Bread-Artisan Bread Roasted Garlic Potato

Roasted Garlic Potato Bread

1 entire head of garlic
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt (I add 2 due to unsalted potatoes)
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 cup mashed potato ( preferably with potato skins)
6 1/2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel

1. Roast the whole head of garlic by wrapping in aluminum foil and baking it for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Allow to cool and cut off top of head. Squeeze out roasted garlic, measure two tablespoons, and set aside.

2. Mix the yeast, salt, sugar, mashed potato, and reserved roast garlic with the water in a five quart bowl or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

3. Mix in flour without kneading using a spoon, a 14 cup capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy duty stand mixer with dough hook. If not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bits of flour.

4. Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temp until dough rises and collapses or at least flattens on top. This should take approximately 2 hours.

5. Dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it will be easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded non airtight container and use over the next 7 days.

6. On Baking Day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 lb piece (grapefruit sized). Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go. Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal covered pizza peel for 1 hour or just 40 minutes if you are using fresh unrefrigerated dough.

7. 20 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone placed on the middle rack of the oven. Place a metal broiler tray on any other shelf that will not interfere with the rising bread.

8. Sprinkle the loaf liberally with flour and slash across, "scallop", tic-tack-toe pattern into the top, using a serrated bread knife. Leave the flour in place for baking; tap some of it off prior to eating.

9. Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until deeply brown and firm. Smaller and larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time.

10. Allow to cool completely before slicing and eating.