• This recipe also doubles easily. I never thought I would double a recipe, but lately, I have been because this bread is so good and we go through them too fast! LOL! Depending on the capacity of your stand mixer, I have a 4.5 quart capacity and I can double the recipe and knead both at the same time and just split the dough in half later to make two large loaves

Kneading the Dough

• In a stand mixer, combine all ingredients. Use the dough hook attachment to give the ingredients a rough mix. Knead for 5-6 minutes on mediumspeed (speed 4 on KA) until the dough becomes soft and elastic. The dough will be slightly sticky to the touch and that's normal
  

Initial Rest

• Lightly oil the bowl, round up the dough into a dough ball and put it back into the bowl, cover with a cling wrap. Let the dough rest in the bowl at room temperature (around 78 F/ 26 C) for 30 minutes. It should puff up slightly. It doesn't have to double in size
  

Shaping the Dough

• Flatten the dough into an 8x10-inch rectangle.
  
• Roll it up tightly along the long side to form a log.
  
• Pinch the seams together to seal it tightly, including the two ends
  

Cold Proofing

• Scatter cornmeal on a parchment-lined baking pan. Place the dough seam-side down on the baking pan
  
• If you are baking two loaves, you can place them on the same tray as long as your baking pan is large enough.
  
• Brush with 1 Tbsp oil, and cover with cling wrap (directly touching the dough). Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours for cold proofing the dough. This cold fermentation produces bread with great flavor, thin crust, and soft airy crumbs. So please don't skip it and do at least 3 hours
  

Preparing to Bake

• Take the dough out 15 minutes before baking and let it rest at room temperature while preheating the oven to 425 F (218C). Position the rack in the middle of the oven

Scoring and Baking

• Using a sharp bread lame or knife, quickly and swiftly score three diagonal lines, about 1/2 inch deep, on top of the dough. Bake at 425 F for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 400 F (200 C) and bake for another 15 minutes.
  

Apply egg white wash

• Remove from the oven and brush the top with an egg white wash (egg white mixed with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp water). Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
  
• The egg white wash applied after the initial bake gives the bread a nice gloss to the crust. It also helps achieve a thin, crackly crust while keeping the inside soft and airy. It's a simple yet effective step to elevate the texture and presentation of the bread

Cooling

• Transfer the bread to a wire rack immediately and let it cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.