UPDATE: We have a winner! Comment #78 belongs to Nancy. Congratulations and thanks to everyone for participating!

I started this blog a year ago. The first post was about Peter Reinhart’s French Bread from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. 60 bread-related posts later, my hands are supple from kneading all that dough but the list of recipes to try has never been longer.

Joining The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge increased the queue by 43 items. This post will be updated regularly as MY way of keeping track of MY progress .

Since this self-serving post has zero value to you, I’ve decided to give away a copy of your Peter Reinhart book of choice. The book you see above has all sorts of suspect stains and crustiness, but if you want it, I’ll gladly send it over.

On second thought, that’s the first bread book I ever owned so its sentimental value is off the charts. May I suggest picking a brand new copy from this list instead?

If you win, tell me which book you want and I’ll send it to you directly from Amazon. It’s sort of like buying you a beer but with more carbs and less buzz. If I understand Amazon’s international shipping policy correctly, they’ll send books anywhere so feel free to enter wherever you are.

Just leave a comment and say hi, tell a joke, or write about the meaning of life. All I ask is that you enter only once. I’ll randomly select one winner on May 31.

My Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge Index

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge, a Year of Blogging, and a Giveaway

Similar Posts:

1. Anadama Bread
2. Announcing Bread Baking Day 13: 100% Whole Grains
3. Peter Reinhart’s French Bread
4. Rosemary Potato Bread
5. Cranberry-Walnut Bread
6. Potato, Cheddar Cheese, and Chive Bread

There are several bread-centric blog events and groups that I try to keep up with:

• Bread Baking Day (monthly), which I even hosted once
• Bread Baking Babes (monthly)
• Bake Your Own Bread (biweekly)
• Yeastspotting (weekly)

The newest addition to my list is the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge (weekly), where participants bake through Peter Reinhart’s unofficial bible for the beginning bread nerd.

Yep, I’m officially in over my head. I do have a bit of a headstart, though.

Since we’ll bake from front to back and the recipes are alphabetical, we begin with A. A is for Anadama Bread, a New England specialty baked with cornmeal and molasses.

I used dark molasses so the crumb turned out almost as deeply browned as this 100% whole grain anadama bread I posted ages ago. Notice how much more trigger happy with the camera I was back then. There’s even an embedded YouTube video about how to shape a sandwich loaf.

recipe adapted from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice
The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge
Bake Your Own Bread

Anadama Bread Recipe

makes 2 pan loaves (8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch )

For the Cornmeal Soaker:

Cornmeal Soaker Directions:

1. Mix together the cornmeal and water. Cover and let stand at room temperature for about 8 hours.

For the Sponge:

Sponge Directions:

1. Mix together the cornmeal soaker, water, bread flour, and yeast until the dough is thoroughly hydrated.
2. Cover and let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour. The sponge should rise considerably and be slightly jiggly.

For the Final Anadama Bread Dough:

Anadama Bread Directions:

Mix. In a large bowl, mix together the soaker, bread flour, salt, molasses, and butter until a shaggy ball of dough is formed.

Knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.

Bulk Ferment #1. 45 minutes at room temperature

Stretch and Fold.

Bulk Ferment #2. 45 minutes at room temperature

Prepare 2 lightly greased 8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans.

Divide. 2 pieces

Shape. tight sandwich loaves

Final Proof. 60 to 90 minutes at room temperature, or until almost double its original size.

Preheat Oven. 350ºF / 175ºC

How to cut down on plastic wrap usage: use a bus tub with a tight lid for proofing.

Dust the tops with additional cornmeal right before baking if you feel like it.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350ºF / 175ºC. Rotate the pans and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown on all sides. The loaves will register 185ºF to 190ºF in the center when done.

Cooling on a rack.

Anadama bread crumb.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Anadama Bread

Similar Posts:

1. Whole Grain Anadama Bread
2. Potato, Cheddar Cheese, and Chive Bread
3. Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge, a Year of Blogging, and a Giveaway
4. Sourdough Flaxseed Rye Bread – Leinsamenbrot
5. Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread – 100% Whole Wheat
6. Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread – 100% Whole Grain

If, in a cheese bread recipe, you were told to deeply cut into the proofed dough to allow the cheese to ooze out while baking, wouldn’t you be interested in seeing what happens? The potential for a crusty-smoky mess in the oven is high, but don’t let that keep you from trying this recipe out.

