Wood Fired Sandwich Bread

Dissolve yeast in the 500ml of warm water, let bloom for 5 minutes.

Put all of the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the yeast mixture into the well and pull enough of the flour surrounding it to form a paste. Cover with a towel and let rest for 20 minutes (this is your sponge/preferment).

After the 20 minutes, pour the milk into the flour, then add the salt. Mix until well incorporated, then start kneading until the dough is shiny and elastic. Alternatively, do a series of stretches and folds, 4 times every 15 minutes until sufficient gluten has developed and the dough is nicely stretchy.

Cover your bowl with a damp towel and place it in a warm area to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Punch dough down and place onto your work surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces and ball each piece.

To shape your loaves, take a ball of dough and roll out into an oval measuring 18”x8.” With the longer side parallel to you, take each edge and fold into the middle of the dough. Then take the top and roll the dough towards you, forming a spiral. Place the dough into a greased 9"x5" loaf pan. Repeat for the rest of the dough balls. Cover with a piece of greased plastic wrap and put in a warm place to let rise for an hour, until the dough is puffy.

While the loaves are rising, fire up your Cru. Let the fire and heat build up. Once you have developed sufficient heat, push the embers to the side or back and let the oven's ambient temperature go down to 450°F.

When the loaves have risen, brush egg wash onto the tops of the loaves.

Once your oven reaches 450°F, place the loaf pans into your Cru, place the cover, and bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes.

The loaves are done when a pen thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 205°F.