By nacpark on 2016-03-27
Making bread was my first real foray into the world of food. I learned about it from the Tassajara Bread Book and continue to enjoy the information it contains. After a certain point, looking to improve and broaden my horizons, I spent a few years making bread in the style of Chad Robertson and Ken Forkish, but I had problems in the winter keeping the starter active enough to make good bread because of cold temperatures inside. I am addicted to the flavour that a preferment gives to bread, and for that reason, I've begun experimenting with a pâte fermentée, or chef, which was advocated by Raymond Calvel, whose books I've always wanted to read.
I've always enjoyed kneading, and one of the reasons I don't like making higher hydration doughs is because one can't knead, and must spend a couple of hours dealing with dough. The folds and turns might not take much time to do, but it is time when I can't be out of the house running errands, with kneaded dough, it's 10 minutes up front, but I'm not tied to it at all during bulk fermentation.
I generally tend to make different kinds of bread each week, maybe it's a baguette for bahn mi, a boule for tartines, pizza for, well-- pizza, rolls for with dinner, or raisin bread for breakfast, english muffins for my nephews, yeasted pastries because they are delicious. The point is that I need (pun intended) a dough that's versatile and can be augmented without too much change. A basic lean bread dough is just about perfect for me, about 65% hydration should work well for most of my projects. That covers bread, pizza, baguettes, rolls,
A poolish is a preferment that uses equal parts water and flour by weight and a touch of yeast fermented at room temperature for 12-14 hours. It couldn't be simpler, just mix everything together in a bowl the night before you plan to make bread, cover and use the next morning. For a single loaf of bread, that probably means about 500g of flour, 500g of water and a little less than 1/8t of tradition dry yeast.
The next morning mix up the final dough, pour 150g of water around the outside of the poolish which should be about 3 times its original size and quite bubbly, with one popping fairly often. If it's begun to sink, it is a little past it's prime, but will still give good flavour. In another larger bowl, combine 500g of flour, and 20g of salt. Pour the poolish and water on top and combine. Knead for about 10 minutes until it is smoothly elastic. Put back in the large bowl and cover. Let rise for 2-3 hours until it is doubled in size.
If you already have a chef; cut it into pieces. Add 670g flour, 13.5g salt, and 435g water to a large bowl along with the chef pieces, combine and knead 10 minutes until smoothly elastic. Cover and let rise 2-3 hours until doubled in size.
When the dough has doubled, turn it out onto the counter and cut a piece of dough off that is about 550g. Place this in a sealed container and put it in the fridge to use in the next batch of dough 3-4 days from now. With the rest of the dough, follow the instructions for various uses below.
To shape a baguette, divide off 455g of dough and roughly shape into a rectangle, let rest 20-30 minutes until relaxed. Fold the third of the rectangle closest to you into the middle, then grab the ends of the dough and stretch it until it is about twice as long as it was. Fold the top of the dough down and slowly roll the back edge towards you developing tension in the loaf. Pinch the seam closed and roll the cylinder longer, tapering the ends until it is as long as your baking sheet or stone. Place on a lightly floured tea towel and cover with a damp tea towel and let rise until about 1.5 times larger (2-3 hours), score the loaf diagonally overlapping the cuts by 2-3cm. Tranfser to a baking sheet, or use a peel to place on a preheated baking stone. Bake in a high steam oven at 500F for 15 minutes, then drop the oven temp to 425F and bake for another 10-15 minutes until browned and cooked through.
To make a boule, use about 650g of dough, shape into a rough circle and leave to relax for 20-30 minutes, then fold the bottom up towards the middle. Next fold in the right side, followed by the left, finally, bring the top of the dough all the way over. Using two hands to gently cup the dough, pull it towards you over the counter top creating tension in the loaf. Do this a few times if necessary, maybe spinning it a bit until you have a nice ball. Place in a well floured banneton, and let rise until doubled in size, 2-3 hours.
When the loaf has doubled in size, flip it into a dutch oven preheated to 475F taking care not to get burned. Score the loaf with a knife or razor blade using whichever pattern you like. Put the lid on and bake for 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes until the loaf is well browned on the outside and cooked through on the inside.
For a 12" thin crust Neapolitan style pizza, use 240g of dough. Pick it up and find a flat section of the dough to form the outside of the dough ball. Holding the dough in both hands, gently stretch the top of the ball out, pushing the dough you're moving into the middle of the inside. Rotate the ball as you go until it has a nice amount of tension on the top, if it tears, you've gone too far. Place the dough ball on a counter with the former bottom facing right. Keeping your right hand straight and roughly perpendicular to the countertop, being to roll the dough ball away from you with your right hand in the middle of the ball, and the left hand gently guiding the dough. Gradually work your way down the ball, it should form and absorb a tail during this process, it's important to get the air out of the middle of the ball at this point or it will make a thin spot when it is stretched later. When the ball is formed, place it into an oiled container and oil the top before putting a lid on the container. Place the container in the fridge and wait 2-4 days before using.
When you want to make pizza, pull out a doughball and lightly flour the counter top using the top of the dough as the bottom of the crust. Gently stretch the dough from the edges by moving your hands in opposite directions on the edge of the dough. The dough should move clockwise as you do this. When the edges are thin, pick up the dough and brush off any excess flour from the bottom or top. Place on screen or peel and top. Bake in a well preheated oven on top a a pizza stone for 5-15 minutes depending on your oven and the thickness of your dough and toppings. The important thing is to check frequently when you are baking the first one. You will likely need to turn the pizza once or twice while it is baking, so keep an eye on it until you get a feel for your oven, and keep in mind that opening the door frequently will also change how it cooks.