Place all ingredients in bread pan of your bread machine. Select dough setting and press start.
Check the dough (don't be afraid to open the lid). It should form a nice elastic
ball. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at
a time). The same is true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water
(a tablespoon at a time).
When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly oiled surface. (I use a nonstick cooking spray).
Form dough into an oval, cover with a cotton towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
After resting, turn dough bottom side up and press to flatten. Fold dough into an envelope by folding the top 1/3 of the way to the bottom. Then fold the bottom a 1/3 of
the way over the top. Then press dough with the palm of your hand to make an indentation down the center of the dough and fold the top completely to the bottom,
sealing the seam with the palm of your hand. Place on a baking pan dusted with cornmeal or covered with a silpad. Cover and place in a warm spot to rise, approximately 20 minutes.
Oven Rising: Sometimes I use my oven for the rising. Turn the
oven on for a minute or so, then turn it off again. This will warm the oven
and make it a great environment for rising bread. If you can't comfortably
press your hand against the inside of the oven door, the oven is too hot.
Let it stand open to cool a bit.
Cool or Refrigerator Rise: If I don't have the time to wait for
the rise to finish or I know that I will be interrupted before the completed
rise, I do a cool rise. A cool rise is when the dough is place in the
refrigerator and left to rise slowly over night approximately 8 to 12 hours.
I usually do this after the first rise and the dough has been shaped into a
loaf.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
After rising, slash the bread with a very sharp knife making three 1/2-inch deep diagonal slashes. Brush or spray the top of the bread with cold water and bake for
20 to 25 minutes or until nicely browned. (A good check is to use an instant
digital thermometer to test your bread. The temperature should be between 200 and 210 degrees.)
This
is the type of cooking and meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking. I get many readers
asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking and baking. I, personally, use the
Thermapen Thermometer shown in the photo on the right. Originally designed for professional users, the
Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is used by chefs all over the world. To learn more about this excellent
thermometer and to also purchase one (if you desire), just click on the underlined:
Thermapen Thermometer.
Makes 1 1/2-pound loaf.
