William Penn Life, 2011 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2011-07-01 / 7. szám

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and put aside in an undisturbed place at room temperature (70-75°F) for not less than five hours. More time—up to 24 to 36 hours-will give a slightly more fermented taste to the final dough.

Sponge - Remove the plastic wrap and stir the starter. Add warm water and all-purpose and rye flours. Blend well and re-cover the bowl for four to seven more hours at room temperature (70- 75°F). As with the starter, a long rising period for the sponge is desirable if you like your rye tangy and flavorful.

Dough - On bake day, pour all of the sponge into a large hole. Add warm water, salt and one cup each of the allpurpose and rye flours. Stir to develop a heavy mass that will cling to the scraper or wooden spoon. Add additional rye flour until it is a shaggy mass, then turn out onto a work surface.

Kneading - Basic rye dough does not need the longer kneading time that an all-purpose white flour dough demands. Use a dough scraper to turn and knead the dough through its easiest periods. Throw down liberal sprinkles of flour if the moisture breaks through the surface of the dough. Continue kneading and working with the dough. It will gradually lose its stickiness, becoming soft and elastic. In a rush to overcome the stickiness, do not overload the dough with flour so that it becomes heavy and dense. This defeats the leavening process of the yeast. Do not skimp on the flour or the dough will become slack and will not hold shape on the baking sheet.

First Rising - Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature (70-75°F) until double in size.

Shaping - Uncover the bowl and punch down the dough. Turn onto a flourdusted work surface and knead for a moment or two to press out any air bubbles. Divide the dough-which will weigh about three pounds—into three pieces. Shape each of the three pieces into a round ball, pulling down with both hands to keep the surface taut.

Second Rising - Place each loaf on a baking sheet and cover with wax paper. Put in an undisturbed place at room temperature until double in size.

Baking - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Uncover the loaves. Using a razor blade,

make radiating cuts %-inch deep from the top of the raised loaf to within an inch of the baking sheet. Another design is to cut a circle around the top of the loaf about %-inch deep.

Brush the loaves with the egg cream glaze and place in the oven. Midway through the baking process, turn the baking sheet around so that the loaves are exposed equally to that temperature variations in the oven.

The bread is done when the bottom crust sounds hollow when tapped with your fingers. Place the loaves on a metal rack and cool to room temperature.

Slice and serve or wrap in plastic and keep at room temperature. You may freeze this bread for up to one month. Thaw at room temperature and then warm in oven before slicing and serving to your guests.

Country White Hearth Bread

Makes I large or 2 small loaves Sponge

I teaspoon active dry yeast V3 cup warm water (90- I00°F)

2h cup milk at room temperature

1 teaspoon honey ✓4^88^.

2 cups all-purpose flour ' ■ r A /

Dough p -JB

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

2 cups water at room temperature 'A cup quality olive oil

I tablespoon salt

4/2 to 5/2 cups all-purpose flour

Make the sponge - In a large bowl or deep plastic container, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and milk.

Stir to dissolve. Add the honey and flour. Beat with a whisk until smooth. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for about four hours. It will be bubbly. This sponge can be stored overnight or up to a week in the refrigerator.

Mix the dough - In a large bowl using a whisk, or in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, carefully add the yeast, water, olive oil, salt, one cup of flour and the sponge.

The mixture will be soupy at first. Beat hard with the whisk, about thee minutes by hand or one minute in the mixer at medium speed after the sponge is incorporated in the water. Add the remaining flour a half cup at a time. The dough will be smooth yet sticky enough not to pull

away from the sides of the bowl.

Kneading - Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead vigorously until very elastic, yet still moist and tacky-one to three minutes for a machine-mixed dough and four to seven minutes for a hand-mixed dough—dusting with flour only one tablespoon at a time, just enough as needed to prevent sticking. This is important for a good, light texture. Slam the dough hard against the work surface to develop gluten. Set aside, uncovered for five to 10 minutes. Knead again, and the sticky dough will smooth out without any extra flour.

First Rise - Place the dough in an ungreased deep container and keep covered with plastic wrap so that the surface does not dry out. Let rise at room temperature until triple in volume, three hours to overnight.

Shaping & Second Rise - Remove the dough from the container. Place on the lightly floured work surface and flatten slightly to deflate. Divide the dough in half for two loaves or leave intact for one. With the smooth surface facing up, push the rounded sides of the dough underneath toward the center with your fingers and outside of the hands.

It is easy to rotate the dough at this point and pull at the center to make a tight dome that holds its own shape. If the loaf is not taut enough, repeat this procedure. Dust the top lightly with more flour and place in a dusted cloth lined basket (banneton) or on a flourdusted or parchment-lined baking sheet, smooth side down. Let rise uncovered at room temperature until soft, springy and double to triple in volume, one to three hours.

Baking & Cooling - Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 400°F. Using a serrated knife, slash a criss-cross design into the top of the loaves, no more than l/i-inch deep. Immediately place on the center rack of the oven and bake until very dark and crusty, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool on a rack.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Around 4000 B.C., Egyptians were the first to use natural (or wild) yeast to make leavened bread and brew ale.

12 0 July 2011 0 William Penn Life