This recipe makes enough for four 1-pound loaves
and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I use it to bake 4
crusty boules, but you could also use it for cinnamon rolls, or incorporate
other ingredients (nuts, dried fruit, olives, cheese) before shaping and baking. The flavor really improves when it
sits in the fridge for a couple of days. (Adapted by Kayte Young, from Cooking Club Feb/March 2011)
Total preparation time: 3 ½ hours, plus at least a half hour to cool. Most
of that time is hands-off, so you can do other things.
3 ½ cups lukewarm water
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 teaspoons salt
5 cups unbleached all purpose flour
(or white bread flour)
2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
1.
Combine water
yeast and salt in a large bowl. With spoon (or mixer with paddle attachment)
stir in flour (dough will be wet).
2.
Place dough
in 5-quart lidded container; cover with lid (do not snap airtight). Let rise at
room temperature 2 hours. Refrigerate overnight or up to 14 days, or go ahead
and bake a loaf, and put the rest in the fridge to bake at your convenience.
3.
To Bake a Crusty Boule (a small, round, free-form loaf)
Take 1 lb (grapefruit
sized) portion of dough from the Master Recipe (above)
1.
Hold dough
and dust top with flour; quickly shape into ball by stretching surface of dough
around to bottom on all four sides, rotating a quarter turn as you go (pinch
the dough at the bottom). The dough may feel wet, and not easy to handle, but
you don’t need to handle it much. Just shape as quickly as you can, creating a
nice tight surface on top (without tearing the dough). Don’t worry too much
about how round it is, it will look lovely and rustic, whatever shape it ends
up. Just try to resist the urge to add a
lot of flour and knead it. You want to preserve the nice pockets of air that
are already in the dough.
2.
Place the
dough on a pizza peel or baking sheet, sprinkled liberally with cornmeal or
lined with parchment (I use parchment, sprinkled with cornmeal). Cover loosely
with lightly floured plastic wrap. Let stand in warm, draft free place for 1-2
hours, or until dough is slightly puffed and no longer chilled. If you are
taking dough from the fridge, this will take at least 2 hours.
3.
Thirty
minutes before baking, place a baking stone (or a cookie sheet) on center oven
rack; place an empty broiler pan on the bottom oven rack. Heat oven to 450 F
4.
Dust the loaf
with flour or brush the top with a little water and sprinkle (heavily) with
sesame seeds (or other small seeds). With a thin, sharp knife or blade
(straight razor is best, but a sharp paring knife will work) make 3 or more
slashes in the top of the loaf. Try to get them at least ¼ inch deep. You are
giving the air a place to go when the extreme heat hits it. If you don’t do
this, the loaf will “blow out” somewhere else (which is fine, but may not look
the way you hoped it would).
5.
Heat 1 cup of
water to boiling. Slide the loaf onto the baking stone or cookie sheet (this is
easy with parchment paper--don’t remove the paper, but make sure it is cut
small, so it doesn’t flap over the bread). Quickly pour the hot water in the
broiler pan (don’t have your face right over it!) and shut the oven door. Do
these two things quickly, and shut the door in between, if needed, to avoid
losing too much oven heat. You want the dough to receive a blast of extreme
heat and steam. This helps with the rise, and also makes a crisp crust.
6.
Bake 30
minutes or until deep golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on
bottom (I always use my instant-read thermometer to make sure the interior has
reached 205 F). Cool completely on a wire wrack. The bread continues to bake a
bit after it comes out, so resist the urge to cut right into it. Let it cool
for at least 30 min. Store in a paper bag the first day, then store in a sealed
container or plastic bag (if there is any left the second day J).
Note. The loaf may seem a bit small. If you need
more bread, make two loaves rather than trying to make one big one. This
particular recipe works best with small loaves.
Our Guest Chef Alex Chambers shared his enthusiasm and know how for handling wet dough, and how to work sourdough bread baking into your weekly routine. We focused on slow-ferment, wet dough because it is easier to schedule around, doesn't required kneading, and delivers excellent flavor and texture (no-knead bread recipe). While it is very forgiving and great for beginners, the wet dough can be hard to handle and difficult to get used to, so we provided hands-on exposure.
