Country-style Semolina Bread

Total Time: 3 hrs Preparation Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water (105 degree f to 115 degree f)
• 1/2 cup warm milk (105 degree f to 115 degree f)
• 2 tablespoons honey or 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 cup semolina flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons coarse cornmeal

Recipe

• 1 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.
• 2 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).
• 3 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.
• 4 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.