Crusty Whole Wheat Italian Bread From Foodcom

CRUSTY WHOLE WHEAT ITALIAN BREAD

Steps:

• ----ForBread Machine----.
• Add all ingredients except cornmeal to bread machine pan in the order recommended by your machine's manufacturer.
• Select dough cycle and start machine.
• ----ConventionalMethod----.
• In large bowl, dissolve yeast, brown sugar, and ginger in warm water.
• Let stand 5 minutes until yeast foams.
• Add salt and bread flour; beat well.
• Stir in whole wheat flour to make a stiff dough.
• Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead 10 minutes or until dough is springy, smooth and satiny.
• Wash bowl, grease it, and add dough to bowl; turn over to grease top.
• Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• ----Shapingand Baking----.
• Lightly oil or grease a 14x17" baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal; set aside.
• Punch down the dough.
• Divide in half and, on a lightly floured surface, shape into long loaves, rolling each piece first into a 5x12" rectangle, then rolling each up along the long side to make a long, narrow loaf.
• Pinch edges to seal, and taper ends.
• Place loaves, seam side down, on prepared baking sheet.
• Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Make 4-5 slashes across each loaf with sharp knife or razor blade.
• Brush each loaf with water and sprinkle with whole wheat flour.
• Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes, until loaves are browned and crisp.
• Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• NOTE: I also use a spray bottle filled with water and spray the loaves and oven walls once or twice at 5-minute intervals at the beginning of baking.
• You could also make this into one large oblong loaf or a round loaf, but baking time would need to be increased.

BASIC WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Proof yeast in half a cup of the water, with about a teaspoon of flour- let it sit, covered, until it becomes bubbly& active.
• Combine the rest of the water with the yeast/water in a large bowl, and gradually add about half of the flour.
• Stir the mixture about 100 times in the same direction, until it is well-mixed and strands are beginning to form.
• Stir in the salt and oil.
• Add the remaining flour half a cup at a time, stirring well, until it is too stiff to stir with a spoon.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for about 20 minutes, adding flour as nescessary to keep the dough from sticking to the board.
• The dough should be springy and nice to work with.
• When it has been sufficiently kneaded, cover it with a damp cloth for about 10 minutes and wash and grease the bowl lightly.
• After it has rested, knead the dough a few more times (it should feel really nice by now!) and place it in the bowl, covered with the damp cloth, a plastic bag, and maybe a plate.
• Let the dough rise until it springs back when you stick your finger in it, and it is about twice the size as it was before (this takes about 2 hours; longer or shorter depending on the room temperature- I prefer a longer (cooler) rise, because it allows the flavour to develop more... but sometimes you just don't have time for that sort of thing).
• Deflate the dough by punching or kneading it a few times, and let it rise again- this time, it should take about half the amount of time as it did before.
• When the dough has risen twice, deflate it again and cover it with the damp cloth again for about 10 minutes (to let the gluten relax, apparently.. it makes it easier to manage if you do this), then divide it into and shape it into loaves, buns, etc.
• Let the shaped dough rise on a baking sheet or in a loaf-pan for about an hour maybe- it will rise a bit more in the oven.
• Slash the top of the bread if you want, so that it doesn't bust open in the oven.
• Bake at 400º for 20 minutes, and then turn the oven down to 350º and bake for 20-30 minutes longer, until the loaf is a lovely brown and sounds hollow when you thump it on the bottom.
• (Buns and smaller loaves take a shorter time).
• Try to let the loaf cool (out side of the loaf pan, or it will get a bit soggy) before you tear into it.