DIAMOND SHAPED BREAD RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl; whisk together.
• Combine sourdough starter and water in a large mixing cup; stir until well combined.
• Add to flour mixture; mix with a rubber spatula until you have a thoroughly mixed, wet, sticky mass of dough.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let sit at room temperature, 12 to 18 hours.
• After at least 12 hours have passed, your dough should be dotted with bubbles and more than doubled in size.
• Dust a wooden cutting board with flour.
• Scrape dough loose from sides of bowl; turn out dough onto the board in one piece.
• The dough will be loose and sticky, but do not add more flour.
• Dust top lightly with flour; cover with a clean tea towel.
• Let dough rise an additional 1 to 2 hours.
• About 30 minutes before the second rise is complete, place a 3 1/2-quart cast-iron Dutch oven (oval-shaped gives best results) on a rack positioned in the middle of the oven.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Once the oven has reached the desired temperature, remove the Dutch oven; sprinkle about 1 teaspoon coarse cornmeal evenly over the bottom.
• Uncover dough; using two plastic dough scrapers, shape dough into a ball by folding it over onto itself a few times.
• With scrapers, lift dough carefully; let it fall into a heated Dutch oven by slowly separating scrapers.
• Dust top of the dough with coarse cornmeal.
• Cover; bake, 35 minutes.
• After 35 minutes, remove the cover from the Dutch oven; rotate and continue baking, 15 minutes, or until loaf is nicely browned.
• Remove Dutch oven from oven.
• With sturdy wooden or metal spatula, pry loaf free; transfer to a cooling rack.
• Allow bread to cool for 1 hour before slicing.

Steps:

• In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the sugar, orange juice, butter, eggs, egg whites, lemon juice, orange zest, salt, lemon zest, extract and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in raisins and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into loaves. Place in two 8x4-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks.