Read Beard on Bread for Free Online

BREAD :
    3 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
    ½ cup buttermilk
    2 cups flour plus ½ cup for kneading
    1 tablespoon coarse salt
    Cornmeal
    When ready to make the bread, remove the sponge from the refrigerator, punch down, and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil, then gradually add the buttermilk and 2 cups of flour, mixed with the salt, to make a soft dough. Turn this out onto a lightly floured board, using another ½ cup flour or more, if need be, and knead for a good 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and resilient to the pressure of yourfingers. Shape into a ball, and place in a buttered or oiled bowl, turning to lightly coat with the fat. Let rise until doubled in bulk at ordinary room temperature. (Because the sponge is cold when it comes from the refrigerator, rising will probably take from 1½ to 2 hours, or even a little more.) When it has risen, punch down and let rest for a few minutes, then remove to a floured board and knead for 3 to 4 minutes. Place back in the bowl and let rise a second time until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1¼ hours.

    Punch the dough down again and let rest for 2 or 3 minutes on the floured board, then shape into an oval, round, or oblong loaf and place on an ungreased sheet coated with cornmeal. Let rise in a warm, draft-freeplace until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours—don’t worry if it’s slow. (If the dough seems to have spread a lot, resist the temptation to reshape it; it will make a good loaf anyway.) Preheat the oven to 425°, and set a pan of boiling water on the lower rack. Brush the loaf with cold water and slash about ½ inch deep in several places with a razor blade or a very sharp knife. Let rest at room temperature for about 5 more minutes, then place the baking sheet in the oven, on the upper rack. Immediately lower the temperature to 375°, bake for 20 minutes, then brush again with cold water. Continue to bake for 40 to 50 minutes longer, until the bread is a delicious-looking dark color and makes a hollow sound when tapped on top and bottom. Cool thoroughly before slicing.

Broiled White Free-Form Loaf
    This was a mistake that proved to be extremely interesting. I was testing another version of the free-form loaf, the recipe for which appears below, turned the oven to 375° without my glasses on, and placed the loaf in the oven. I thought it was browning magnificently and then discovered I had turned the oven to “broil.” I immediately switched to “bake,” but by this time I had a beautifully brown, crisp top crust and the loaf had risen. In the end the loaf tasted absolutely wonderful, and the upper crust was superb. The next time I reversed the procedure and let it bake first and then broil, and this loaf came out very well too. I thought I would record my experience here as a novelty—and to make the point that baking bread is always an adventure.
    [1 free-form loaf]
    2 packages active dry yeast
    ¾ cup warm water (100° to 115°, approximately)
    4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
    1½ tablespoons coarse salt
    3 tablespoons olive, vegetable, or peanut oil
    ½ cup buttermilk
    Cornmeal
    1 egg white, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
    Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let it proof. Measure the flour into a mixing bowl, add the salt, and blend well. Add the yeast and blend thoroughly, preferably with your hands. Add the oil, and then, gradually, the buttermilk. Mix with the hands or in an electric mixer with a dough hook until the dough comes off the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and resilient. Remove to a buttered bowl and turn to coat the surface with butter. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.
    Punch the dough down, knead for 3 minutes, and let rise once more. Punch down again, then, using both hands, gather the dough into a big circular package, draw the top together to close it, and pinch the endstogether. Turn the dough over, and set it, pinched-end side down, on a