Cuban Bread

This recipe comes from the New York Times Cookbook written by Craig Claiborne who wrote "This was one of the most popular breads among students at the late James Beard's cooking school in New York."

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
1 and 1/4 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 to 7 cups flour

Preparation:

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water and add the salt and sugar, stirring thoroughly.

2. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, beating it in with a wooden spoon or use the dough hook on an electric mixer at a low speed. Add enough flour to make a fairly stiff dough.

3. When the dough is completely mixed, shape it into a ball, place in a greased bowl and grease the top. Cover with a towel and let stand in a warm place (80 - 85 degrees F) until doubled in bulk, about 1 - 2 hours.

4. Turn the dough out ( this means basically you dump the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface in preparation for kneading) onto a lightly floured board and shape into 2 long, French-style loaves or round, Italian-style loaves. Arrange on a baking sheet heavily sprinkled with cornmeal and allow to rise 5 minutes.

5. Slash the tops of the loaves with in 2 or 3 places with a knife or scissors. Brush the loaves with water and place them in a cold oven. Set oven control at 400-degreesF and place a pan of boiling water on the bottom of the oven. Bake the loaves until they are crusty and done, 40 - 45 minutes. (I once forgot and pre-heated the oven to 400-degrees. The bread still came out perfectly.)

I love this bread's flavor and the quick rise makes it a quick one to prepare for dinner.