Sponge
1 cup warm water 1 tbsp dry yeast (for overnight 1 tsp) 1 tbsp sugar 1 cup warm milk 2 cups bread flour
Dough
2.5 tsp salt 57g butter 3.5 to 4 cups bread flour
Make the sponge. In mixer bowl, combine sponge ingredients (all but flour) and stir with whisk. Add flour and beat with mixer paddle or whisk until smooth ~1 minute. Cover loosely and let rise for 1 hour.
Add butter, salt and 1 cup flour to sponge. Beat for 1 minute. Add remaining flour ½ cup at a time until dough just clears sides of bowl.
For overnight rise
Do NOT knead
Transfer to tall container and cover, allow to rise 18-24 hours
For same-day baking
Switch to dough hook and knead for 4-6 minutes.
Put into greased container and rise to double or triple, about 2 hours.
Turn dough out to floured board and divide in half. Form each half into hearth loaves, dip in flour so all sides are coated and place on well floured and cornmeal/semolina lubricated surface. Cover with plastic wrap and towel, allow to rise 1 hour. (NOTE: I typically form half of the dough into a loaf and do not flour it, transfer to an oiled plate and place in refrigerator for 30 min, then transfer to container for up to a week storage).
Preheat oven 30 minutes before rise is complete, with heavy pot in the oven to heat up. 450 F
Slash top of loaf with razor, 3 parallel lines with 1-3 perpendicular. Transfer loaf to pre-heated pot. After 30 minutes lower oven temp to 350 F, remove pot lid, and bake a further 15 minutes.