Francesca Sandwich Rolls
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*Makes 4 rolls*

2½ t active dry yeast
½ c warm water
6 c bread flour 
2 t sugar 
2 t salt 
2 c ice-cold water 

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.

Mix six cups of flour with the salt and sugar in a good size bowl. Add the yeast and two cups of ice-cold water into the flour. It's going to make a pretty soupy bread dough. That is the secret here. Beat until the dough is elastic and slightly sticky. It's going to take about twenty minutes by hand (or five minutes with the mixer). The dough should develop a stringy texture. 

Let the dough rise in a warm place covered with plastic wrap until it doubles in size in about two hours. 

Once the bread has risen, sprinkle a handful of flower over the dough and scrape it out on to a well-floured board. Divide the dough in half, then each half in half again, making four large sandwich loaves (or divide each in half again to make 8 small sandwich loaves). With floured hands, pat the each dough portion into an 8 inch- (or 4 inch)-long rectangle. Starting on a short side, roll the dough, pressing each roll into the unrolled portion with the heel of your hand. Place the dough seam side down on the board. Sprinkle a good deal of flour under the loaves and lightly over them. Let the loaves rest, covered loosely with plastic wrap, for thirty minutes. 

Gently pick up each loaf and place them on a large greased baking sheet, side-by-side. As you move them, you are going to gently stretch the loaves to the length of your baking sheet. Cover them loosely again with plastic wrap and let them rest another ten minutes. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. 

Place the loaves in the oven and immediately turn it down to 425. Bake until the loaves are golden all over, about twenty to twenty-five minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on a bread rack.