Country Style Semolina Bread Food

SEMOLINA BREAD

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, yeast and 2 cups of the all purpose flour. Mix with the paddle on low speed until it forms a thick batter. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30 minutes.
• If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook. Add the salt and the semolina flour and mix until the dough begins to form a ball around the hook. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of all purpose flour. If mixing by hand add the flour using a wooden spoon and/or a plastic bowl scraper. Knead the dough for 5 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
• Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat the dough. Cover the bowl and set it aside at room temperature for 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. At this point you can cover the bowl tightly, refrigerate overnight and finish shaping and baking in the morning or continue to bake the same day.
• Use the semolina/all purpose mix to dust a proofing basket or wooden peel. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 4-5 times, then use your cupped hands to form the dough into a smooth ball and place the dough, smooth side down, into the proofing basket. If you don't have a proofing basket place the dough directly onto a sheet of parchment paper or on the wooden peel.
• Cover the dough and leave in a warm place until it's almost doubled in size and it springs back slowly when poked, about 1 hour depending on the room temperature and dough temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a Dutch oven with a lid into the oven to preheat.
• If the loaf is in a proofing basket, place a sheet of parchment over the dough and gently flip it over. Use a single edge razor or very sharp knife to cut a 1/4" deep X or square across the top of the loaf. Remove the preheated pan from the oven and remove the lid. Use the parchment to lift the loaf into the Dutch oven. If you don't have a Dutch oven, slide the parchment paper onto a baking sheet or onto a preheated pizza stone.
• Replace the lid on the pot and slide it into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid from the Dutch oven. The loaf should be well risen and just beginning to brown.
• Continue baking another 20 minutes until the loaf is nicely browned and beginning to crisp. Remove the pan from the oven. Use the parchment to lift the loaf out of the pan. Use the parchment to place the loaf directly onto the rack in the oven. Bake another 5-10 minutes until the loaf is deeply browned and very crisp. Total baking time is about 40-50 minutes. If you are baking directly on a pizza stone or sheet pan the baking time may be closer to 30 minutes.
• Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

100% SEMOLINA BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the salt into the warm water (120F-130F) and pour into the bread machine pan. Next, add the olive oil, flour, sugar and the yeast last (may be place into a little indentation in the center of the flour). If necessary, add 1/2 teaspoon ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) to help the yeast feed.
• Set the bread machine to a 2 lb size and white light, white medium, white dark, whole wheat or french settings.
• Push start and come back in 3 1/3 to 4 hours. :-).

COUNTRY-STYLE SEMOLINA BREAD

Steps:

• Combine water, milk, honey, and yeast in the large mixing bowl of a freestanding electric mixer. Let stand about 10 to 15 minutes or until foamy. Add 2 cups of the bread flour. Beat on low speed for 4 minutes. Remove beaters. Cover bowl and let stand for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
• Add the remaining 1 cup bread flour, the semolina flour, and salt. Using dough hooks, beat mixture for 5 minutes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Continue beating on medium speed until oil is incorporated. You should have a soft, fairly sticky dough. Brush 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large bowl. Transfer dough to oiled bowl, turning once. Cover and let rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Sprinkle 1 large baking sheet with the cornmeal. Shape dough by gently pulling each portion into a ball, tucking edges under. Place dough balls on the baking sheet. Flatten each dough ball slightly to about 6 inches in diameter. Brush tops of loaves with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Let rise until nearly doubled (20 to 30 minutes). Preheat oven to 450 degree F. With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal slashes on top of each loaf about 1/4 inch deep.
• Place a shallow baking pan with about 1/2 inch of boiling water on the bottom rack of the preheated oven. Place baking sheet on the middle rack in the oven. Working quickly, heavily mist the inside of the oven, including the bread, with water from a clean spray bottle. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread is 200 degree F, covering bread with foil in the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent over-browning. Immediately remove loaves from baking sheet. Cool on a wire rack.

SEMOLINA BREAD

Steps:

• For Starter:
• Combine 1/4 cup warm water and yeast in medium bowl. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons room temperature water. Add flour in 3 additions, stirring well after each addition Stir until mixture has consistency of thick sticky dough, about three minutes. Light oil large bowl. Transfer starter to a bowl. Cover with plastic; let rise at cool room temperature until tripled in volume (starter will be slightly wet and thick), at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Stir down starter, cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)
• For Bread
• Pour 2 1/2 cups warm water into large bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Sprinkle yeast over; let stand until dissolved, about 10 minutes. Measure 2/3 cup starter (reserve remainder for another use). Rub between fingers, allowing starter to drop into yeast mixture (starter will be stringy). Beat until some of the starter dissolves. Combine flour, 3 3/4 cups semolina and salt in large bowl. Add to yeast mixture in 3 additions; beat until incorporated. Turn out unto floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes.
• Oil large bowl. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic. Let rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Butter 2 heavy large baking sheets. Punch down dough. Divide into 4 pieces. Cover 3 pieces with clean towel. Roll remaining piece on floured surface to 14x8 inch rectangle. Starting at 1 long edge, roll up dough jelly roll style. Press ends and seam to seal. Bend dough into half-circle. Using sharp knife, cut 1/2-inch-deep incisions every 1 1/2 inches in the top of the dough. Sprinkle with additional semolina. Place on a prepared sheet. Repeat rolling and shaping with remaining dough pieces.
• Cover shaped dough with clean towel. Let rise in warm draft-free area until doubled, about 45.
• Meanwhile, position 1 rack in bottom third. If available, place baking stone on rack and preheat oven to 450°F. Let stone heat at least 30 minutes.
• Place 1 baking sheet on each stone. Bake until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, alternating sheets between racks halfway through baking, about 25 minutes. Cool bread on racks.