The water used for cooking the potatoes is the hydrating agent of choice, so don’t forget to reserve it afterwards. Potato water does magical things to bread. It noticeably softens the crumb and somehow makes the crust more thin and crackly.

With freshly chopped chives kneaded into the dough, the bread reminds me of a baked potato. It’s just begging to be served with a side of sour cream and bacon (probably not a good idea but worth a try).

recipe adapted from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice
Bread Baking Day #19: Spring Country Bread hosted by Cindystar
Yeastspotting at Wild Yeast Blog

Potato, Cheddar Cheese, and Chive Bread
(using a liquid sourdough starter)

makes 2 large loaves

For the Liquid Sourdough Starter:

Liquid Sourdough Starter Directions:

1. Place the liquid starter in a bowl. Pour the water over the starter and stir to dissolve. Add the flour and mix until thoroughly hydrated.
2. Place in a bowl and cover. Let stand at room temperature for about 24 hours before using in the final dough.

For the Final Dough:

Potato, Cheddar Cheese, and Chive Bread Directions:

Boil the Potatoes. In a medium saucepan, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the coarsely chopped potatoes and simmer until soft. Drain, reserving the water. Let the potatoes cool completely before continuing.

Mix. In a large bowl, mix together the sourdough starter, half of the flour, half of the lukewarm potato water, instant yeast, and the cooked potatoes until evenly incorporated. Try to mash the potatoes into the dough at this time.

Rest. 30 minutes

Mix. Add the rest of the flour, lukewarm potato water, and salt. Continue mixing until a shaggy ball of dough is formed.

Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until the dough is only slightly sticky. Add the chives towards the end of kneading.

Bulk Ferment. 90 minutes at room temperature, or until about double its original size.

Prepare a sheet pan lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Divide. 2 pieces

Preshape. Pat the dough into rectangles about 6 inches wide by 8 inches long. Layer the slices of cheese on the dough.

Shape. Roll the dough beginning from the 6-inch side to form a spiral of cheese within. Shape into tight ovals.

Final Proof. 60 minutes at room temperature, or until about 1 1/2 times its original size.

Preheat Oven. 450ºF / 230ºC

Score. 1 or 2 deep diagonal cuts, until you reach the layer of cheese inside the dough.

Steam. 1 cup of boiling water poured in a heavy steam pan (preferably cast iron).

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 450ºF / 230ºC, rotating the loaves halfway through baking if necessary. The loaves will register about 200ºF / 93ºC in the center. The cheese may ooze out of the cuts and form a crust.

Cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing and serving.

Crusty cheese or cheesy crust?

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Potato, Cheddar Cheese, and Chive Bread

Similar Posts:

1. Rosemary Potato Bread
2. Rosemary Potato Pizza
3. Whole Grain Rosemary Potato Bread
4. Juustoleipä – Finnish Bread Cheese
5. Croque Madame – Grilled Cheese, Ham, and Egg Sandwich
6. Ensaimada – Filipino Cheese Brioche

The dark blistered crust pockmarked with fissures gives pain à l’ancienne a look some might call rustic, a polite way of describing misshapen food. Crudely shaped through stretching, these baguettes have thicker ends and seem unrefined at first glance.

What pain à l’ancienne lacks in looks, it more than makes up for in taste. If you consider only “lean” doughs, those made with the bare essentials of flour, water, salt and yeast, then this is as good as homemade bread gets.

The dough is developed using a long autolyse (pronounced auto-lees, as in, “You ought to lease an apartment instead because the economy sucks.”). Flour and water are mixed a day in advance without salt and yeast. This technique does a few things to the dough:

• The flour thoroughly absorbs the water, strengthening the gluten and improving gas retention. More water will be added with the salt and yeast on baking day. If all of the water is added at once, the dough will be weaker and more difficult to handle.
• During the long resting time, the water breaks the flour down into simple sugars, giving the bread a sweeter taste. My go-to Neapolitan-style pizza dough recipe uses a very similar method.

