Crusty Italian Bread
1 cup warm (not hot) water
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour, more or less as needed
1 tsp salt
1 T olive oil
Dissolve yeast and sugar in water, let sit until bubbly, about 5 minutes. (or use instant yeast and add directly to flour)
Stir in 1 cup of the flour, salt and oil with wooden spoon. Add more flour until too hard to stir.
Remove to floured surface and knead in enough flour until no longer sticky, just slightly tacky.
Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled, 45-60 minutes.
When rise is complete remove dough to a floured surface without deflating completely.
Gently form dough into loaf by bringing sides together and pinching together into a seam.
Place seam side down on greased sheet sprinkled with cornmeal, or on dry, cornmeal sprinkled baking stone.
Dust loaf with flour, cover with plastic wrap and let rise 30-60 minutes or until almost doubled.
Score top of loaf with a sharp knife, let sit a few minutes.
Bake for 15 minutes in preheated 500 oven, spray oven with water a few times during this baking time.
Lower the temp to 400 and bake 10 more minutes or until nicely browned and loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
Can substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour for 1 cup of unbleached.
If you have time, and for more flavor and chewiness, make a starter the night before. Combine 1/2 cup warm water, 1/2 tsp yeast and 1/2 cup unbleached flour in a bowl, cover loosely. Next day, make bread using remaining ingredients (1/2 cup water, 1 tsp yeast plus 1 tsp sugar, let sit til foamy ...., add starter, remaining 2 cups flour, 1 tsp salt and 1 T olive oil) and proceed with recipe as above.