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Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour (400 grams)
- ½ teaspoon table salt (3 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon sugar (3 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon instant or other active dry yeast (1 gram)
- 1 ½ cups cool (55 to 65 degree) water (350 grams)
- Additional flour for dusting
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (about 60 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon coarse sea salt (3 grams)
- (Cherry tomatoes, olive, roasted garlic, fresh herbs, etc.)
Details
Servings 4
Preparation
Step 1
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, table salt, sugar, and yeast. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubled in size, 12 to 18 hours.
2. When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Fold the dough over itself two or three times and gently shape it into a somewhat flattened ball. Brush the surface of the dough with some of the olive oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the course salt (which will gradually dissolve on the surface).
3. Place a tea towel on your work surface and generously dust it with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Gently place the dough on the towel, seam side down. If the dough is tack, dust the top lightly with wheat bran, cornmeal, r flour. Fold the ends of the tea towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place in a warm, draft free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger it should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it rise for another 15 minutes.
4. Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 500 degrees with a rack in the center. Oil a 13 by 18 inch baking sheet.
5. Cut the dough into quarters. Gently stretch each piece evenly into a stick shape approximately the length of the pan. Place on the pan, leaving at least 1 inch between the loaves. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining ½ teas coarse salt.
6. Push 10 cherry tomato halves, cut side up. Taking care to space the additions evenly down the length of the dough. Brush each stecca with enough olive oil to create a thin coat of oil on the surface. For the tomato stecca, top each tomato half with a very thin slice of garlic and a couple of fresh thyme leaves and sprinkle with salt.
7. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer the stecca to a rack to cool thoroughly.
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