The result is a sweet and nutty bread with a deeply caramelized reddish-brown crust courtesy of the natural sugars unlocked from the flour. This recipe makes the most complex-tasting baguettes I’ve ever baked.

recipe adapted from The Fresh Loaf
Yeastspotting at Wild Yeast Blog

Pain à l’ancienne Baguettes

makes four 12- to 16-inch baguettes

Ingredients              Volume          Ounces          Grams
unbleached all-purpose flour  4 cups         17.6          500
water, ice cold       1 cup + 6 tbsp         11.5          325

water                3 tbsp + 1 tsp           1.8           50
salt                      1 1/2 tsp            .3            9
instant yeast             1 1/2 tsp            .2            5

Notes:

• I used King Arthur all-purpose flour.
• Peter Reinhart’s pain à l’ancienne in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice is based on a method very similar to this recipe. In Reinhart’s version, the salt and yeast are added before refrigeration.

Directions:

Mix             Mix together the flour and the ice-cold water until
                a shaggy ball of dough is formed.

Knead           4 to 6 minutes, until the flour is thoroughly hydrated
                and a smooth ball of dough is formed.

Autolyse        Cover with plastic wrap or store in an airtight
                container. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to
                2 days. The bread will be sweeter the longer the dough
                rests.

Knead           Add the additional water, salt, and instant yeast to
                the cold dough. Knead until the water is completely
                absorbed, about 6 to 10 minutes. The dough will be
                very sticky.

                The dough will initially have the consistency of
                chewing gum and will not readily absorb the additional
                water.

Ferment #1      90 minutes at room temperature

Stretch and Fold

Ferment #2      90 minutes at room temperature

Stretch and Fold

Ferment #3      2 to 3 hours at room temperature, or until almost doubled
                in size

Preheat Oven    460ºF / 240ºC

Divide          4 equal pieces using a lightly moistened bench scraper

Preshape        On a lightly floured surface, gently shape each piece
                into loose ovals by tucking the sides underneath the
                pieces of dough. Handle as gently as possible to avoid
                degassing.

Rest            10 minutes

Shape           Stretch gently into strips, about 12 to 16 inches long.

Steam           1 cup of boiling water poured in a heavy steam pan
                (preferably cast iron)

Bake            Bake for 8 to 9 minutes at 460ºF / 240ºC. Rotate the
                loaves and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the
                crust is deeply browned. The thickest part of the
                baguette will register 205ºF / 91ºC when done.

Cool            At least 30 minutes

Pain à l’ancienne baguette crust.

Pain à l’ancienne baguette crumb.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Pain à l’ancienne Baguettes

Similar Posts:

1. Eric Kayser’s Baguettes Monge
2. Pain d’épices – Fruit and Spice Cake
3. Peter Reinhart’s French Bread
4. Poilâne-Style High Extraction Miche
5. Pane Francese – Northern Italian French Bread
6. Eric Kayser’s Ciabatta au Levain Liquide

Heavy on cranberries and walnuts, bejeweled strips of dough barely held itself together as I tried to make a braid out of it. It didn’t seem like the freshly kneaded ball could take the large amount of dried fruits and nuts, but sure enough, everything came together as advertised after a few folds.

As you can clearly see in Exhibit A above, the result is a fruit-nutty equivalent of Chips Ahoy! (a chocolate chip in every bite). What isn’t quite obvious from the photo is the essential scent of orange extract that pulls everything together.

Citrus and cranberries have a natural affinity, so much so that Trader Joe’s decided to package both as orange-flavored cranberries, easily my favorite TJ foodstuff. It must be pretty popular because it’s been around for a while — TJ products are quickly dropped if they don’t fly off the shelves fast enough.

I use orange-flavored cranberries anywhere regular dried cranberries are needed. It’s not bad for light snacking, too. The only bad thing about it is I’d forgotten what cranberries are supposed to taste like.

recipe adapted from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice
Yeastspotting at Wild Yeast Blog

Cranberry-Walnut Bread

makes one braided loaf, boule, or batard
the shaped bread will fit on a half-sheet pan

Dough Ingredients:

Ingredients                  Volume          Ounces          Grams
bread flour                       3 cups         13.5          383
granulated sugar                  3 tbsp          1.5           43
kosher salt                     1/2 tbsp          0.2            5
instant yeast                 3 1/2 tsp           0.4           11

orange or lemon extract       1 1/2 tbsp          0.8           21
large eggs, lightly beaten        2               3.3           94
whole milk, at room temp        1/2 cup           4            113
unsalted butter, melted           2 tbsp          1             28
water, room temp                1/4 cup           2             57

dried cranberries             1 1/2 cups          9            255
coarsely chopped walnuts        3/4 cups          3             85

1 whisked egg, for the egg wash

Notes:

• Use about 3 tablespoons of citrus zest or an equal amount of orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier) instead of orange or lemon extract.
• The combination of cranberries with pistachios are a close second.

