Ingredients
Cornmeal
- 7 g sachet dried yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- 3–3½ cups unbleached plain flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup warm water, extra
- cornmeal or flour, extra
Glaze
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon salt
Method
1. Sprinkle a baking tray with cornmeal. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Cover with plastic wrap; leave in a warm place 5 minutes or until frothy. Sift 3 cups of flour with salt into a large bowl; make a well in the centre. Pour in yeast, honey, oil and extra water. Using a wooden spoon, stir until mixture is well combined and forms a rough ball. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add remaining flour as necessary to form a smooth dough.
2. Place dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Brush surface of dough with oil. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour or until well risen. Punch down dough and knead for 1 minute.
3. Shape dough into a smooth 18 cm ball, place on prepared tray and flatten top. Using a sharp knife or razor, slash top of dough with 1 cm deep cuts at 3 cm intervals in a criss-cross pattern. Cover and leave in warm place for 1 hour or until well risen.
4. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place a shallow baking dish containing 2 cups water in bottom of oven. (This helps . form a hard crust on bread.) Brush dough with glaze of combined water and salt; sprinkle with cornmeal or flour. Bake 35–40 minutes or until base sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack. Spread with ricotta and serve with prosciutto and sun-dried tomatoes, if desired.
