Preparation / Directions:
From "The Italian Baker" by Carol Field
Some cookbook authors insist a bread made without salt could only be flat and insipid, but the Tuscans have been making this saltless bread for many centuries. . . The big flat rounds scored in tac-tac-toe patterns or the smaller crusty ovals of bread are sometimes rough and somewhat coarse, sometimes more compact inside, but they are always mellow and bland.
One explanation of the saltless bread is that the Tuscans, well known for being tightfisted, couldn't bear to pay the government salt tax and chose instead to make bread without it. Perhaps, but gastronomes point out that the Tuscan bread is perfectly suited to their cuisine, which is full of strong flavors. . .
Makes 1 large "ruota" or wheel, or 2 oval loaves.
STARTER:
Stir the yeast into the water in a small bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and stir with about 100 strokes of a wooden spoon, or stir with the paddle of an electric mixer for about 1 minute. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until tripled, 6 hours to overnight.
DOUGH:
BY HAND: Stir the yeast into the warm water in a large bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Add the starter and 1 cup water and mix well, squeezing the starter between your fingers to break it up. Beat in the flour, 1 cup at a time, and continue beating until the dough is thoroughly mixed, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, if desired, in the last minutes. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead, using a dough scraper to begin with, until elastic, resilient, and some- what velvety, 8 to 10 minutes.
BY MIXER: Stir the yeast into the warm water in a small bowl; let stand until creamy, 10 minutes. Add the dissolved yeast and 1 cup water to the starter in a large mixer bowl and mix with the paddle. Beat in the flour and continue beating until thoroughly mixed, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the salt, if desired, and beat 1 more minute. Change to the dough hook and knead until the dough is elastic, resilient, and somewhat velvety, about 4 minutes. Finish kneading by hand on a floured surface.
BY PROCESSOR: If the capacity of your food processor is 7 cups or less, process this dough in 2 batches. Refrigerate the starter until cold. Stir the yeast into the warm water; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Process the dissolved yeast, cold starter, and 1 cup cold water with the steel blade to the consistency of lumpy pancake batter. Pour the mixture into another container and change to the dough blade without cleaning the bowl. Add the flour and salt, if desired, to the bowl and process with 2 or 3 pulses to sift. With the machine running, pour the starter mixture through the feed tube as quickly as the flour can absorb it and process until the dough gathers into a ball. Process 20 seconds longer to knead. Don't worry if the dough never truly forms a ball, but it should hold its shape and not ooze. Finish kneading by hand on a lightly floured surface until elastic, resilient, and somewhat velvety.
First Rise. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Shaping and Second Rise. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and lightly dust the top with flour. The dough will be very moist and soft, but don't punch it down. Flatten it with your hands and shape into a large flat round loaf, or cut it in half and shape each half into an oval. Place on a well-floured baking sheet or peel and gently turn the loaf over to collect some of the flour onto its surface. Turn it again, smooth side up, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled, 45 minutes to 1-1/4 hours.
Baking: Thirty minutes before baking, heat the oven with a baking stone in it to 450F. If you have shaped the dough into a single large wheel, score a tic-tac-toe pattern on top with a razor or sharp bread knife. Just before baking, sprinkle the stone with cornmeal and slide the loaf into it. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400F and bake 20 minutes for the smaller ovals and 25 to 30 minutes for the large "ruota." Cool on a ra
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