Instructions:

Mix             Stir the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together. Add
                the orange or lemon extract, eggs, whole milk,
                butter, and water. Mix until a shaggy ball of dough
                is formed.

Knead           5 to 6 minutes

Rest            5 minutes

Knead           Add the cranberries and knead gently for 2 to 3
                minutes. Add the walnuts. Gently fold the dough over
                itself until the cranberries and walnuts are
                evenly incorporated.

Bulk Ferment    2 hours at room temperature

Shape           double-decker braid (as suggested in the original
                recipe), three-braid (as shown), boule, or batard.

Chockful of fruits and nuts. Just like high school.

Egg Wash        Glaze with about half of the egg wash. Refrigerate
                the rest of the egg wash for a second coating
                after the final proof.

Preheat Oven    325ºF / 165ºC

Final Proof     60 to 90 minutes at room temperature while uncovered,
                or until almost doubled in size

Egg Wash        Glaze with the rest of the egg wash

Bake            Bake for 50 to 55 minutes at 325ºF / 165ºC, rotating
                the loaf halfway through baking if necessary. The
                center of the loaf will register 185ºF / 85ºC to
                190ºF / 88ºC when done. 

Cool            At least 1 hour

Freshly baked cranberry-walnut bread.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Cranberry-Walnut Bread

Similar Posts:

1. Blueberry-Cranberry Bread
2. Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread – 100% Whole Wheat
3. Five-Grain Walnut Bread
4. Cranberry Drop Scones
5. Pumpkin Quick Bread – Whole Wheat with Walnuts
6. Hazelnut, Fig, Fennel Seed, and Rosemary Bread

This is, without a doubt, the best recipe for pizza dough I’ve ever tried. Chilled flour, ice-cold water, salt, and a small amount of yeast are mixed together and immediately refrigerated in this unique method that draws out the complex flavors locked inside the flour. This delayed fermentation process is arguably the most important, and thankfully, also the easiest, technique in Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.

When flour is hydrated, starch is slowly broken down into simpler sugars. Since the dough is kept very cold and immediately refrigerated, the yeast falls asleep and doesn’t snack on these carbohydrates until removed from cold storage. Compared to dough developed using conventional methods, the result is a naturally sweeter dough courtesy of the larger reserve of fermentable sugars.

More carbs for the yeast. More carbs for you. Everybody’s happy. Until the yeast meets its end on a 600ºF baking stone, that is.

The Daring Bakers – Pizza Napoletana Dough
hosted by Rosa’s Yummy Yums

pizza dough recipe adapted from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice

Pizza Napoletana Margherita
Neapolitan-Style Pizza with Buffalo Milk Mozzarella

For the Pizza Dough:

makes six 6-ounce pizza crusts

Ingredients              Volume          Ounces          Grams
bread flour, chilled      4 1/2 cups         20.25         574
sea salt                  1 3/4 tsp            .44          12
instant yeast                 1 tsp            .11           3
water, ice cold           1 3/4 cups         14            399

Notes:

• You can also substitute all-purpose or high-gluten flour to replace the bread flour. The ideal flour to use is Italian wheat flour type “00″ (doppio zero).
• Here’s a ridiculously detailed specification sheet for making authentic Pizza Napoletana. Very useful if you happen to have a wood-fired brick oven in your backyard.

Pizza Dough Instructions:

Mix             Mix all of the pizza dough ingredients until evenly
                incorporated

Knead           6 to 8 minutes

Rest            5 to 15 minutes

Knead           1 minute to further strengthen the gluten

Divide          6 equal pieces

Preshape        Shape each piece into a loose ball

In a sealable container, store the dough in the refrigerator at
least overnight, or keep for up to three days.

