Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Basic Artisan Bread on a stone

How to Navigate around in Mr Nut’s blogs:  At the left of the tool bar directly above the blog is an input box.  Type in as much of  the title as you remember and then click return.

Hello loyal follower(s)
    I needed to find the recipe for Apple Pork Chops out of the hundred or so recipes in this blog.  There had to be an easy way to find it.   AND THERE WAS!  There is a white input box at the upper left hand corner of the blog screen next to a red symbol. Just type in a word or more for what you are looking for; hit return and Bingo, it appears.
I typed Apple and hit return, and got the correct blog.
   Anyway, yesterday I started baking two loaves of bread, of with the intent of baking the loaves on Parchment paper placed directly on a pizza stone.  It seemed like a doable technique based on the blogs for February 1, 2012  on 33% Whole Wheat Italian Rustic bread and Basic No-knead bread Oct 14, 2012.  The key was to keep the mixing to a minimum and reduce the liquid to yield a stiff but workable dough.  The ingredients were the same except I had no Dough Enhancer


 



Here are the finished loaves.  The dough was not as stiff as i would have preferred but they were ok.

the crust was a little darker than desired because I didn't cover them well enough and soon enough with aluminum foil.













Get a load of that crumb, it was fantastic along with excellent taste.

The end result was that Dutch ovens or bread pans are not necessary to make excellent artisan bread at home.

The pain in my leg is getting bad so it is time to wrap  this up.  ( 22 more days until back surgery)

Recipe follows:

À bientôt,
Mr Nut


 Baking Stone: Basic No-Knead Bread
February 28, 2012
European style: (Crisp-crust; large air spaces)
Inspired by The Basic No-Knead Bread from Jim Lahey’s My Bread page 61 
Yield: Two seven inch rounds 
  Planning was crucial: Mixing time for the ingredients was minimal, the first fermentation requires from 12 to preferably 18 hours. Then the dough was deflated, “shaped” into rounds and fermented for about another 1 to 2 hours. The longer rise tended to result in a more flavorful bread.  Even a 12 hour rise was acceptable. 
Totals for recipe; 624 g carbs; 3156 calories.
Ingredients:
7 cups (35 ounces; 980 g ) Bread flour.                  Carbohydrates 616 g ; Calories 3,080
1 tablespoon Sea salt
1/2 teaspoon instant dry yeast
1/4 cup Dough Enhancer   (optional)                     Carbohydrates 8 g ; Calories  76
About 2   cups water 
  
1.Dry ingredients: In the stand mixer bowl, using the Chef Whisk on speed one, mix the Blue  ingredients.
2. Wet ingredient: Change to the Flat Paddle at speed 2 and slowly add the Red Ingredient and mix just until you have a stiff but workable dough.   
3. The first Fermentation: (12 to 18 hours)  Move the dough to an oiled bowl (so yo can clean up the stand mixer).  Cover the bowl to prevent evaporation and let it sit at room temperature (about 72-75℉ a heating pad helps), out of direct sunlight, until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubled in size. This will take a minimum of 12 hours and preferably up to 18 hours. This slow fermentation makes a more flavorful bread. At the end of the first fermentation, the dough is ready when it has developed a darkened appearance and bubbles and long thin strands cling to the bowl when it is moved.  NOTES: Long low temperature (low 70s℉) fermentation allows both the yeast and bacteria to feed on 
the sugars in the dough, which enhances the flavor.

4.  Deflate dough:  Gently press down on center of dough to deflate. Holding edge of dough with fingertips, fold dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle. Add more  flour if the dough is sticky, aim for a stiff dough. Turn bowl quarter turn; fold again. Turn bowl and fold dough 4 more times (maximum of 6 folds). Divide the dough into two rounds.  Let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

5.  Second Fermentation: Set out two 15-inch squares of baking parchment paper. Dust them with flour. Invert each round into the center of the parchment paper. Generously dust the rounds with more  flour. Smooth out and round the surface to form a round shaped, domed loaf and sprinkle more flour over the top. Tent the dough with larger bowls. Let them ferment for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the dough doubles from the deflated size.
6. Preparing the oven:  About twenty minutes before the end of the second rise, Place the baking (pizza) stone on the oven  rack just below the midpoint of the height of the oven and place a broiler pan on the bottom rack.   Preheat the oven to 450℉. 
7.  Baking: First heat one quart of water to boiling and set it aside.  Spray loaves lightly with water. Slide parchment sheets with the loaves onto hot baking stone in oven. Now pour the boiling water into the broiler pan.Reduce the heat to 425°F. Bake  for 30 minutes. (If the tops are browned  enough for your taste, cover them with foil to prevent further browning.).  Bake about another 25  minutes longer, until the center registers more than 200°F on an instant-read thermometer.  Note: the appearance of the loaves is more important in determining the doneness of the loaves than the internal temperature (from Cook's illustrated magazine, May-June 2011 page 31).  Cool  thoroughly on a wire rack.
SERVING AND STORING: Cool before slicing and storing. The flavor improves after several hours of storage. To maintain the crisp crust, store in a large bowl draped with a clean tea towel or in a heavy paper bag. Or store airtight in a plastic bag or foil: The crust will soften, but can be crisped by heating the loaf, uncovered, in a 400°F oven for a few minutes. The bread will keep at room temperature for 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.
   
      

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