Baking by Hand (15 page)
Authors: Andy King
THE SAVORY FENDU
We love this product because it fills the bakeshop with the aroma of stuffing. We’re not sure if it’s just the onions and rosemary, or whether the potatoes add more than just texture and moisture to the dough, but wow, it smells like Thanksgiving every time. We shape the loaves as fendu, which means “split” in French, and you’ll need a thin rolling pin or a 1-inch/2.5-cm diameter dowel (from any local hardware store) to give them their distinctive, bi-hemispherical look. This is a fantastic cold-weather bread, perfect for dipping in stews or mopping up juices from any cut of roast meat.
• Yield: Three 1 lb 10 oz/750-g loaves
• Desired Dough Temperature: 85°F/30°C
• Mixing Time: 40 minutes
• Bulk Fermentation: ~2 hours
• Proofing Time: ~1.5 hours
• Baking Time: ~25 minutes
• Cooling Time: ~1 hour
Mix your poolish (see
here
).
12 oz/340 ml 75°F/20°C water
12 oz/340 g bread flour
½ tsp/2 g instant yeast
1 lb 5.75 oz/620 g white bread flour
6 oz/170 g whole wheat flour
8 oz/250 g roasted Yukon Gold potatoes, crushed (see
here
)
1 lb 7 oz/650 g poolish
14 oz/400 ml 90°F/32°C water
5.5 oz/155 g roasted onions (see
here
)
3 ¼ tsp/23 g tsp fine sea salt
1 ¼ tsp/5 g instant yeast
1 small bunch fresh rosemary, chopped
Combine your flours and potatoes in your large mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix your poolish, water and onions, and remember to keep that water warm to give your yeast a comfortable atmosphere to grow. Swirl those ingredients around with your hand to combine. Then, dump your flour and potatoes on top of the liquid ingredients, and mix it by hand for about 30 seconds, until it comes together in a shaggy mass. If there are still larger chunks of potatoes in the mix, just crush them between your fingers. Don’t forget to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl regularly; you want all of that flour hydrated and don’t want to see any dry spots. Set aside in a warm place, at least 80°F/25°C, for 30 minutes. If you’re having trouble finding your warm place, it’s time to use your trusty heat lamp.
Sprinkle the salt and yeast on top of the dough and grab a four-finger pinch of the dough and pull. It should stretch out like chunky taffy rather than just tear off. Incorporate the salt and yeast into the dough, continuously pushing the sides of the dough into the middle while turning the bowl. After a minute of this, the dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl and developing a bit of a sheen, and you shouldn’t feel any crunchy salt crystals. Add the rosemary to the mix, and continue mixing by hand until well incorporated. Remember, the folding will help distribute the rosemary, so don’t wear yourself out getting it perfectly mixed in. Cover the bowl, and put it in your warm place for 30 minutes.
Turn your dough onto a lightly floured surface and give it your four-fold (see
here
). It should make a tight little package and after every fold the dough’s volume should increase. It should consistently feel warm and active. Roll the dough over and place it, seam side down, back into the bowl. Repeat every 30 minutes (you’ll fold the dough three times in total) until the dough is strong but puffy, warm to the touch and holds a fingerprint when pressed into the surface. The whole process will take about 2 hours.
Once your dough is ready to cut, turn it out onto your floured work surface. Using your bench knife and scale, divide into three 1 pound 10 ounce/750-g pieces. Gently shape the dough into rounds (see
here
), being careful not to compress the dough too much, and place seam side down on your work surface. Cover and rest for 1 hour. Dust three bannetons with flour and set aside.
For this particular style, the fendu (see
here
), we call the next step “pinning” rather than “shaping,” because, well, that’s what it is. Dust your work surface with a good amount of flour, and gently scoop your rounded loaves up with your bench knife and place—still seam side down!—on the flour. Sprinkle some flour on the top of the loaf as well. Grab the thinnest rolling pin you have, such as a French one or a 1-inch/2.5-cm diameter dowel, and press down in the middle of the loaf. Roll the pin back and forth a bit, not pressing so hard that you actually cut through the dough, and then remove the pin to reveal a bisected loaf. Roll the two sides together, gently flip the loaf over and place cut side down in the banneton. Place the finished loaves in your warm place and cover with a towel.
