This is a very easy bread to put together and have ready for when you want it. Semolina flour adds a bit of color, chew, and subtle flavor. It’s a great bread all by itself, but it also takes additions well (see below). The recipe is easily halved, but the dough also keeps well for a good couple of weeks or more, so you may as well make a large amount of dough.

Makes 4 loaves, each approximately 14 ounces before baking.

425g Durum semolina flour
455g All purpose flour
17-25g salt (a matter of taste and any additions)
10g active dry yeast
680g (3 cups) lukewarm water

1. Mix the flours together (a whisk works well).

2. Mix the salt and yeast into the water (with a spoon or whisk). Use a large bowl, at least 6 quarts.

3. Mix in the flour until it’s just mixed and all flour is wet (no lumps). Do not knead. You can use a spoon, a dough whisk, or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.

4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl (if needed), cover the bowl, and set aside to rise for about 2 hours (or until the dough rises and either collapses or flattens).

5. Refrigerate the dough overnight or until you’re ready to bake. You can transfer the dough to a smaller container, if you like, but leave a little room just in case it rises a little more. Do not oil or grease the container. Do not punch down or knead the dough.

6. When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 450 F. Put a baking stone or steel in the center of the oven, and put a broiler pan or metal baking pan on a lower rack.

7. Sprinkle a handful of flour on the cold dough and remove one 14-ounce portion of dough for every loaf you want to bake (about the size of a grapefruit–doesn’t need to be perfect). Shape as you like and set onto parchment paper or a peel liberally covered with cornmeal. Sprinkle flour on the dough and your hands as necessary to prevent sticking while handling, but do not knead or incorporate all that flour into the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a roomy bowl and let rise for at least 40 minutes and up to 90 minutes, depending on the room temperature and how open you want the crumb to be.

8. Once the dough has risen as desired, paint the top with a corn starch wash or water, and make 1/2-inch slashes across the surface (with a serrated knife, lame, or razor blade).

9. Slide the dough onto the stone or steel. Add about 1 cup of hot water to the broiler/baking pan, and bake for about 30-35 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.

NOTES:

1. For the corn starch wash, add a very little bit of water to 1/2 tsp of corn starch, and mix to form a thick paste. Add 1/2 cup of water and mix completely. Heat in a microwave or small saucepan or skillet until the mix is glassy (it won’t be clear). Let cool before using. Keeps in the refrigerator for a good couple weeks or so. The wash gives the loaf a deep brown color.

2. Additions. If you want to add some goodies, press or roll the dough out to about 1/2-inch thick (the shape depends on what shape you want your final loaf to be). You’ll want a floured surface, but use as little flour as you can get away with. Spread your goodies on the dough, and then roll up the dough tightly into a loaf. Pinch and tuck the edges, and further shape or plump the loaf, if desired. Allow to rise for 90 minutes to about 2 hours or as desired. Bake about 35 minutes.

For the pictured loaf, I added 1/4 cup of halved Kalamata olives (about 40g) and 30g of grated Asiago cheese. It was the first time I added cheese to this recipe, and I’ll probably bump it up to around 40-45g in the future. I’m probably going to do a Hatch chile & cheddar (or jack) version soon.

3. The best semolina flour for this recipe is the finely ground, “00” flour. However, coarser flour will work just fine if that’s all you can find.

4. You can make any size loaf you want, really, but rising and baking times will vary. A double portion loaf probably will take 45 minutes or so, and a triple portion will probably be about 60 minutes. The best thing to do is to check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. If you do not roll anything into the dough or if you only roll relatively dry ingredients into the dough, then you’re probably done baking the loaf when it gets to 190 F, internally. If you add something wet, you might want to get it closer to 200 F.