Scali Bread
By America's Test KitchenPublished on March 16, 2022
Yield
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
Sponge
⅔ cup (3⅓ ounces/94 grams) all-purpose flour ½ cup water, room temperature⅛ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeastDough
2⅔ cups (13⅓ ounces/378 grams) all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons table salt 1¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons water, room temperature3 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water and pinch salt1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)Instructions
- Stir all ingredients in 4-cup liquid measuring cup with wooden spoon until well combined. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until sponge has risen and begins to collapse, about 6 hours (sponge can sit at room temperature for up to 24 hours).
- Whisk flour, salt, and yeast together in bowl of stand mixer. Stir water, sugar, and oil into sponge with wooden spoon until well combined. Using dough hook on low speed, slowly add sponge mixture to flour mixture and mix until cohesive dough starts to form and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase speed to medium-low and knead until dough is smooth and elastic and clears sides of bowl, about 8 minutes.
- Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form smooth, round ball, about 30 seconds. Place dough seam side down in lightly greased large bowl or container, cover tightly with plastic, and let rise until doubled in size, 1½ to 2 hours.
- Stack 2 rimmed baking sheets, line with aluminum foil, and spray with vegetable oil spray. Press down on dough to deflate. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide into thirds (about 9½ ounces or 269 grams each), and cover loosely with greased plastic. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time (keep remaining pieces covered), stretch and roll into 10-inch rope. Arrange ropes side by side, perpendicular to counter edge, and pinch far ends together. Braid ropes into 10-inch loaf and pinch remaining ends together.
- Transfer loaf to prepared sheet and reshape as needed, tucking edges under to form taut 10-inch loaf. Cover loosely with greased plastic and let rise until loaf increases in size by about half and dough springs back minimally when poked gently with your knuckle, 1 to 1½ hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Gently brush loaf with egg mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Bake until golden brown and loaf registers 205 to 210 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer loaf to wire rack and let cool completely, about 3 hours, before serving.
for the sponge
for the dough
Yield
Makes 1 loafIngredients
Sponge
⅔ cup (3⅓ ounces/94 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup water, room temperature
⅛ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
Dough
2⅔ cups (13⅓ ounces/378 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons table salt
1¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons water, room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water and pinch salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Sponge
⅔ cup (3⅓ ounces/94 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup water, room temperature
⅛ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
Dough
2⅔ cups (13⅓ ounces/378 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons table salt
1¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons water, room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water and pinch salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Sponge
⅔ cup (3⅓ ounces/94 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup water, room temperature
⅛ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
Dough
2⅔ cups (13⅓ ounces/378 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons table salt
1¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons water, room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water and pinch salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
A signature of Boston's Italian American community, scali is sold in most local grocery stores and cafés in the North End and is almost always braided and coated with a generous amount of sesame seeds. It has a more complex flavor than many fluffy Italian loaves thanks to the incorporation of a sponge, which ferments for 6 to 24 hours before being mixed with the remaining dough. We thought it was time to introduce this lovely loaf to the rest of the country. Unlike with most loaves, in which we want a sturdy, open crumb, we passed over bread flour in favor of all-purpose flour here; the lower-protein flour gave our bread its trademark soft, pillowy texture. When the sponge was ready, we kneaded it with the remaining dough ingredients in the mixer until smooth and elastic before letting the dough rise undisturbed. Incorporating 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the dough also helped create a soft crumb, along with providing a pleasing touch of richness. After dividing the dough into thirds and braiding the pieces into a loaf, we brushed the top with beaten egg and sprinkled on the traditional (but optional) dose of sesame seeds.
Instructions
- Stir all ingredients in 4-cup liquid measuring cup with wooden spoon until well combined. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until sponge has risen and begins to collapse, about 6 hours (sponge can sit at room temperature for up to 24 hours).
- Whisk flour, salt, and yeast together in bowl of stand mixer. Stir water, sugar, and oil into sponge with wooden spoon until well combined. Using dough hook on low speed, slowly add sponge mixture to flour mixture and mix until cohesive dough starts to form and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase speed to medium-low and knead until dough is smooth and elastic and clears sides of bowl, about 8 minutes.
- Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form smooth, round ball, about 30 seconds. Place dough seam side down in lightly greased large bowl or container, cover tightly with plastic, and let rise until doubled in size, 1½ to 2 hours.
- Stack 2 rimmed baking sheets, line with aluminum foil, and spray with vegetable oil spray. Press down on dough to deflate. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide into thirds (about 9½ ounces or 269 grams each), and cover loosely with greased plastic. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time (keep remaining pieces covered), stretch and roll into 10-inch rope. Arrange ropes side by side, perpendicular to counter edge, and pinch far ends together. Braid ropes into 10-inch loaf and pinch remaining ends together.
- Transfer loaf to prepared sheet and reshape as needed, tucking edges under to form taut 10-inch loaf. Cover loosely with greased plastic and let rise until loaf increases in size by about half and dough springs back minimally when poked gently with your knuckle, 1 to 1½ hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Gently brush loaf with egg mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Bake until golden brown and loaf registers 205 to 210 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer loaf to wire rack and let cool completely, about 3 hours, before serving.
for the sponge
for the dough
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