While your dough is proofing (what bakers call the last rise of a shaped loaf), place your baking stone on the lowest rack in your oven, and your cast-iron pan on the highest rack. Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C. Check in on your bread periodically; if the surface feels dried out, spray it with a bit of water to allow for maximum expansion. If it feels cold, make it warmer. This may take up to 1 ½ hours, depending on the conditions of your kitchen. The loaf is ready to go in when it feels very airy and holds a fingerprint when pressed into the surface.
Flip the loaves out of the bannetons and onto your peel. It might take a couple of batches to bake all your bread, depending on your oven size. Now, grab three ice cubes from the freezer. Being careful to not keep the oven door open too long and let the heat out, open the oven, slide your loaf onto the stone, throw the three ice cubes into the cast-iron pan and close the door. After 5 minutes, quickly open the door and spray the interior of the oven with water. Continue baking until the loaf is evenly browned, about 25 minutes, and has a nice hollow thump when you tap it on the bottom. Let cool for at least an hour before cutting.
It’s always a great idea to roast a few more potatoes and onions than you will need. You’ll eat about a quarter of the potatoes, and you can throw caramelized onions in everything from your omelet tomorrow to your roasted chicken’s pan sauce.
1 lb/450 g Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-in/2.5-cm dice
1 lb/450 g yellow onions, trimmed and sliced into ½-in/1-cm strips
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Toss the potatoes and the onions on separate sheet pans with a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. Roast, stirring regularly, for about 45 minutes or until the onions are browned and the potatoes are crispy, golden and soft in the middle. Let cool fully, and crush the potatoes roughly with your hands, before using in the bread. If making ahead and refrigerating, bring them to room temperature before adding them to your dough.
SWEET. GOLDEN AND EASY LIKE SUNDAY MORNING
Semolina flour comes from durum wheat, a strain of the same stuff that produces your bread flour. Unfortunately, it has a pretty paltry amount of gluten in it, o it’s generally mixed with white flour when used in bread (it’s amazingly fantastic for pasta, though). When used in dough, it imparts a beautiful yellow glow and a firm toothiness to the crumb that pairs nicely with dried fruit—in this case, apricots. The fennel just makes it smell delicious, making this one of our most popular Sunday morning breads.
• Yield: Four 1 lb 4 oz/550-g loaves
• Desired Dough Temperature: 85°F/30°C
• Mixing Time: 40 minutes
• Bulk Fermentation: ~2 hours
• Proofing Time: ~1 hour
• Baking Time: ~25 minutes
• Cooling Time: ~1 hour
Mix your poolish (see
here
).
11.5 oz/330 ml 75°F/20°C water
11.5 oz/330 g white bread flour
½ tsp/2 g instant yeast
15.5 oz/440 g white bread flour
14.5 oz/410 g semolina flour
1 lb 6.5 oz/640 g poolish
1 lb/450 ml 90°F/32°C water
3 ½ tsp/24 g fine sea salt
1 ½ tsp/6 g instant yeast
10.25 oz/290 g dried apricots, diced
1 ½ tbsp/18 g fennel seeds
Combine your flours in your large mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix your poolish and water, and remember to keep that water warm to give your yeast a comfortable atmosphere to grow. Then, dump your flour on top of the liquid ingredients, and mix it by hand for about 30 seconds, until it comes together in a shaggy mass. Don’t forget to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl regularly; you want all of that flour hydrated and don’t want to see any dry spots. Set aside in a warm place, at least 80°F/25°C, for 30 minutes. If you’re having trouble finding your warm place, it’s time to use your trusty heat lamp.
Sprinkle the salt and yeast on top of the dough and grab a four-finger pinch of the dough and pull. It should stretch out like chunky taffy rather than just tear off. Incorporate the salt and yeast into the dough, continuously pushing the sides of the dough into the middle while turning the bowl. After a minute of this, the dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl and developing a bit of a sheen, and you shouldn’t feel any crunchy salt crystals. Toss in your apricots and fennel seeds, and, using the same arm motion, incorporate them into the dough. Remember, the folds will help distribute everything, so don’t wear yourself out getting the apricots perfectly mixed. Cover the bowl, and put it in your warm place for 30 minutes.
