I was looking at Jim Lahey's book, 'My Bread,' at Chapters the other day... one particular picture really stood out: long, skinny loafs; some were implanted with garlic, some with sundried tomatoes, and others with olives. I took a scrap paper and made note of the recipe:
Dough:
- 3 cups bread flour
- 3/4 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 Cups tepid water
- 1/2 tsp yeast
Toppings:
- 1) Cherry tomatoes (halved), olive oil, thin slices of garlic, coarse salt, thyme
- 2) Garlic cloves (lightly crushed), olive oil, freshly cracked pepper, coarse salt
I let the dough rise overnight... it grew a LOT because it's just bread flour, no whole grains or anything. Divided it into 4 pieces, rolled each into an 18 inch log, placed them on parchment paper on a sheet pan, and proofed for 30 minutes. Topped the logs, and baked them for exactly 15 minutes at 500F at which point they were beautifully golden and aromatic.
They're AMAZING. These staccas are up there with the blue cheese and walnut fougasse. I don't usually use 100% bread flour, but now I can totally see the differences: it developed a very deep fermented flavor, rose more, and created a bubbly crumb... I guess it's all due to the excellent fermentation.