takes practiceand record keeping to consistently achieve this exceptional rise. Alternatively, you may bake the loaf on a baking stone preheated to 450°F (230°C) for 40 minutes.
Supply steam by placing boiling water in a pan below the loaf or spritzing the oven—not the loaves—with water every 5 minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking. This creates a chewy crust (see below).
When bread is taken from the oven after baking, it should be removed from the pan and allowed to cool on a wire rack. If left in the pan, it will become moist and soggy. Most breads should not be sliced until 15 to 20 minutes after being taken from the oven: this time is important to the final texture.
Crust Texture
The texture of the crust can be modified by different treatments before and during baking. Brushing with cold water just before baking produces a harder crust. French breads usually have a chewy crust, which is produced by placing a shallow pan of boiling water in the oven for the first ten minutes to simulate a steam oven. We spray the oven with water in a mister several times at five-minute intervals just as baking starts, and the resulting crusts are really terrific. A softer crust will result if the loaves are brushed with melted butter or oil before baking.
For a glossy, hard coating, use 1 teaspoon of cornstarch in ½ cup (120 ml) of water: heat the mixture to boiling, then let it cool and apply it with a brush just before baking. A glaze made from a well-beaten egg produces a golden brown crust. For a deep brown, try brushing with milk. Any of these glazes can be used just before baking and once or twice during baking if desired.
Freezing and Thawing Breads
Baked sourdough breads maintain their flavor, aroma, and freshness very well when frozen for several months. As soon as the loaves have completely cooled, double-wrap them in plastic and aluminum foil and place in the freezer. Thaw the frozen loaf overnight at room temperature, or place unwrapped in an oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes, or put in a microwave oven on high power for up to 4 minutes, rotating frequently.
FOUR
Recipes
THESE BREAD RECIPES contain many different healthful grains and tasty add-ins. We recommend that you start by baking the Basic Sourdough Bread recipe, which serves as an introduction to our unique culture proof step and the subsequent effects of timing and temperature variations on the final result. Once you’ve mastered this basic recipe, you will be ready to bake any sourdough recipe in this book.
We like to mix and knead the dough in a bread machine, as it is easier to judge the consistency, but we usually remove it for shaping and baking (see chapter 5 for a description of this method). Any of the following recipes can be kneaded in the machine if they yield one loaf.
Basic Sourdough Bread
Try this basic recipe first, to familiarize yourself with the three proofs needed for each recipe and to discover which culture proof and loaf proof variations create your preferred flavor and leavening. Note that you must complete the first proof, the
Culture Proof
before you begin making the dough in the recipe. Master this recipe, and you can use what you learn to adjust any of the recipes that follow to your taste
. MAKES ONE 1½-POUND (680 G) LOAF
1 cup (240 ml) culture from the Culture Proof ( this page )
1 cup (240 ml) water
1 teaspoon salt
3½ cups (490 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
DOUGH PROOF Pour the culture into a mixing bowl. Stir the water and salt into the culture with a mixing spoon. Add the flour a cup (140 g) at a time until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand. Turn out onto a floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.
Or mix and knead all of the ingredients for a maximum of 25 minutes in a bread machine or other mixer (see this page ).
Proof the dough overnight (8 to 12 hours) at room temperature, about 70°F (21°C), in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap
Supply steam by placing boiling water in a pan below the loaf or spritzing the oven—not the loaves—with water every 5 minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking. This creates a chewy crust (see below).
When bread is taken from the oven after baking, it should be removed from the pan and allowed to cool on a wire rack. If left in the pan, it will become moist and soggy. Most breads should not be sliced until 15 to 20 minutes after being taken from the oven: this time is important to the final texture.
Crust Texture
The texture of the crust can be modified by different treatments before and during baking. Brushing with cold water just before baking produces a harder crust. French breads usually have a chewy crust, which is produced by placing a shallow pan of boiling water in the oven for the first ten minutes to simulate a steam oven. We spray the oven with water in a mister several times at five-minute intervals just as baking starts, and the resulting crusts are really terrific. A softer crust will result if the loaves are brushed with melted butter or oil before baking.
For a glossy, hard coating, use 1 teaspoon of cornstarch in ½ cup (120 ml) of water: heat the mixture to boiling, then let it cool and apply it with a brush just before baking. A glaze made from a well-beaten egg produces a golden brown crust. For a deep brown, try brushing with milk. Any of these glazes can be used just before baking and once or twice during baking if desired.
Freezing and Thawing Breads
Baked sourdough breads maintain their flavor, aroma, and freshness very well when frozen for several months. As soon as the loaves have completely cooled, double-wrap them in plastic and aluminum foil and place in the freezer. Thaw the frozen loaf overnight at room temperature, or place unwrapped in an oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes, or put in a microwave oven on high power for up to 4 minutes, rotating frequently.
FOUR
Recipes
THESE BREAD RECIPES contain many different healthful grains and tasty add-ins. We recommend that you start by baking the Basic Sourdough Bread recipe, which serves as an introduction to our unique culture proof step and the subsequent effects of timing and temperature variations on the final result. Once you’ve mastered this basic recipe, you will be ready to bake any sourdough recipe in this book.
We like to mix and knead the dough in a bread machine, as it is easier to judge the consistency, but we usually remove it for shaping and baking (see chapter 5 for a description of this method). Any of the following recipes can be kneaded in the machine if they yield one loaf.
Basic Sourdough Bread
Try this basic recipe first, to familiarize yourself with the three proofs needed for each recipe and to discover which culture proof and loaf proof variations create your preferred flavor and leavening. Note that you must complete the first proof, the
Culture Proof
before you begin making the dough in the recipe. Master this recipe, and you can use what you learn to adjust any of the recipes that follow to your taste
. MAKES ONE 1½-POUND (680 G) LOAF
1 cup (240 ml) culture from the Culture Proof ( this page )
1 cup (240 ml) water
1 teaspoon salt
3½ cups (490 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
DOUGH PROOF Pour the culture into a mixing bowl. Stir the water and salt into the culture with a mixing spoon. Add the flour a cup (140 g) at a time until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand. Turn out onto a floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.
Or mix and knead all of the ingredients for a maximum of 25 minutes in a bread machine or other mixer (see this page ).
Proof the dough overnight (8 to 12 hours) at room temperature, about 70°F (21°C), in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap
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