AN OLD MAN AND HIS BREAD. IS IT ART, ACCIDENT OR GENIUS?

In this article, I am going to describe the process for making “CRUSTY OLD MAN BREAD”. Since the time, a few short weeks ago, when I attempted “lazy gringo” Peruvian Pan de Tres Puntas, my interest now lies in trying too perfect a real bread. As always, once I get started on something, I go a little nuts, and become quite obsessive with it. I read quite a bit about bread, studied from a bread book that Ange sent me, listened to tips from MK and basically jammed a few months of bread school into a couple of weeks. One of the first things I realized, was that there would not be any, lazy man, shortcuts in the process. To achieve, even a moderate successful loaf, and something that might be considered art, would require some moderate effort.

So, I compromised, gave up some speed, in the process, but added some quality to the end product. Developed a middle ground between “no knead” and “beat the tar out of it” kneading. And made great use of the Sourdough Starter that I had been shown by MK (previously posted) and which is now a staple of my recipe. I have now, successfully, created 10 loaves of bread heaven, using Flour, Water, Salt and Yeast, along with an optional sweetener.

Even now, I can vary the flavour of my loaves, by changing “resting time”, adding Sourdough (also just flour and water), using a dash of sweetener, adjusting “fermentation and rising” time, the length of cooking time and the final color of the product. There are bread connoisseurs, that insist the closer to “burned” the loaf is, the richer and more defined the flavours are. That understanding, alone, added a great “buffer” to my skill set. That being, I no longer have “burned” product, just have more aged product, with a finer taste, like good wine. Brilliant!

Before I get deep into the process, I want to pass on some tips I have picked up during the course of, my Doctorate in bread, studies. These are;

• Do Not, rip, tear, shred or otherwise pull your dough apart during the process. It lets out the gases produced during resting, rising and fermentation stages. Be Gentle. A tough lesson for me; it seems like I’m, a little, naturally, rough.
• Well oiled or floured rising bowls or proofing baskets are essential. This prevents sticking, ripping and tearing of the risen dough, while trying to loosen it from the bowl or basket.
• For the purpose of this recipe, the kneading and mixing processes will consist of stretch and folding, only, and not pummelling with fists or fingers, like a big ol’ FRENCH Baker.
• Use of an electric, dough mixer, or kneader, is optional. Sometimes the cleanup is so annoying, it’s easier just to do, at least the mixing, by hand.
• The use, or not, of a Dutch oven is optional. I have done it both ways. Without the Dutch Oven, the final risen dough, before cooking, needs to be shaped into “tighter” loaves than if using a Dutch Oven.
• Wet hands for mixing and folding are essential, unless you like trying to scrape sticky dough, off everything, after working the flour and water.
• I allow myself a full day to make two loaves, however 90% of that is waiting, for something to happen, time. So, many things such as golf, shopping, exercise and napping can be fit in around these few short periods of activity.
• I use the oven, turned off, for a good place to ferment or rise my dough. If it is a little cool in your rising/fermenting area, you can turn on the light in your oven. This works well for all stages of blending flavours, rising, fermenting and final rising stages. Up to the time where you must pre-heat your oven in preparation for cooking.

Ok, “enough of the crap”, you might say, “get on with it”. Here goes!

Ingredients;

1. 7 cups of all purpose flour, not packed, just nice and loose, be gentle (if not using sourdough use 8 cups of flour)
2. 2 cups of Sourdough Starter . OPTIONAL
3. 3 and a “bit” cups of warm water, not hot (use 3-1/2 cups if not using Sourdough Starter)
4. 1 full teaspoon of Dry, Active, Instant Yeast (any yeast as long as it is not old, old)
5. 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of sea salt, pink Himalayan salt, or your favourite salt.
6. 1 tablespoon of Sugar, I use Monk-fruit sweetener, it could be any sweetener in the equivalent amount to 1 tbs of sugar. THIS IS OPTIONAL, DEYSI, PREFERS NO SUGAR OR SWEETENER, AND I CAN’T TELL THE DIFFERENCE.

