Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar, packed
- 1⁄2 cups unbleached bread flour
- 2 1⁄2 cup semolina flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 1⁄4 cups + 2 tablespoons water, tepid (about 40.5ºC)
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 small sprig fresh rosemary
- Flake sea salt, for sprinkling
Method
- Place the brown sugar in the bowl of your KitchenAid® Stand Mixer fitted with the dough hook. Attach the KitchenAid® Sifter + Scale Attachment to your mixer. With the ingredient valve in the closed position, weigh the bread flour, semolina flour, salt, and yeast in the ingredient hopper, taring the scale between ingredients. Turn the mixer to medium-low speed, open the ingredient valve, and sift the flour mixture into the mixing bowl. Turn the mixer off.
- Combine the water and 2 tablespoons (30-ml) of the olive oil.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the water mixture into the dry ingredients. As the flour gets absorbed, turn the mixer to medium-low and knead the dough until it looks sticky and shaggy, 1 to 2 minutes. Make sure all the water is incorporated into the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, if needed. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Transfer the dough to a medium bowl brushed with olive oil. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap, drape a clean dish towel over top and set the bowl aside. Let the dough rest at room temperature (21ºC) for 18 to 24 hours. The dough is ready when the surface is dotted with bubbles.
- Generously brush a sheet of parchment paper with 1 tablespoon (15-ml) of the olive oil. Dust the parchment with semolina flour. Dump the dough out onto the parchment sheet. Try to coax it out of the mixing bowl in one piece, using a rubber spatula, if needed. Using your hands, dusted with semolina flour, pull the perimeter of the dough ball towards the center and pinch it together. (The dough will be very sticky; use a light touch.) Without deflating the dough, flip the dough over so the smooth side is up. Lift up the parchment paper, with the dough in the center, and transfer it to a wide, medium-sized mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and drape a clean dish towel over top. Let it rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, to give it time to rise a bit more.
- One hour before baking the bread, position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 240ºC. Set the cast-iron or enameled cast-iron pot with lid in the oven while the oven preheats.
- When the dough is ready, carefully remove the heated pot from the oven. Working quickly, uncover the dough, use the point of a sharp knife to make a slash across the top of the dough ball. Carefully, lift the lid off the heated pot, and then pick up the parchment with the dough in the center and place it in the pot. Wearing oven mitts or using a heatproof spatula, push any excess paper towards the sides. Place the lid on top, with any excess paper remaining inside the pot. Bake the bread for 35 to 45 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers between 93ºC to 96ºC when inserted into the center of the loaf. The bread should be evenly golden and the bottom and sides nicely browned. Turn the bread out onto a wire rack, remove the parchment, flip the bread right side up, and let cool.
- While the bread is still hot but cooling, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons (30-ml) of olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add a small sprig of rosemary and let the oil infuse for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes. Brush the top of the loaf with the olive oil and then sprinkle generously with flake sea salt. Let the loaf cool for at least an hour before slicing.
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Fermenting Time: 18 to 24 hours
Bake Time: 35 to 45 minutes
Total Time: 80 minutes (not including fermenting time)
Makes: One 2.5-kg loaf