Semolina Bread

Sponge

Pour the warm water into a medium bowl and whisk in the yeast and the sugar. When the yeast has dissolved and is creamy, about 5 minutes, stir in the flour.

Rise; Cover the bowl and let it rest at room temperature until the sponge doubles in volume, about 2 hours.

Grease a loaf pan with little butter and keep side.

Take the sponge in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the all purpose flour and rest of the ingredients and work with your hands till the dough forms a ball. If the dough doesn't come together in a ball, add another 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, mixing a tablespoon at a time. Take the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes.

First rise; Turn the dough into an oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature until it doubles in volume.
In this cold weather you can use the oven method to give the dough a rise. Just switch on the oven to max for 2 minutes and switch it off. Now take a bowl of boiling water and place it in the bottom rack of the oven. Now place the bowl with the dough in the middle rack and close the oven. let it stand for about and hour or so.. you can see that the dough would have raised beautifully.

Shaping and second rise; Deflate the dough and turn it on to a floured surface. Flatten it with your palms and pat the dough into a rough oval shape and then roll it from one long side to the other, to form a plump loaf. Tuck the ends under and transfer it into the prepared loaf pan and allow it to rest until it doubles in bulk again, about 2 hours.

Baking the bread; Preheat the oven to 400 deg F( 200 deg C).

Bake for about 35 mintes, until deeply golden. Transfer the bread to a rack and cool completely before cutting.

Storing; The bread can be kept at room temperature for a day; cover it loosely with plastic wrap. For longer storage, wrap it airtight and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.