Semolina Sandwich Bread

King Arthur Flour – The Baker’s Catalogue August 2014, p. 39

2 ½ cups (13 3/8 ounces) semolina

½ cup (5 ½ ounces) yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons (7/8 ounces) sugar

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 ½ teaspoons salt

¼ cup (1 ¼ ounces) dry milk

¼ cup (4 tablespoons, 2 ounces) unsalted butter

¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (7 ounces) water

1 large egg

Sesame seeds, for crust

In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients except the sesame seeds, mixing to form a shaggy dough. 

Zoinks!

Knead the dough, by hand or by machine, for 10 minutes. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes, then knead for an additional 10 minutes, until it’s smooth and supple. 

The KitchenAid did wonders with this for me. It's the lazy way out, but you get great bread.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and allow it to rest for 1 hour; it’ll become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and shape it into a round (boule). Grease your stoneware bread baking bowl, and sprinkle it heavily with sesame seeds. Place the dough in the pan, brush it with milk, and sprinkle with additional sesame seeds. 

BTW, I baked mine in a glass dish. If you do the same, or if you ever bake in glass, reduce the oven temp specified in the recipe by 25 degrees F. The glass gets a little hotter than metal or stoneware.

Cover the loaf, and allow to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until it’s crowned about 1” above the rim of the bread bowl.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350F oven for about 40 minutes, or until its interior registers 190F on a digital thermometer.

It comes out kind of looking like a giant hamburger bun. But it tastes SO much better!

My Rating: 5/5 "This bread is amazing. Full stop. The texture is great, the flavor is pleasant (but doesn't overwhelm whatever you're serving with it). It's a huge time commitment, like homemade bread always is, but in this case it's incredibly worth it."