THE PROCESS

1. Find the biggest bowl or container that you own. The one I use, is a big, round plastic bowl of about 12 quart capacity. The dough is going to rise 3 to 4 times the amount you start with.
2. Mix the flour, water and sourdough starter (if you are using it). Remember the water should be warm, but not hot. I mix by hand because this is a real sticky mixture and hard to clean off mixer parts. Mix to a shaggy, sticky state, basically just incorporating the ingredients.
3. Cover and let stand for about 30 minutes. This will now start to blend in the flavours and kick off the fermentation process.
4. Next, sprinkle the salt, yeast and sweetener (if using), evenly, across the top of the mixture.
5. Now incorporate the ingredients by grasping one quarter of the dough, pulling outwards until resistance is felt, but not ripping the dough apart. Then fold it up and over the other dough. Turn your bowl 90 degrees and pull another piece of dough outward and fold up over the top of the remaining dough. Repeat this two more times and all of the ingredients will now be enclosed in the dough. Note; if using a dough mixer, install the dough hook, turn on to slow speed and let it fold or mix the dough onto itself for 4 or 5 turns of the hook. Remember if mixing by hand, keep your fingers wet. Three or four dips into a bowl of warm water is fine.
6. Now, using wet hands, pinch off a piece of the dough, about 15% of the volume. Stretch it, and fold it over onto itself, 5 or 6 times until everything is well incorporated in the dough. Repeat this process, by squeezing off additional pieces and pulling/folding until all the dough has been worked in this manner. This whole, mixing/incorporating process should take no more than 8 to 10 minutes. Remember, be gentle with the dough. Note; if using an electric mixer, with the dough hook, and on slow speed (setting 2 or 3), let it mix for one or two minutes until all ingredients appear to be mixed.
7. Transfer, the mixed dough to your large bowl. Cover your bowl, loosely, with plastic wrap, put a towel over the top and set it in a warm, at least room temperature place, to allow for the magic to happen.
8. You are almost done, but after the first 15 to 20 minutes, uncover your dough and fold it once again, by pulling out 1/4 of the dough, stretching but not tearing it, and folding it over the top of the remaining dough. This time use well “floured” hands, to prevent the dough from sticking to you. Repeat 4 times until all of the dough has been stretched and pulled over, onto itself.
9. Cover again, put back in your “rising” place and let your dough begin to ferment.
10. After one more hour, uncover and repeat the fold of all four sides. Remember well floured hands and no, ripping, tearing, cussing or swearing. Be calm and gentle, like ol’ Jimbored when under stress. Do not pop the bubbles that are starting to appear in your dough, they are a good thing.
11. Cover once again and leave in a warmish place for 4 hours, or until your dough has grown to three times its original size, or in my case when it starts to try to escape from the major sized bowl I had it in. And believe me, it will try to leave its tub and make a major crap storm in your oven or wherever you are rising it.
12. Now rest again and wait. No sense being impatient it takes its own time, but it will triple in volume. You will feel so happy when it does. Go play golf!
13. Sometime, near the end of this process, select two large, round bowls or two “proofing” baskets. If you use bowls, grease or oil them well. If proofing baskets, flour the linen cover very well. Set aside for now.
14. Once it has grown, three times or when your 4 hours are up, remove your dough or turn it out, very, very gently onto a well floured countertop or board. DO NOT POP THE HUGE GAS BUBBLES THAT HAVE NOW FORMED! DO NOT RIP YOUR DOUGH. WITH WELL FLOWERED HANDS GENTLY INSERT YOUR HANDS AROUND THE SIDES OFTHE BOWL, AND WHILE HOLDING THE BOWL TILTED, EASE YOUR DOUGH OUT ONTO THE COUNTER.
15. At this point you will be very happy with yourself and amazed at how well the fermentation and rising processes have worked. If you smell your dough now, you will be able to detect a slight beer or alcohol odour to it. Remember, if using a cookie sheet, the cookie sheet does not have to be heated in the oven, while warming the oven. It goes in with your dough already on it, once the oven is heated.
