Epi
Makes two loaves
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2 pounds bread flour (6 1/2 cups)
1 pound, 6 ounces warm water (2 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt
Dissolve the yeast in the water in the bowl of your mixer. Add in the flour and mix on low using the paddle until combined. Wait five minutes and then add the salt. Switch to the dough hook and mix on low until the dough is smooth and tacky (about 5-8 minutes). It should not stick to the sides of the bowl. If your dough is at all sticky, it won't hold it's shape when you cut and move it. Remove to a clean bowl that is sprayed with cooking spray. Cover and let rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
Once the dough has risen, divide it into two. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Working one at a time, shape it into a rectangle. Start with the small side and tightly roll it up. Pinch the edges together and use your hands to rock or roll it out to make it longer. Place the loaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. About two inches from the top, make an angled cut with kitchen scissors, ensuring that you don't cut all the way through the loaf. Move the cut piece to the left and then make another cut below it. Move that piece to the right and continue making cuts and moving pieces until you reach the end of the loaf. Repeat with the second loaf.
Bake at 500 degrees with plenty of steam in the first 10 minutes. I use a spray bottle filled with water to spray the oven walls and loaves to create steam. Be careful to not spray your oven window or it could shatter. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Let them cool for about 30 minutes before you tear into them.
Source: Cook Street School of Culinary Arts