Gianniotiki Frantzola (Γιαννιώτικη Φραντζόλα)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •heavy rimmed baking sheet, about 40 x 30cm
• •shallow metal tray, about 25 x 18cm, for oven water
• •bread lame or new razor blade
• •wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the dough

   Put the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl and stir them together. Add the lukewarm water and mix with your hand or a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. Cover the bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes, just long enough for the flour to drink the water and soften.

2. 2

   Knead until smooth

   Lightly oil your hands and the work surface. Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes, pushing it away and folding it back, until it feels smooth, elastic, and only a little tacky. Don't bury it in extra flour. A dry dough gives you a tight, dull loaf.

3. 3

   Let it rise

   Rub the bowl with a little olive oil, return the dough to it, and cover it. Leave it at warm room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, until it has roughly doubled and looks domed. Time is useful, but the dough tells the truth.

4. 4

   Shape the loaves

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Pat each piece into a rectangle, then roll it tightly from the long side into a loaf about 32 to 35cm long. Pinch the seam closed, taper the ends slightly, and set the loaves seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

5. 5

   Proof and heat

   Cover the loaves with a clean cloth and let them rise for 35 to 45 minutes, until puffy and a fingertip pressed into the dough leaves a slow dent. Meanwhile heat the oven to 240°C with a shallow metal tray on the lowest rack. Let that tray get properly hot.

6. 6

   Score and bake

   Slash each loaf once down the length, about 1cm deep. Put the baking sheet on the middle rack, then carefully pour the boiling water into the hot tray below and close the oven at once. Bake for 10 minutes at 240°C, lower the heat to 210°C, and bake 22 to 25 minutes more, until the crust is deep gold and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped. The water tray is the method that decides this loaf: it keeps the surface from setting too soon, so the bread opens before the crust dries crisp.

   Use boiling water, not cold. Cold water steals heat from the oven just when the loaf needs strength.
7. 7

   Cool before slicing

   Move the loaves to a wire rack and cool at least 45 minutes before cutting. The crumb finishes setting as it cools. Slice too early and it gums under the knife, and after all that patience, this would be foolish.

Chef Tips

• •Use strong white bread flour, the kind sold for bread, not cake flour and not a soft pastry flour. Λίγα και καλά: this loaf has almost nothing in it, so the flour has to carry itself.
• •If you prefer fresh yeast, use 20g fresh yeast in place of the 7g instant dry yeast and crumble it into the water before mixing. If your kitchen is cold, give the dough more time instead of forcing it near fierce heat.
• •Keep the cooled loaf in paper or wrapped in a clean cloth for the first day so the crust stays crisp. For the next day, wrap it well, then refresh slices in a hot oven for 5 to 7 minutes.

Advance Preparation

• •For morning bread, let the dough rise 45 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate it covered overnight. Shape it cold the next day and allow 60 to 75 minutes for the final proof.
• •The baked loaves freeze well for up to 2 months. Cool completely, slice if you like, wrap tightly, and warm from frozen in a hot oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 50g)