Turn your dough onto a lightly floured surface and give it your four-fold (see
here
). It should make a tight little package and after every fold the dough’s volume should increase. It should consistently feel warm and active. Roll the dough over and place it, seam side down, back into the bowl. Repeat every 30 minutes (you’ll fold the dough three times in total) until the dough is strong but puffy, warm to the touch and holds a fingerprint when pressed into the surface. The whole process will take about 2 hours.
Once your dough is ready to cut, turn it out onto your floured work surface. Using your bench knife and scale, divide into four 1 pound 4 ounce/550-g pieces. Gently shape the dough into rounds (see
here
), being careful not to compress the dough too much, and place seam side down on your work surface. Cover and rest for 20 minutes to build a bit more strength into the loaf before final shaping. Dust the couche lightly with semolina flour.
Take your rested rounds and gently, but firmly, shape them into 12-inch/30-cm tapered batards (see
here
). Pinch the seam shut if necessary, but the dough’s moisture should be enough to seal the loaf closed. Place your shaped loaves seam side up on your couche, and pleat snugly. Place the board in your warm spot until the loaves are ready to bake.
While your dough is proofing, place your baking stone on the lowest rack in your oven, and your cast-iron pan on the highest rack. Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C. Check in on your bread periodically; if the surface feels dried out, spray it with a bit of water to allow for maximum expansion. If it feels cold, make it warmer. This may take over an hour, depending on the conditions of your kitchen. The loaf is ready to go in when it feels very airy and holds a fingerprint when pressed into the surface.
Flip the loaves over onto your peel. It might take a couple of batches to bake all your bread, depending on your oven size. Slash the surface of the loaves in your desired pattern—we do a classic one-slash right along the length of the entire loaf. Now, grab three ice cubes from the freezer. Being careful to not keep the oven door open too long and let the heat out, open the oven, slide your loaf onto the stone, throw the three ice cubes into the cast-iron pan and close the door. After 5 minutes, quickly open the door and spray the interior of the oven with water. Continue baking until the loaf is evenly browned, about 25 minutes, and has a nice hollow thump when you tap it on the bottom. Let cool for at least 1 hour before cutting.
MAKE A TOAST!
This is a classic pan loaf that just gets better when toasted and spread with butter or used for French toast. There are a few keys to making this loaf perfectly: You need to scald the milk to denature the proteins that inhibit the bread rising; you need to use ice instead of water to cool the milk down; and you need to fold the dough only once, rather than the usual three or four times, so as not to build too much strength into the dough. You will be rolling it up tightly, after all, and you don’t want the layers to separate. The final key? Lots and lots of cinnamon sugar.
• Yield: Two 5-in × 9-in/12 × 23-cm pan loaves
• Desired Dough Temperature: 85°F/30°C
• Mixing Time: 40 minutes
• Bulk Fermentation: ~2 hours
• Proofing Time: ~2 hours
• Baking Time: ~25 minutes
• Cooling Time: ~15 minutes
1 lb 12.75 oz/815 g white bread flour
3.75 oz/110 g granulated sugar
6.5 oz/180 ml whole milk
6.5 oz/180 g ice
6 oz/170 g large eggs
3.25 oz/90 g unsalted butter, melted
2 ½ tsp/17 g fine sea salt
2 tsp/8 g instant yeast
½ cup/40 g ground cinnamon and ½ cup/60 g granulated sugar, mixed together
Combine your flour and sugar in your large mixing bowl. Warm your milk in a pan on the stove or in the microwave until it is steaming, and then pour it into a large bowl and combine with the ice to make a (relatively) room-temperature liquid. Add the eggs and melted butter, and swish the mixture around with your hand to mix it up, making sure to break all of the yolks. Then, dump your flour and sugar on top of the liquid ingredients, and mix it by hand for about 30 seconds, until it comes together in a shaggy mass. Don’t forget to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl regularly; you want all of that flour hydrated and don’t want to see any dry spots. Set aside in a warm place, at least 80°F/25°C, for 30 minutes. If you’re having trouble finding your warm place, it’s time to use your trusty heat lamp.