For the Pizza Margherita Toppings:

approximate amounts for each pizza crust

Because I take homemade pizza way too seriously.

fresh or canned plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, preferably San Marzano varietal
a pinch of sea salt
mozzarella cheese, preferably made with buffalo milk, about 3 to 4 ounces
extra virgin olive oil, about 1 to 2 teaspoons
fresh basil leaves, torn

cornmeal or semolina flour, for dusting the pizza peel

Notes:

• Pizza Napoletana Margherita is traditionally baked with the basil on top, but I prefer to add the torn leaves immediately after pulling from the oven.
• When dusting the pizza peel, use more cornmeal or semolina flour than you think you’ll need. There’s nothing worse than stuck pizza dough.

To Bake and Assemble Pizza Napoletana Margherita:

Remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator 2
hours before baking.

Preheat Oven    Preheat to the maximum temperature, preferably with a
                baking stone. You can also use a heavy gauge sheet pan
                that won't warp at high temperatures.

Preshape        Preshape the pizza dough into a disk about 4 to 5
                inches wide.

Rest            About 15 minutes

Shape           Toss the pizza dough by bouncing it on your fists,
                until about 9 to 12 inches in diameter. It's a bit
                harder than it sounds and takes a bit of practice.
                The edges will be much thicker than the center.

The Tomatoes    In a spiraling motion from the center, apply a thin
                layer of tomatoes. Evenly distribute a pinch of sea salt
                over the tomatoes.

The Cheese      Spread about 3 to 4 ounces of sliced mozzarella over the
                tomato sauce. Drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil.

Shake           Before loading the oven, make sure that the pizza
                is not stuck to the peel. Shake the pizza loose until
                it slides around freely.

Bake            Bake until slightly charred on the edges. It takes
                about 4 to 5 minutes when baked on a screaming hot
                baking stone in my oven. Your mileage may vary.

A bit overdone, maybe? I was kind of going for this look.

Serve           Sprinkle with the torn basil leaves and cut into 6 to 8
                pieces using a pizza cutter or large knife.

                Serve immediately.

Homemade Pizza Napoletana Margherita. Close enough for me.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Pizza Napoletana Margherita – Neapolitan-Style Pizza

Similar Posts:

1. Rosemary Potato Pizza
2. Poilâne-Style High Extraction Miche
3. Sourdough Italian-Style French Bread
4. Rhubarb and Asparagus Top Chef Style
5. Pain à l’ancienne Baguettes
6. Rosemary Potato Bread

I affectionately call lavash “spice rack velcro,” or a quick and easy way to make a small dent in my growing stockpile of spices. My habit of getting carried away and buying ridiculous amounts of spices in bulk has gotten worse. I don’t even know what I have in my kitchen anymore, but whenever I make this yeasted Armenian flatbread, I have an excuse to dig into The Stash and pick out something. Anything.

I prefer my lavash a bit softer, brushed lightly with olive oil, and topped with at most 2 types of seeds and spices. Anything is fair game. Forgive me for using the most overused food-related cliché, but lavash is as close to a blank culinary canvas as it gets, both literally and figuratively.

The Daring Bakers – Peter Reinhart’s Lavash (Armenian Flatbread)
hosted by Natalie and Shel

recipe adapted from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice

Peter Reinhart’s Lavash – Armenian Flatbread

makes 1 half-sheet pan of crackers or 2 smaller loaves

Can you identify all of the toppings? (answers below)

Notes:

• Dock the flattened dough right before baking to keep the lavash from puffing up in the oven.
• If using ground toppings, add after baking the lavash to keep the toppings from burning.

For the Final Dough:

Ingredients                  Volume          Ounces          Grams
bread flour                   1 1/2 cups          6.75         191
salt                            1/2 tsp
instant yeast                   1/2 tsp
honey                             1 tbsp           .75          21
vegetable oil                     1 tbsp           .5           14
water, at room temperature      1/3 cup           3             85

Final Dough Instructions:

Mix             Mix all of the ingredients until evenly incorporated

Knead           10 minutes

Bulk Ferment    90 minutes at room temperature, until doubled in size
                (or retard in the refrigerator overnight)

Shape           Using a rolling pin, flatten into a paper-thin sheet
                (the whole batch of dough will measure approximately
                12x15 inches)

Preheat Oven    350ºF/177ºC

Glaze/Toppings  Glaze with vegetable or olive oil and sprinkle lightly
                with any whole or ground spices of your choice
                (see below)

Bake            Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350ºF/177ºC, until
                browned evenly.

