Any Italian cooks on here? How do you make Pugliese bread?!

Any Italian cooks on here? How do you make Pugliese bread?

Hi,

I had some WONDERFUL bread called Pugliese (pool-ee-ay-say -- for those that don't know pronunciation - the g is silent) and wonder if it is hard to make? Does anyone have the recipe for this and/or experience making it?

What is the secret to making the tough/chewy crust and the chewy/springy inside?

I would love to try and make this, as I am always interested in experimenting with new things, especially Italian type things!

Thank your for your help and I look forward to finding out more about it!

HERE ARE TWO


Ingredients:

2 pounds (8 cups) unbleached unbromated all-purpose flour ( I suggest King Arther brand)
3 cups water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4-ounce package instant dry yeast
Olive oil for bowl
1. Mix flour, water, and yeast together in a large mixing bowl. Knead vigorously on a lightly floured surface; dough should be sticky and wet. After ten minutes of kneading, add salt. Knead for an additional 5 to 7 minutes until dough begins to pull away from the working surface and develops a smooth, light sheen.

2. Lightly coat the interior of a large mixing bowl with olive oil; make sure the bowl is at least three times larger than the dough. Set dough in bowl. Cover bowl and place in a warm breeze free place to triple in volume, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees with a baking stone. Divide dough in half, and form two ovals or rounds. Allow to sit on generously floured parchment paper. Let dough double in size, about 45 minutes.

4. Invert dough onto heated baking stone, and then score deeply with a sharp knife, making three slashes about 2-inches long. You need to add moisture to the oven for at least 20 minutes of the baking process. To do this, place a pie pan filled with ice cubes on the floor of the oven to produce steam; refill with more ice as necessary.

5. After 20 minutes, remove the moisture source and lower temperature to 425 degrees. Bake for an additional 25 minutes, until crust reaches a rich brown.

OR




Pugliese bread
Categories: Bread Italian
Yield: 4 servings
? cup Water
1 ? teaspoon Yeast
13/16 cup Starter (Biga)
2 ? cup Water
1 tablespoon Salt
1 teaspoon Salt
7 ? cup Flour

Mix water and yeast together. Let stand for 10 mins. Add Biga (starter) and water. Mix until creamy looking. It is not necessary to get rid of strands of starter that occur. Add all of the salt. Stir until desolved. Add flour. Mix 2-3 minutes (electric mixer) or mix 4-5 minutes (by hand). Dough will just barely pull away from sides of bowl. It should be very sticky. Adjust water and/or flour as necessary. Let rise in a lightly oiled bowl for 3+ hours, covered tightly with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Dough will triple in volume. Divide dough into four parts. Roll each part into long strand. Roll up along length, stretching slightly. Turn dough sideways and roll to long string again. Roll up into tight ball, tucking to ends under. Let rise 1 hour, covered with towel. Pre-heat oven to 450, with pan of water in the oven, about 20 minutes before baking. Lightly dust loaves with flour and place on flat cookie sheet. Caution: The oven will be steamy when opened. Bake with pan of water for 15 minutes. Remove water pan. Bake 20 more minutes. Loaf should sound hollow on bottom. On of the best ways to eat this bread is by rubbing a slice with garlic, or sprinkling with crushed fresh garlic or garlic powder. Then drizzle virgin olive oil over the bread. Follow this with a light sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Bread dough can be wrapped in plastic at any of the stages before baking and frozen or refrigerated. Unfreeze and allow to thaw completely. This seems to work best if done before the rolling of the individual loaves. If stored in refrigerator, allow ample room, as bread will rise in the refrigerator! Submitted