365 and A-Z!

Day 3, Sourdough breads cooling...

This works for more than one thing of course! I love to multitask.  So, it's simultaneously a Bread from my A - Z, a B2/M2 and my picture for the day, I just love it when a plan comes together.

  Country Bread from Flour by Joanne Chang

First up, get this book, seriously, not one failure from it yet, everything has turned out great and been really easy to put together.  And, best of all it's in metric measurements! I love, love, love this!

So, for the bread sponge...

175g plain, unbleached flour

180g blood temperature water (neither hot nor cold to touch)

1.7g fresh yeast

 Mix 140g of the flour, the yeast and all the water together into a sloppy dough, cover and leave out at room temperature for 4 - 8 hours.

Add the remaining 35g flour and stir again, the dough with stiffen up a little.

Cover and place in the fridge overnight.

 Now you have your sponge starter, over time this starter gets better and better, I leave mine in the fridge until I want to bake then the night before feed it 175g flour and 180g water, stir and fridge it overnight so it's nice and active for the next day.  Take what I need for baking and return the pot to the fridge till next time.  I vary the flours I feed it with too, a bit of rye, spelt or gram flour makes for an extra delicious loaf.

Country bread recipe (this rather assumes you have a stand mixer... if not roll up your sleeves and prepare to get messy)

360g water at room temperature

280g plain flour

300g bread flour

340g bread sponge

pinch of fresh yeast

2 tsp salt (actually, I use a tablespoon)

1 tsp sugar (honey and malt syrup work too)

In your stand mixer stir together the bread flour, plain flour, yeast, water, sugar and salt, knead for a couple of minutes, until it forms a rough dough.

Leave this dough to rest for ten minutes... it helps with the texture.

Add the bread sponge and knead for about 7 minutes, it should clear the sides of the bowl and feel a little like an earlobe when you pinch a piece of dough between your fingers.  if it's too loose add a little more flour, gradually, you don't want to bake a brick!

Scrape your dough into a large, oiled bowl and leave to rise at room temperature for three hours.

When that time is up remove it from the bowl, divide the dough into two and shape into tight, round loaves.  At this point it's nice to flavour the loaves if you like, knead in some nuts and fruit or cubes of cheese... around 100g of each.

Scatter course cornmeal or semolina onto a tray and place the breads onto it, flour the loaves and leave them to rise for about two and a half hours.

Preheat your oven to 250 and place a sturdy metal tray in the bottom, boil the kettle!

When the oven is really hot (give it plenty of time to get up to temperature) pour the boiling water carefully into the metal tray.  Slash the tops of the loaves anyway you like, it gives a lovely crust and looks pretty.  Place the tray in the oven and bake for half an hour.

 Remove your gorgeous breads, gloat, buy a lot of butter.

Challah back girl

Yeah, I know, just couldn't resist.  I loved making challah, I started out with it (from a totally generic, non artisan inspired, not real sourdough, stoneground  bread making book I bought in a pound shop) as one of the first breads I really made a lot.  Worked every time, looked pretty, tasted great.

 Then I lost my challah mojo, who knows why? maybe it's like the Kirkcubright centipede Check the video out! I over thought the braiding? made the dough too wet, dunno.  Maybe a combination of these factors.  Anyway, does it matter? no! I've joyfully embraced many other breads and techniques, but in my heart I've missed my challah.  Chocolate chip challah, raisin challah, pumpkin challah... *sigh*

 Last night, whilst watching Shrek 2 with one eye and reading The Complete International Jewish Cook Book (1980 edition) by Evelyn Rose I decided to try again, I mean if she cant help me who can?  Her dough was simple and quick to prepare, then required a long, cold rise.  Perfect, I'd been up since four so a bread that didn't mind me going back to bed was ideal.

 I braided the dough using the fabulous video on you tube, see it here.  Absolutely the easiest and clearest instructions to follow.

 The recipe, pictures will be along tomorrow, I mean, it's dark here! really dark.  I love November.

Fresh Yeast Challah

15g fresh yeast (Asda/Sainsburys/Tesco give it away for nearly free, Sainsburys, or free, Tesco, Asda.  Just ask someone on the bakery counter)

200g warm water

2 tsp salt

3 tsp caster sugar  (I used honey)

2 tbsp oil

480g bread flour

1 large egg (plus 1 to glaze)

 poppy seeds or whatever you like to sprinkle on top

Mix the water, yeast, sugar and a third of the flour together on a bowl.  Stir till a smooth, pastey batter forms, then leave it covered for 20 minutes.  It should have frothed up and be bubbly.

 Now add the egg, oil, salt and the rest of the flour.  Knead together until a smooth, springy dough comes together, it should be slightly sticky but not excessively wet.

 Oil a bowl lightly and refrigerate the dough for 12 to 24 hours.

 Remove the dough from the fridge and leave at room temperature for a while, to take off the chill.  Divide the dough into evenly sized pieces and shape as you desire, I did a six strand braid, but you could equally well do two smaller loaves or rolls, whatever!

 Allow to prove for half an hour in the warm kitchen.  Glaze with the beaten egg and top with seeds if you like, then bake at 220 for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 180 and continue to bake for 35-45 minutes depending on size.

 The book gives many variations on shape and flavour, all using the same basic dough.  Pletzels, bialys, even bagels.