Cool            10 minutes

From top to bottom: shichimi togarashi (Japanese 7-spice blend), sumac, sichuan peppercorns, garam masala, oregano, kalonji (nigella seeds), sesame seeds, pimentón (Spanish paprika).

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Lavash (Armenian Flatbread) aka “Spice Rack Velcro”

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1. Injera – Ethiopian Sourdough Flatbread
2. Pumpkin Spice Brioche
3. Sesame Flaxseed Crackers
4. Pumpkin Quick Bread – Whole Wheat with Walnuts
5. Ensaimada – Filipino Cheese Brioche
6. Cranberry-Walnut Bread

Having good bread and olive oil is always a comforting way to start a meal. This Italian loaf baked with rosemary and mashed potatoes is my idea of the perfect dipping bread. Each of the three elements, the bread itself, the rosemary, and the potatoes, have a natural affinity with olive oil. Combining everything in one bite makes the little extra effort in preparing it worthwhile.

Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Sounding My Barbaric Gulp

recipe adapted from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice

Rosemary Potato Bread
Panmarino

makes two 1-pound loaves

Notes:

• The dough will be slack using the amount of water I used (8 ounces) in the final dough but will give it a more open crumb, which means more nooks and crannies for the olive oil to creep into. It will be sticky and may be a bit difficult to handle and shape, so feel free to reduce the water by 1 to 1 1/2 ounces. It may not seem like a lot but it makes a huge difference in the stiffness of the dough.
• I sliced and boiled yukon gold potatoes for this recipe. Use the water for boiling the potatoes instead of the plain water in the final dough to further tenderize the bread. Leftover mashed potatoes will also work nicely.
• Add some coarsely ground black pepper and roasted garlic in the final dough for extra flavor. If using roasted garlic, add it towards the end of kneading.

For the Biga:

Ingredients                  Volume          Ounces          Grams
bread flour                                       4.2          119
instant yeast                   1/4 tsp
water                           1/3 cup           2.8           80

Mix the biga ingredients until a shaggy ball of dough is formed. Knead the biga for about 4 to 6 minutes or until the dough is soft, pliable, and forms a smooth ball.

Place the biga in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let rise at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours or until doubled in size.

Remove the dough from the bowl and knead lightly to degas. Return to the bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. Let the biga sit at room temperature for 1 hour before using in the final dough.

Final Dough Formula:

Ingredients                  Volume          Ounces          Grams
all of the biga, cut into small pieces
bread flour                                      14            397
salt                              1.5 tsp
instant yeast                     1.25 tsp
mashed potatoes                   1 cup           6            170
olive oil                         1 tbsp
fresh rosemary                    2 tbsp
water                             1 cup           8            227

olive oil, for glazing (optional)

Final Dough Instructions:

Mix             Mix all of the ingredients until evenly incorporated

Knead           8 to 10 minutes

Rest            5 minutes

Knead           1 minute

Bulk Ferment    2 hours in a lightly oiled bowl, or until doubled

Divide          2 pieces

Shape           boule or batard

Final Proof     approximately 1 to 2 hours at room temperature

Preheat Oven    400ºF

proofed rosemary potato bread

Score           (optional)

Bake            Bake for 20 minutes at 400ºF. Rotate the loaf
                if necessary and bake for another 15 to 25
                minutes.

Glaze           Brush with olive oil after removing from the
                oven (optional)

Cool            At least 1 hour

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Rosemary Potato Bread

Similar Posts:

1. Whole Grain Rosemary Potato Bread
2. Rosemary Potato Pizza
3. Potato, Cheddar Cheese, and Chive Bread
4. Hazelnut, Fig, Fennel Seed, and Rosemary Bread
5. Potato and Orange Salad – Ensalada Valenciana
6. Gamja Jeon – Korean Potato Pancakes

Pain Poilâne is a naturally fermented French country bread that weighs in at a hefty two kilograms. The flour used for the bread is high extraction gray flour, containing some but not all of the wheat bran. High extraction flour is not likely to be available at your local grocery store but Peter Reinhart suggests a couple of options in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.

