Genzano Country Loaf

 Genzano Country Loaf (Pagnotta) (Local Breads by Daniel Leader)

Biga naturale: the night before

1. Place sourdough in a bowl, add water, mix. Pour it out onto the counter and kneed for 1-2 min. Place the dough back in the bowl. Cover it and let stand at room temperature for 8-10 h.
2. Place all the above ingredients in the stand mixer bowl and stir until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a floured countertop and knead to blend the ingredients.
3. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to stand at room temperature (70-75 °F) for 8-12 h. When the dough is ready it will have doubled, will be filled with bubbles and will have a fresh, tangy scent.

Bread dough: next morning 

1. Pour water over biga. Break it up. Add flour, yeast, salt until a very very wet dough forms.
2. Use the dough hook and mix on medium-high (5 or 6 on KA mixer) for 10 min. Stop the machine and scrape down the hook with a rubber spatula.
3. Increase to high (10), knead for 8-10 min more until it passes the window pane test.
4. Transfer to an oiled, clear, 2-quart container. Mark the dough level with masking tape. Cover, allow to rise at room temperature (70-75 °F) till doubled. This should take about 1 ½ h.
5. Uncover and deflate it gently pushing it down in the center and pulling it up on the sides. Cover, let rise again for 1 ½ hours. Tiny bubbles will form on the surface.
6. Coat banneton with bran. Turn the dough on a lightly dusted counter. Gently shape it to a round. Put in banneton, coat with more bran, cover, allow to almost double, 1 ½ h.
7. 1 h before baking, place a baking stone on a middle rack of the oven and a cast-iron skillet on the lower rack. Heat the oven to 450 °F.
8. Tip the loaf out on parchment paper sprinkled with bran. Bake for 30 min (with steam for the first 20 min), turn oven to 400 °F. Bake until the loaf is very dark, almost charred-looking, 20-30 min more.
9. Cool on rack for 2 hours. It stays fresh for 7 days stored at room temperature in a paper bag!