321 French
A crusty lean bread to serve with food or enjoy with butter named for the rise times. Adapted from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book with changes to accommodate my kitchen, in particular machine kneading in a Varimixer Teddy Bear using fresh ground whole wheat flour. The key to this bread, as stated in LKBB, is minimizing dough temperature and never letting it exceed 70 degrees before proofing. Makes 1 big boule or 2 batards or 4 baguettes or 8 rolls.
- 28 + 1 oz whole wheat flour
- 2 cups ice water
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp active dry yeast dissolved in
- 1/4 cup warm water for 5 minutes
Grind 29 oz of wheat and cool on a sheet pan in the freezer. Mix icewater and salt in mixer bowl and keep chilled in refrigerator. Activate the yeast in the warm water. Weigh 28 oz of flour into clean mixing bowl, retain remainder in small bowl for dusting. Mix about half the flour with the salty icewater. Add the activated yeast, the rest of the flour and mix thoroughly. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to allow the flour to take up water. Knead dough for about 15 minutes at low speed adding small amounts of water if the dough seems too dry. You are looking for full gluten development but taking care not to over knead. Turn out into large oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a cool place for 3 hours. Poke the dough with a finger, if the hole stays it is ready to punch down, if the dough sighs and collapses a bit you've let it get too warm, so take better care for the second rise and next time. Round the dough to gently release gas, place back in bowl, cover and let rise 2 more hours in a cool place. Turn out onto floured work surface, gently roll into a log and divide into loaf sized pieces. Use a scale for accuracy. Round each piece and set aside for a few minutes. Form loaves. Proof loaves in a warm place for 1 hour uncovered (you want the dough surface to dry out a bit here.) Preheat the oven to 500. Place the proofed loaves on a peel, slash the tops, spray with water and place onto baking stone in the oven. Spray the loaves every minute or so for the first 9 minutes. After the last spraying put a temperature probe into the center of one loaf and turn the oven down to 400. Bake until bread reaches 200. Remove bread from oven and cool completely on wire rack.