The first option is to sift the coarsest bits of bran from regular whole wheat flour. The approximate weight of the sifted flour should be anywhere between 85% to 95% of the original whole wheat flour weight. It’s a bit messy and time-consuming to manually sift all of the flour needed to make one Poilâne-style miche but there is a more convenient option. Using a mixture of equal amounts of whole wheat flour (100%) and bread flour (70%) approximates the extraction rate of gray flour (around 85%).

After tweaking the formula in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice several times, I settled on mixing 75% white whole wheat flour with 25% regular bread flour. I sometimes use equal amounts of white whole wheat and regular bread flour for a lighter loaf but prefer the added health benefits of using a larger amount of whole grains.

The crusty exterior and minimally airy crumb makes a very satisfying alternative to regular sandwich bread. I prefer lightly toasting a thick slice on one side, either drizzled with extra virgin olive oil or smeared with butter.

This is my entry for Bread Baking Babes, hosted by Sher of What Did you Eat?, where you can find the original formula from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, as well as Peter Reinhart’s method for starting a sourdough culture.

makes 1 two kilogram miche (large boule)

Poilâne-Style High Extraction Miche

For the Firm Starter:

1 cup (7 ounces) barm (sourdough culture at 100% hydration)
2 cups (9 ounces) white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (4 ounces) water, at room temperature

bubbly wild yeast starter at 100% hydration

The day before baking the bread, make the firm starter. Mix all of the firm starter ingredients in a bowl until a firm ball is formed. On a lightly floured counter, knead for about 3 minutes. Place the firm starter in a loosely covered container.

Ferment at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours or until doubled in size. Refrigerate overnight.

For the Final Dough:

4 3/4 cups (21.75 ounces) white whole wheat flour
2 1/4 cups (10.25 ounces) bread flour
4 teaspoons (.81 ounces) salt
2 3/4 cups (22 ounces) water, lukewarm (90°F to 100°F)

Notes:

• I usually add all of the bread flour on the day I bake the dough. Excluding the flour in the barm, 10.25 ounces amounts to 25% of the flour weight. Feel free to try different proportions of whole wheat flour to bread flour.
• I used the maximum amount of water suggested to get a slightly more open crumb. The original recipe calls for 18 to 22 ounces of water.

firm starter after 6 hours of fermentation and overnight refrigeration

Remove the starter from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the final dough. Cut the starter into small pieces and let sit at room temperature for about 1 hour. Mix the starter pieces with the rest of the final dough ingredients until a soft ball is formed.

Knead for 12 to 15 minutes by hand using the kneading technique demonstrated in this video. Reinhart warns that the dough may be too large for home mixers. Make sure that your dough passes the windowpane test after kneading. Prepare a lightly oiled container.

Place the dough in the lightly oiled container and loosely cover. Ferment at room temperature for 4 hours or until almost doubled in size.

Carefully transfer the dough to a counter. Gently form a large boule as demonstrated in this video. Proof at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, or until 1 1/2 times its size.

Preheat your oven to 500°F with a steam pan, preferably cast iron, in the bottom of the oven. Gently flip your banneton or proofing basket to transfer the proofed dough onto the back of a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Score the boule.

Load the oven with the sheet pan or transfer the loaves onto a hot baking stone. Pour 2 cups of boiling water onto the steam pan and immediately close the oven door. Lower the oven to 450°F and bake for 25 minutes. Rotate the loaves 180 degrees and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes until the crust turns golden brown.

Let the miche rest on a cooling rack for at least 3 hours.

Poilâne-style miche crust

Poilâne-style miche crumb

Update:

The round-up is now online:

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Poilâne-Style High Extraction Miche

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When I first got interested in making bread, I found baguettes to be the most intimidating. How can I get irregular holes in the crumb? How can I get regularly spaced slash patterns? How can I get a golden crackly crust?

