Pepper And Pancetta Batter Bread - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 slices pancetta, finely chopped (or 3 strips lean bacon)
3/4 cup hot water
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (approx)
1 tablespoon cornmeal

Preparation

In skillet, fry pancetta over medium heat until crisp. Remove and crumble pancetta, reserving fat.
In large bowl of stand mixer, combine 1 tablespoon pancetta fat with hot water, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, basil, salt and pepper; let stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix remaining 1 teaspoom sugar with lukewarm water; sprinkle yeast over top, stirring to dissolve granules. Let stand for 10 minutes.
With fork, stir down yeast mixture, whisking to dissolve all yeast; mix into pepper mixture.
Blend in egg.
Beat in flour in 2 additions, adding a few tablespoons more flour if necessary to form smooth, elastic wet batter; beat for 4 minutes.
Beat in pancetta.
Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, 45 to 60 minutes.
Punch down batter.
Grease 6-cup (1.5 L) ovenproof casserole dish, preferably round; sprinkle with cornmeal.
Scrape batter into dish; cover and let rise until risen to top of dish, about 1 hour.
Bake in 400\u00b0F (200\u00b0C) oven until bread sounds hollow when tapped, 35 to 45 minutes.
Remove from dish; let cool on rack.