16. Now comes the critical point in the process. Up to this time, there is not much that can go wrong, no matter what you do. You now have this big pile of quivering, gaseous, semi-sticky pile of dough laying on your, well floured, countertop or work surface. Flour around the edge of your dough bowl, you can even sprinkle a little dough on the top surface of your dough. With well floured hands, and using the edges of your hands or edges of your palms, gently push the dough into a sort of symmetrical shape.
17. Now take your dough scraper, plastic dough cutter (I use a blank CD – it seems to work well) or knife and cut your dough into two, equal piles.
18. Working each pile separately, with well floured hands, gently form them into a round ball shape, by tucking the edges of the dough under and while using the edges of you hands slowly turning your dough as you tuck and shape.DO NOT RIP OR TEAR YOUR DOUGH, DO NOT SQUEEZE YOUR DOUGH, USING THE EDGES OF YOU FLOURED HANDS ONLY, GENTLY WORK IT INTO A SMALL VOLLEYBALL SIZE SHAPE.
19. When done place each ball into one of the oiled bowls or proofing baskets, folded side down, cover with a towel and return to your rising place for 75 minutes. Go do something, do not stand around staring at it. Make some soup to eat with the bread when it is done. This is called the “final rising” stage.
20. With 45 minutes left in the final rising stage, set your oven to 475F and place your Dutch Oven or Pizza/bread stone, inside, if using either.
21. With 10 minutes of rising time left, place the bowl/dough of your second loaf in the fridge, to prevent it from “over rising” while the first one cooks.
22. Once your oven has reached 475F (and the Dutch Oven or stone has been inside for 40 minutes, from the time you started to heat your oven), you can then reduce the temp to 450F.
23. Carefully turn the bowl with the dough you are going to cook first, upside down and ease it onto your floured work surface. If it does not freely, “turn out” onto your surface, gently take your flowered fingers and reach up inside the upside down bowl and carefully help it release by touching and scraping a bit, where the dough is sticking. It should then peel off easily.
24. Your dough will now be “fold side” up on the work surface. Quickly remove your Dutch Oven, place on hot pad, close to your dough. With floured hands, use the flat edges of your palms to gently shape your dough back into a, more or less, round shape, once again. Gently lift the dough and place it into the Dutch Oven. REMEMBER THE DUTCH OVEN IS EXTREMELY HOT, DO NOT BURN YOURSELF. IT HURTS OUCH, OUCH, OUCH.
25. Put the lid back on and place it back in the oven for 25 minutes.
26. If using a cookie sheet, place parchment or wax baking paper on your cookie sheet and put your loaf in the middle. Place in oven and set timer to 30 minutes. Cook uncovered on the middle rack.
27. After 25 minutes remove the lid from your Dutch Oven, reset the timer for 10 minutes and raise the oven temp to 475F. Check the loaf color every 3 minutes until it reaches the shade you like.
28. If cooking on a stone or cookie sheet, check the color after 30 minutes. I prefer my loaves golden brown, however bread chefs like it much darker than that. Once you achieve the color you want, cover the top of your bread with a piece of tinfoil. Cook loaf for an additional 5 minutes, leaving oven temp at 450F.
29. Once you have obtained the color you like take the Dutch Oven out, remove the loaf, set somewhere to cool and get you second loaf out of the fridge.
30. Return your Dutch Oven or Stone to the oven to reheat for 5 minutes, or if using a cookie sheet get it ready with another sheet of parchment or wax baking paper.
31. Repeat the steps above for cooking your second loaf.

I understand that this looks like a lot of work, however if I start at 8:00AM, I will expect my first loaf out by 4:00pm and the last one before 5:00pm. During this time I will work for about 30-40 minutes, mixing, folding, preparing bowls, etc. Some of the time in between, I use to clean my equipment, so that at the end, I am left with only a Dutch Oven or cookie sheet to clean. I have also been golfing, during rising, shopping and out for a walk, so it is not real labor intensive. After your loaf rests and cools for 10 minutes, it is ready to eat. The end result should be a “crusty” loaf, with a very soft middle. Take photos, because soon after starting to eat, your loaves will only be a memory, and nobody will believe how perfect they were.