12 c Flour, white or unbleached
2 tb Sugar
2 ts Salt
1 1/2 c Warm water
1/2 c Milk
1 pk Dry yeast
In a small bowl, place yeast and cover with warm water, stir in sugar to
activate. In a large bowl, place flour, and salt. When yeast has doubled
in size, stir into flour mixture. Add milk. Stir until mixture can be
kneaded by hand. Dough will not be smooth and silky. Knead until
thoroughly mixed. Set aside, covered, until it doubles in bulk
(approximately 2 hours). Sprinkle a small amount of flour on your hands,
and pull off lemon-sized balls of dough. Roll in your hands until a smooth
ball is formed, set aside to rest. When all balls are formed, wait 15
minutes. Using a floured rolling pin and floured surface, roll the balls
into flat loaves, approximately 1/4 inch thick. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place two loaves on a cookie sheet, place in
oven, and watch carefully. When the loaves begin to “puff”, transfer them
to the broiler, if using a gas oven, or turn on the broiling unit if using
an electric one. Watch them carefully, as they brown quickly. When the
first side has browned, turn them over with a spatula, and let the second
side brown. Remove to a separate pan for cooling. Be careful, the loaves
are full of steam, and will burn the fingers! If you are using a gas
stove, you may place two more loaves in the oven while two are browning in
the broiler.
Yields
24 Loaves