Italian bread "Stirato"

Ingredients:

Tools

• Bowl or container
• shoulder blade
• Plastic dough scraper
• Rectangular baking stone
• Oven-safe baking sheet with sides
• A rod or wooden spoon with a long handle, or a chopstick
• Parchment paper to fit the baking stone
• A cutting board or second baking sheet to place the bread in the oven
• Cooling rack

Bread

• 0.5 kg of flour
• 375 g of water (27°C)
• 0.5 tsp fast-acting yeast
• 1 tbsp. sourdough starter (optional)
• 10 g of sea salt
• Semolina to sprinkle on bread

Preparation:

1. In the morning. Using a spatula or wet hands, combine the flour, water, yeast, and starter, if using, in a bowl. Knead for 1 minute. Once all the ingredients are combined, make a small well in the top of the dough. Add salt and about 1 tablespoon of water to cover the well, but do not mix yet. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
2. Lightly wet your hands and use a dough scraper to loosen the dough from the sides of the bowl. Instead of kneading the dough, you'll be stretching and folding it in the bowl. Pull the edge of the dough out, stretching it, and then fold it in the middle of the bowl. You can also squeeze the dough with your fingers to incorporate the salt. If the dough starts to stick to your hands, wet them again with water. Stretch and fold the dough 12 times. This should take about 1 minute. Turn the dough over so the folded side is on the bottom and the smooth side is on top. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for another 20 minutes.
3. Stretch and fold the dough again in the same manner. This time, you'll notice that the salt has incorporated, making the dough more elastic thanks to the gluten. After folding the dough 12 times, turn it over again, cover the bowl, and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Repeat this process for 2 more stretching cycles, 20 minutes apart. By the last cycle, the dough should be very elastic and shiny. If not, stretch and fold it a few more times, being careful not to tear the dough. Turn the dough over so that the smooth side is facing up. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 6-7 hours. During this time, the dough should triple in size without over-fermenting or collapsing. By the end of this time, large air bubbles will be visible on the surface of the dough.
4. Daytime. Preheat the oven to 450°F (245°C), with the baking stone on the middle rack, 60 minutes before baking. Place a rimmed baking sheet in the bottom of the oven, large enough to cover with 1/2 cup water. Place a sheet of parchment paper, approximately the size of the baking stone, on an inverted and lightly floured baking sheet or cutting board. Lightly dust the parchment with a 50/50 mixture of wheat flour and semolina, or just flour. Generously sprinkle a 60 cm (24 in) work surface with flour or a flour and semolina mixture. Lightly dust the dough with flour. Using a plastic scraper, carefully loosen the dough from the bowl and transfer it to the countertop without damaging it. The outer, flat surface of the dough will rest on the floured surface and become the bottom of the dough. The top of the dough will be sticky. Lightly dust the dough with flour. Dust your hands with flour and carefully form the dough into a 2-2.5 cm thick rectangle measuring 25 x 40 cm, with the long side parallel to the horizontal edge of the table.
   
   
   Don't try to make the rectangle perfect, otherwise you will break the air bubbles with frequent squeezing.
   
   
   Draw a thick line of flour lengthwise down the center of the dough, marking where you'll cut the rectangle in half. Then, add two more lines of flour, dividing each half in half again. You'll be cutting along these three lines to create four long loaves. Then, using a skewer, the handle of a wooden spoon, or a chopstick, press the dough along the flour line to separate it. A thick, blunt tool is essential here, as it will seal the edges of the loaves. If the tool doesn't cut all the way through the dough, use a bench scraper to help you finish cutting. Separate the pieces so they don't touch each other and cover them with a light kitchen towel. The dough will rise a second time, about 20 minutes. The finished dough will be very light and will spring back to its shape within a second when lightly pressed with your finger.
5. Baking. Pour 0.5 cups of water into a measuring cup. Dust the loaves with semolina or flour. Carefully loosen two loaves from the counter with a dough scraper. If you generously floured your work surface, this won't take long. Place your hands under the dough at both ends of the loaf, then transfer it to floured parchment paper. To prevent the dough from sagging in the middle when you lift it, you can move both hands closer together, lightly gripping the loaf. The floured bottom is now facing up. Transfer the second loaf in the same way. (If your baking stone is large enough, you can place all four loaves on parchment paper and bake them at once.) Now comes the fun part. Grasp the loaf by both ends and gently stretch the dough until it fits your stone.
   
   
   If the dough resists, do not pull it, otherwise it will tear.
   
   
   Do the same with the second loaf. You can straighten the loaf by gently moving the edges with a dough scraper, but don't push too hard. Open the oven and slide the parchment paper from the board or baking sheet onto the baking stone. The loaves will bake on the parchment paper. Close the oven. Take 0.5 cups of water and pour it onto the baking sheet, being careful not to burn yourself with steam. Close the oven door.
6. Bake the bread for 18-22 minutes. Do not open the oven for at least the first 18 minutes. Bake until dark brown. Using a spatula or oven mitt, transfer the loaves to a wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Bake the remaining loaves in the same manner. This bread is best eaten within four hours of baking. If you don't eat all the bread, you can freeze the leftovers, wrapped in a plastic bag. Before serving, remove from the freezer, thaw, and reheat in the oven for 5 minutes at 200°C (400°F) to crisp the crust. The bread will begin to go stale fairly quickly after reheating.