ALGERIAN KHOBZ EL DAR -- SEMOLINA BREAD

Steps:

• Grease a large round metal tin / pan (approx 12" across / wide & 1.5" high / deep).
• Place the semolina, flour, yeast, sugar & salt in a very large mixing bowl. (In Algeria we traditionally use huge but shallow wooden bowls for mixing doughs.)
• Make a well in the centre & add the beaten egg & the oil along with 1 cup of water. Mix well, adding more water when necessary.
• Keep mixing until you have a soft dough. Now knead the dough for around 30 minutes until it is soft, smooth & elastic. You will need to add a little water from time to time as the semolina absorbs it.
• If you are having problems with a very sticky dough, don't worry - if you've used the correct amounts of ingredients, everything will be OK - just keep kneading & add dribbles of water to bring the dough back together again.
• After 30 minutes, mix in the nigella seeds if using then with wet hands bring the dough together in a ball.
• Place the dough in the greased pan & with wet hands, gently push the dough until it completely covers the base of the pan.
• Sprinkle a little semolina over the top, cover with a kitchen towel & leave to rise until doubled in size.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
• Brush the top of the dough with the egg yolks & sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Using a skewer, make 6 pricks -going all the way through the dough - 5 evenly spaced holes 1" from the edge & 1 hole in the centre (This will make sure that the bread cooks evenly).
• Place in the upper 1/3 of the oven & cook for approx 35 minutes or until a deep golden colour & sounding hollow when tapped.
• Remove from the oven & allow to cool for 5 minutes bfore turning out onto a kitchen towel. Wrap the bread in the towle & allow to cool on a wire rack before serving.

GOLDEN SEMOLINA BREAD

Steps:

• Make the starter: In a medium bowl, whisk together durum flour and yeast; then whisk in water and stir until very smooth for 2 mins; scrape down the sides of the bowl and cover with clingwrap.
• Combine the 1/4 cup of durum flour and the 3/8 tsp of yeast, then whisk in the salt.
• Gently scoop it onto the sponge to completely cover it, cover with clingwrap and allow to ferment for 1-4 hours at room temp (up to 24hrs in the fridge, remove from fridge 1 hr before mixing the dough).
• Mix the bubbly starter together with flour mixture (covering the top of starter) using a wooden spoon until all flour is moistened.
• Knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together, then scrape it onto a surface floured with some of the remaining durum flour and knead for about 5 minutes.
• Add more reserved durum flour as needed to keep dough from sticking (use a bench scraper to scrape and gather the dough as you knead).
• The dough will be slightly tacky and cling slightly to your fingers; cover it with the inverted bowl and allow to rest for 20mins.
• Knead dough for another 5 mins until it is smooth and elastic, adding more reserved durum flour if necessary.
• It's ok if dough is still slightly tacky, but you should be able to form a ball and holds its shape.
• Let the dough rise in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with clingwrap, until doubled in bulk 1 1/2- 2 hours.
• Turn the dough out onto lightly floured counter and shape it into a torpedo-shaped loaf (or regular loaf), set it into a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Cover it loosely with oiled clingwrap and let rise again until doubled in bulk (1 hr- 1 hr 15 mins); when the dough is ready to be baked, a fingertip-depression will very slowly fill inches.
• One hour before baking, preheat oven to 450F, with a cast-iron skillet or sheet pan on the floor of the oven.
• Make a few 1/4-1/2 inch deep slashes in the top of the dough with a sharp knife.
• Mist the dough with water and quickly set the baking pan on the hot stone/sheet pan; toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath and immediately shut the oven door.
• Bake for 20mins, lower the temp to 400F and continue baking for another 10-20mins, until bread is golden brown (skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean or instant read thermometer read 208F).
• For crispier crust, lift the bread from the pan with a heavy pancake turner about halfway through baking and set into directly on the baking stone.
• When the bread is done, cool completely on wire racks.

COUNTRY STYLE BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the water with the yeast and sugar and stir well. Cover with clean tea towel and leave on the side for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile mix the flour with room the salt, oil and seeds.
• When the yeast starts to bubble add it to the flour and mix well.
• Knead for about 5 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky.
• Cover the dough in oil and put it a 26 cm round cake pan.
• Keep it in the oven in 50 degrees C for about 30 minutes.
• Then turn the heat up and bake it at 150 degrees C for about 60 minutes.
• When ready leave the bread to cool down on a rack, covered with tea towel.