February is finally here and I have only twenty days until I confer with a surgeon about back surgery. Meanwhile life goes on. From Cook's Illustrated magazine there was what looked like an interesting recipe for bread that utilized only the baking stone. I actually followed the recipe with the exception of adding Dough Enhancer which meant starting the recipe last Wednesday with the traditional preferment mixture called Biga. There were four one hour fermentation periods which really tied one's day up just making bread, but the agreement to follow the recipe prevailed. This recipe predates the advent of Jim Lahey's kneed-less technique of of making rustic bread. It does incorporates the concept of delayed fermentation by refrigerating the Biga. Since I have a problem with diabetes, two smaller loaves would be better for me since one could be frozen for future use (yes, you could just cut up the larger loaf and freeze the parts)
The concept of baking the bread on Parchment Paper was great.
Here the bread was ready for the oven after the many (too many) fermentation periods. The loaf was 16 inches long.
It was oven time. Next time I will make two eight inch loaves.
After ten minutes of baking the loaf was rotated (easy to do with the parchment paper) and the baking continued for about 35 minutes more.
The bread was done at 202℉ instead of the 210℉ called for in the recipe. Remember water boils a 212℉. The loaf top was covered with aluminum foil to prevent over browning of the crust.
The crumb was even textured which was what you would expect because of all the kneading involved in this recipe. That would be one thing I would avoid by using the Jin Lehey approach.
The bread tasted good and generally it was a good recipe but it required a large time commitment. Honey would be a good a good addition.
I intend to rework this recipe for a more rustic bread, as less of a time commitment.
This recipe follows:
À bientôt,
Mr Nut
33% WHOLE-WHEAT RUSTIC ITALIAN BREAD
Modified recipe from Cook’s Illustrated magazine. published September 1, 2003.
Makes 1 large loaf, about 2 1/2 pounds
For a rustic Italian bread recipe with a chewy but tender crumb, crusty but not tough, we used bread flour, which gave our bread height and a thick crust. Biga (a traditional Italian pre-ferment) mixed the day before gave the bread a wheaty, multidimensional flavor. A mixing technique called autolyse developed the dough’s protein while reducing kneading time.
This recipe requires a stand mixer to make the dough, a spray bottle filled with water for sprit zing, a rectangular baking stone, and an instant-read thermometer for gauging doneness. It also requires a bit of patience -- the biga, which gives the bread flavor, must be made 11 to 27 hours before the dough is made.
INGREDIENTS
Biga
11 ounces bread flour (2 cups, 312g)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
8 ounces water (1 cup), room temperature
Dough
9 1/2 ounces bread flour (1 3/4 cups, 270g), plus extra for dusting hands and work surfac
7 ounces whole wheat flour (1 1/4 cups, 200g)
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1/4 cup Dough Enhancer (see blog of April 5, 2011)
10.7 ounces water (1 1/3 cups), room temperature
2 teaspoons Sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
For the biga:
1. Combine the blue ingredients.flour, in the bowl of standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Knead on speed 1 until it forms a shaggy dough, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Transfer biga to an oiled medium bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let stand at room ( a heating pad may be helpful) temperature until beginning to bubble and rise, about 3 hours. Refrigerate biga at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
For the dough:
1. Remove biga from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature while making dough.
2. Combine the red ingredients using the Dough Hook on speed 1 until rough dough is formed, about 3 minutes. Turn mixer off and, move the dough hook leave bowl on mixer, cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap; let dough rest 20 minutes.
3. Remove plastic wrap, add biga and salt to dough, and continue to knead on speed 1 until ingredients are incorporated and dough is formed (dough should clear sides of bowl but stick to very bottom), about 4 minutes. Increase mixer to speed 2 and continue to knead until dough forms a more cohesive ball, about 1 minute. Transfer dough to large bowl (at least 3 times dough’s size) and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in cool, draft-free spot away from direct sunlight, until slightly risen and puffy, about 1 hour.
4. Remove plastic wrap and, deflate Use your hand to get under one side of dough; gently lift and fold one third of dough toward center. the dough. Repeat with opposite side of dough. Finally, fold dough in half, perpendicular to first folds. Dough shape should be a rough square. Replace plastic wrap; let dough rise 1 hour. deflate dough again, replace plastic wrap, and let dough rise 1 hour longer.
5. To shape the dough: Dust work surface liberally with flour. Gently scrape and invert dough out of bowl onto work surface (side of dough that was against bowl should now be facing up). After delicately pushing dough into 8- to 10-inch square, fold top left corner diagonally to middle. Repeat with top right-corner. Begin to gently roll dough from top to bottom. Continue rolling until dough forms a rough log. Gently shape dough into 16-inch football shape by tucking bottom edges underneath. Transfer to large sheet parchment paper. Dust loaf liberally with flour and cover loosely with plastic wrap; let loaf rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.
6. To bake: Using a single-edged razor blade, or sharp chef’s knife, cut slit 1/2 inch deep lengthwise along top of loaf, starting and stopping about 1 1/2 inches from ends; spray loaf lightly with water. Slide parchment sheet with loaf onto baker’s peel, then slide parchment with loaf onto hot baking stone in oven. Bake 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and quickly spin loaf around using edges of parchment; continue to bake until deep golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center of loaf registers 210 degrees, about 35 minutes longer. Transfer to wire rack, discard parchment, and cool loaf to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours.
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