Recipe courtesy Dan Leader
Poolish:
2/3 cup (8 ounces) levain proof, recipe follows
1 cup (8 fluid ounces)
spring water
1 1/2 cups (8 ounces)
organic white flour with germ
Combine the levain and water in a 2-quart clear plastic container with
a lid. Break up the levain well with a wooden spoon
or squeeze through your fingers until it is broken up. Stir until the levain is partly dissolved and the mixture is slightly frothy.
Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until very thick and sticky. Scrape
down the sides with a rubber spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a
moderately warm (74 to 80 degree) place for 24 hours.
Final dough: 2 cups (16
fluid ounces) spring water 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups (27 to 32 ounces) organic white
flour with germ 1 tablespoon (3/4 ounce) fine sea salt
Combine the poolish and water in a 6-quart bowl. Break up the poolish well with a wooden spoon and stir until the poolish becomes loose and the mixture slightly frothy. Add
2 cups (10 ounces) of the flour and the salt; stir until well combined. Add
just enough of the remaining flour to make a thick mass that is difficult to
stir. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding remaining flour
when needed, until dough is firm and smooth, 15 to 17 minutes total. The dough
is ready when a little dough pulled from the mass springs back quickly.
Shape the dough into a
ball and let it rest on a lightly floured surface while you scrape, clean, and
lightly oil the largest bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn once to coat
with oil. Take the dough's temperature: the ideal is 78 degrees. Cover with a
clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degree)
draft-free place until doubled in volume.
Deflate the dough by
pushing down in the center and pulling up the sides. Cover with a clean damp
towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degree) draft-free
place for 30 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a
lightly floured board and knead briefly. Shape into a tight ball. Cover with a
clean damp towel or plastic wrap, and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80
degree) draft-free place for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 2
equal portions. Flatten each with the heel of your hand on a lightly floured
board. The dough may be very soft and loose at this point. Shape into
12-inch-long torpedoes. You may also choose to shape the dough into rounds.
Place the torpedoes, seam
side up in a well-floured couche*. Cover with a clean
damp towel or plastic wrap. Put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degrees)
draft-free place until increased in volume about 1 1/2 times, or until a slight
indentation remains when the dough is pressed with a fingertip. Place rounds on
a cornmeal-dusted surface to rise.
Preheat the oven and
baking stone to 450 degrees, 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking. The oven rack
must be in the center of the oven. If it is in the lower 1/3 of the oven the
bottom of the breads may burn, and if it is in the upper 1/3, the top crusts
may burn.
Gently roll one loaf from
the couche onto a lightly floured peel so that it
sits seam side down. Using a very sharp, serrated knife or a single-edged razor
blade, score the loaf by making quick shallow cuts 1/4 to 1/2-inch deep along
the surface. Using the peel, slide the loaf onto the hearth. Quickly repeat the
process with the second loaf. Quickly spray the inner walls and floor of the
oven with cold water form a spritzer bottle. If
there's an electric light bulb in the oven, avoid spraying it directly; it may
burst. Spray for several seconds until steam has filled the oven. Quickly close
the door to trap the steam and bake 3 minutes. Spray again in the same way,
closing the door immediately so that steam doesn't escape. Bake until loaves
begin to color, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 425 degrees and bake until
loaves are a rich caramel color and the crust is firm, 15 to 20 minutes.
To test for doneness,
remove and hold the loaves upside down. Strike the bottoms firmly with your
finger. If the sound is hollow, the breads are done. If it doesn't sound
hollow, bake 5 minutes longer. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Note: If the dough
temperature is higher than 78 degrees, put it in a cooler than (78 degree)
place like the refrigerator, until the dough cools to 78 degrees. If it is
lower than 78 degrees, put in it a warmer than 78 degree place until the dough
warms to 78 degrees. The point is to try to keep the dough at 78 degrees during
its fermentation. If you do have to move the dough, be gentle and don't jostle
it, or the dough may deflate.
*Couche?French
for "couch" or "resting place". This is a simple holding
device you make yourself for proofing long loaves like logs, torpedo shapes,
and baguettes. Using well-floured canvas or linen towels create folds to
separate loaves while hold them securely next to each other during proofing.
Use a length of fabric at least a yard long. Place 12 to 16-inch wooden blocks
cut from 2 by 4's at either long end to contain the loaves. Or substitute large
books to contain the loaves.
Levain Starter:
1 1/4 cups (6-ounces) 20
percent bran wheat flour
Full batch chef, procedure
and recipe follows
Add the flour directly
into the container with the full batch of room-temperature, batterlike
ripe chef. Stir vigorously to add fresh oxygen to the mixture. This will form a
stiff consistency more like a stiff dough than a batter. This firm texture is
important for ripening levain, because a dense rather
than loose levain creates delicious sour bread
without an overpowering tangy bite. Scrape down the sides, cover tightly, and
let stand in a cool to moderate (about 70 degrees) draft-free place for 8 to 10
hours.
The levain
should have doubled in volume. The texture will be somewhat light, with many
tiny bubbles throughout. Do not let the levain stand
for longer than 10 hours, or the yeast will become exhausted and not raise the
final dough. This recipe yields 18 ounces of levain.
The Chef
Day 1
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
(4 ounces) 20 percent bran wheat flour
1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces)
spring water
Combine the flour and
water in a tall 2 to 3-quart clear plastic container with a lid. Stir well to
make a thick, soft dough. The exact consistency of the dough will vary with the
brand of flour or water at this point to adjust the texture. Scrape down the
sides with a rubber spatula, cover tightly with lid and let stand in a moderate
(about 70 degree) place for 24 hours.
Day 2 3/4 cup plus 2
tablespoons (4 ounces) 20 percent bran wheat flour 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces)
spring water
The chef should have
almost doubled in volume. You will see tiny bubbles on the surface, and you
might notice a slight musty smell. Add the flour and water to the mixture and
stir vigorously to distribute the fresh ingredients and add fresh oxygen to the
chef. The texture will still be like a soft dough. You may add a little more
flour or water to make this texture, if necessary. Scrape down the sides, cover
and place in a moderate (70 degree) draft-free place for 24 hours.
Day 3 3/4 cup plus 2
tablespoons (4 ounces) 20 percent bran wheat flour 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces)
spring water
It will have almost
doubled in volume and be quite bubbly. Add the flour and water, and stir well
to make a thick batter. (You may have to add a little more water if your
flour's absorption level is high). With a marker pen, mark the level of the
chef on the side of the container. Scrape down the sides, cover tightly, and
let stand in a moderate (70 degree) draft-free place for 24 hours.
It should now be loose in
texture, like a pancake batter. It will have doubled in volume from the last
addition of flour and water. The chef may rise and fall, but as long as it
doubles at some point during this last period, it's fine. You now have a fully
ripe chef ready to transform into a levain. If you
don't want to make the levain immediately, the chef
can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.