It took more than a few tries to make passable baguettes with this recipe from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. The shaping of the baguettes proved to be the most difficult step and required a lot of practice and several attempts at misshapen, albeit delicious, loaves.

makes 3 baguettes

For the pre-ferment (pâte fermentée):

2 1/4 cups (10 ounces) unbleached bread flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (7 ounces) water, at room temperature

Notes:

• Reinhart suggests half all-purpose and half bread flour, but I like the extra chewiness from using 100% bread flour (King Arthur Bread Flour).
• The suggested amount of water is 6 to 7 ounces and I went with the higher amount initially. Since I used 100% bread flour, the dough will be able to take more water due to the higher protein content in the flour.

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until the dough comes together and knead until it goes from a sticky mess to a smooth ball.

Don’t worry too much about developing the gluten at this point.

Let rise in a sealed container for about 1 hour at room temperature or until it expands to 1 1/2 times its size.

Knead lightly for about a minute and return to the sealed container. Keep in the refrigerator overnight. The pre-ferment will be usable for up to 3 days, although I tend to get nervous when it’s been sitting around for more than 24 hours. Sometimes it seems like it’s about to pop out of the container and spill all over the vegetables and eggs in my refrigerator. Not that it’s ever happened before. Be sure that your container can handle a volume at least 3 times as big as the dough.

For the final dough:

All of the pâte fermentée
2 1/4 cups (10 ounces) unbleached bread flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (7 ounces) water, at room temperature

Notes:

• The new dough is identical to the pâte fermentée formula. Pre-fermenting half of the final dough is one of many techniques used to achieve a fully developed flavor.

Take your pre-fermented dough out of the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature for about 1 hour to take off the chill. It will be bubbly and may continue to rise in your container.

Cut up the pre-ferment into small pieces and mix with the second half.

Knead for about 10 minutes. I favor the kneading technique demonstrated in this video. Richard Bertinet is shown working on a sweet dough recipe but the technique also works well for our baguette dough.

I strongly encourage doing it by hand as opposed to using a KitchenAid. It’s eerily satisfying when everything starts coming together after slapping the stringy dough onto a work surface repeatedly. It’s not like I have a choice, though, since I have neither the funds nor the counter space to take the plunge.

In a lightly oiled container, ferment at room temperature for about 2 hours or until the dough doubles in size.

It’s very important to put some oil in the container so the dough doesn’t stick when extracting from the bowl later. It should come out as one well-formed blob and feel very slightly sticky to the touch. From this point on, handle the dough as gently as possible to keep the bubbles within from deflating.

Use a weighing scale and divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. It’s okay to cut off small bits of dough to evenly distribute.

The next step is arguably the most difficult. Shaping the baguettes requires a lot of practice so don’t get frustrated if you end up with lopsided loaves. It’ll taste good regardless. The shaping method I use is demonstrated in this video created by a member of The Fresh Loaf.

Proof the shaped baguettes with the seam side up at room temperature for 45 to 75 minutes or until it expands to 1 1/2 times its size. The loaves in the picture are settled in a floured linen couche, but parchment paper can be used in the same manner. This will keep the loaves from flattening out and help maintain a tubular shape.

Preheat your oven to 500°F with a steam pan, preferably cast iron, in the bottom of the oven. I have a dedicated cast iron skillet used solely for creating steam in the oven. Don’t use your well-seasoned cast iron skillet passed down from grandma. The high oven heat will ruin the seasoning you’ve been painstakingly maintaining all these years. I had to find out the hard way. If you have one of those fancy ovens with built-in steam functionality then we probably won’t get along.

Transfer the proofed baguettes onto parchment paper on the back of a sheet pan. The seams previously on top should now be on the bottom.

Score the baguettes. Imagine a line running down the top of the loaves. Using a very sharp knife or a bread slashing tool called a lamé, create incisions about half an inch deep that overlap and run almost parallel to the imaginary line running down the center of the loaves. Cuts that run from side to side will barely expand because long loaves tend to widen instead of lengthen as a result of oven spring.

Load the oven with the sheet pan or transfer the loaves onto a hot baking stone. Pour 2 cups of boiling water onto the steam pan and immediately close the oven door. Lower the oven to 450°F and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the loaves 180 degrees and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes until the crust turns golden brown.

Place the baguettes on a cooling rack for about 1 hour. Try to keep yourself from biting the crackly ends off straight from the oven. Each baguette will tip the scales at the traditional weight of approximately 250 grams.

Le Grigne

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Peter Reinhart’s French Bread

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