.
• Carefully stir to combine. This will create a thick paste.
• Cover and refrigerate for about 24 hours.
• Remove starter about 2 hours before you are ready to start the bread to let it warm to room temperature.
• Proof yeast in warm water.(just add it, lightly stir it, and let it sit about 10 minutes. Mixture should "foam" slightly)
• Then, place in stand mixer bowl and add water, oil and flour, a little at a time, to get a sticky dough, but stiff enough to just pull away from sides. Stir with dough hook approx 10 minutes to achieve this.
• Turn dough into lightly oiled glass bowl, cover with warmed towel and set to rise in warm, dry place, until doubled in size. Approx 1 hour
• Punch down dough, and remove from bowl and shape loaf(loaves). I like to form two smaller, oval loaves, but one larger round, or oval works, too. Dust baking surface with cornmeal or flour. If splitting the dough, you will probably want to use two separate baking stones or cast iron pans, but 1 loaf should fit on a regular stone or 12 inch or larger cast iron skillet/pan.
• Leave to rise, again, for about an hour.
• Dust top(s) with cornmeal or flour and cut a shallow slit, or slits in top of loaves, but not deflating loaf.
• Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then decrease temp to 425 and bake about 30 minutes more until golden brown.