Post by ponyexpress on Dec 14, 2008 21:40:07 GMT -5
This recipe came from Mother Earth News - Dec 08
I made the batch yesterday, and baked a small loaf right away. It wasn't bad...but a little chewy. But, I didn't refrigerate it first, nor did I let it rest the additional 40 minutes. So really, it was pretty good all things considered.
Tonight, I baked the remaining dough *free-form* on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Much better rise, much better looking loaf, and although I haven't tasted it yet, I think a much lighter loaf. Had a good *thump* to it when I tested.
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1/2 packet)
1 1/2 tbsp coarse sea salt
6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Heat the water to just warmer than body temperature - about 100*
Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5 qt bowl.
Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don't pat it down. Mix with wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor with a dough hook, or a heavy duty stand mixer with a dough hook, until uniformly moist. (I use the stand mixer)
If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don't knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.
Cover loosely. Allow mixture to rise at room temp until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours. Longer rising times - up to about 5 hours - will not harm the result.
Place dough in a lidded container - but not airtight - be able to lift a corner. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf.
To Bake:
Cut off or scoop out a 1 pound (grapefruit size) ball of dough. Add a little more flour as needed so dough won't stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the underside, forming a ball.
Place the ball on the parchment paper in the cookie sheet. Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes. Depending on the dough's age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.
Preheat oven to 450* Bake for about 30 minutes until crust is browned and firm to the touch.
Refrigerate the remaining dough and use it over the next two weeks. Dough can be frozen in 1 pound portions in an airtight container. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.
My notes: Make sure the container you choose has enough room for some expansion. Overnight, my dough continued to rise and popped the top of the container. It spilled over the edge, looking a little like *the blob* from a science fiction movie.
The magazine article contains other recipes using this basic dough: Pizza, sticky pecan caramel rolls, whole wheat sandwich bread.
This works for me because it is simple and easy. Makes a good bread for hot soup, dripping butter or honey, or just general munching.
I made the batch yesterday, and baked a small loaf right away. It wasn't bad...but a little chewy. But, I didn't refrigerate it first, nor did I let it rest the additional 40 minutes. So really, it was pretty good all things considered.
Tonight, I baked the remaining dough *free-form* on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Much better rise, much better looking loaf, and although I haven't tasted it yet, I think a much lighter loaf. Had a good *thump* to it when I tested.
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1/2 packet)
1 1/2 tbsp coarse sea salt
6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Heat the water to just warmer than body temperature - about 100*
Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5 qt bowl.
Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don't pat it down. Mix with wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor with a dough hook, or a heavy duty stand mixer with a dough hook, until uniformly moist. (I use the stand mixer)
If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don't knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.
Cover loosely. Allow mixture to rise at room temp until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours. Longer rising times - up to about 5 hours - will not harm the result.
Place dough in a lidded container - but not airtight - be able to lift a corner. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf.
To Bake:
Cut off or scoop out a 1 pound (grapefruit size) ball of dough. Add a little more flour as needed so dough won't stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the underside, forming a ball.
Place the ball on the parchment paper in the cookie sheet. Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes. Depending on the dough's age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.
Preheat oven to 450* Bake for about 30 minutes until crust is browned and firm to the touch.
Refrigerate the remaining dough and use it over the next two weeks. Dough can be frozen in 1 pound portions in an airtight container. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.
My notes: Make sure the container you choose has enough room for some expansion. Overnight, my dough continued to rise and popped the top of the container. It spilled over the edge, looking a little like *the blob* from a science fiction movie.
The magazine article contains other recipes using this basic dough: Pizza, sticky pecan caramel rolls, whole wheat sandwich bread.
This works for me because it is simple and easy. Makes a good bread for hot soup, dripping butter or honey, or just general munching.
