Reggie asked me to post this recipe. I apologize for its length. It's
from the King Arthur Flour website.
First my comments, then the recipe.
I'm not sure how to make water chlorine-free, or why it's important. I
boiled the water for the sponge, then measured the remaining water and let
it sit overnight. Read the whole recipe, including suggestions, before you
start. You just leave the sponge in the machine overnight, then add the
remaining ingredients. I used 1 Tbsp each of whole wheat and rye, instead
of 2 Tbsp whole wheat. I used 1 1/4 C water the next day instead of 1
(they suggest up to 1 1/2, but the dough is very wet and sticky). I used
regular yeast. I also used regular salt, but only about 1/2 Tbsp, since
kosher salt contains huge crystals, and 1 Tbsp must contain less salt mass
than 1 Tbsp regular. Note that this recipe contains no added fat.
Note their suggestion for storing the bread. This is something that was
suggested earlier on the bread list as well. Simply leave the loaf on the
countertop, cut side down. This actually works. It stays crusty on the
outside and chewy on the inside.
We have just finished off our second loaf. It's wonderful!
In Search Of The Perfect Rustic Loaf
The Sponge (begin the night before)
1 cup water, chlorine-free 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 1 1/4 cups King
Arthur Special For Machines Bread Flour 2 tablespoons King Arthur Stone
Ground Whole Wheat Flour 1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal 1 tablespoon semolina
flour
Place the ingredients in the pan of your bread machine and program for
Manual or Dough. Press Start. After several minutes, or once the dough is
fully mixed -- it'll look like thick pudding -- cancel the machine. [Leave
sponge in the machine.]
The Next Day (or about 8 hours later) stir down the sponge. Continue to
make the dough by adding the following:
1 cup water, chlorine-free 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon sugar 1/4
teaspoon instant yeast 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Special For Machines Bread
Flour
Program your machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. As the dough
begins to mix it should form first a soft mass, then eventually a soft ball
that is not too stiff, but not sticky, either. Adjust with additional flour
or water as necessary. (If the dough isn't coming together, stop the
machine, and stir the dough with a rubber spatula to help the sponge and
added ingredients combine. Re-program the machine for Dough, and start it
again.)
When the cycle is complete, remove the dough from the machine. (It can hang
around for a bit -- you don't have to rush.) Cover with a tea towel and let
rest for 30 minutes. (If you want to leave the dough all day, place it in a
lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and refrigerate it. When you're ready
to work with it, deflate if necessary, and allow to warm slightly before
proceeding.)
After its rest period, deflate the dough gently and form it into a round
ball, Place the ball, seam-side down, on a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet.
Cover it lightly with a tea towel. Let it rise a second time until it's
puffy and about 30% to 40% larger, about 1 hour. Don't let it rise too
much, since it rises some more in the oven and, if it's overproofed
initially, it'll collapse as it bakes.
Preheat the oven to 475°F. Make several 1/4- to 1/2-inch slashes or
crosshatches in the loaf. If your dough deflates at this point, it means it
rose too much. But even if it does topple a bit or deflate, generally the
heat of the oven will help it spring back. [I find that my bread knife
makes the best slashes.]
Using a clean plant mister, spritz the loaf with water. Spray some water
into the oven, and place the bread on the lowest rack.
Spritz the oven walls every few minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking.
Lower the heat to 425°F (this reduction in heat mimics the "falling oven"
used by brick-oven bakers, and will give your bread an incredible crust),
and continue to bake until well-browned, about 35 minutes. The interior
temperature of the bread should register 190°F on an instant-read
thermometer. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack
before slicing. Store, cut side down, on a counter (do not cover). Yes,
this really works; your bread will remain fresh but not soggy for several
days. Yield: One large loaf, about 24 hearty servings.
Additional Notes:
You may use 2 tablespoons pumpernickel, the grain French bakers
traditionally add to enhance a bread's keeping qualities, in place of the
whole wheat flour in the initial sponge.
For an even chewier bread with larger, more irregular holes, try increasing
the amount of water in the dough's second stage by 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Add 1/4
cup initially, then take a look at the dough while it's in its second
kneading cycle. Your goal is to create a dough which is very wet and slack,
but which will still hold its shape when formed into a freeform loaf. Add
additional water if it looks as though the dough can absorb it and still
remain firm enough to be workable.
This bread is an ideal candidate for a linen-lined banneton, which will
hold and shape it as it rises and, because of the moisture-drawing
qualities of the linen, help produce a chewy crust.
Try putting your risen loaf into the oven without slashing it first; it'll
develop its own natural split, producing a more rustic-looking loaf.
For a thick, brown, chewy bottom crust, try baking the bread in the oven in
a preheated cast iron skillet, or on a baking stone.
For a crisper crust, allow the loaf to cool in the oven. When the bread is
done, turn off the oven and crack the door open a couple of inches, leaving
the loaf inside.
Just a Hint.... Store crusty hearth loaves uncovered, but with their cut
side down on the counter. This is one of the best tips we've come across in
some time. Though this doesn't work on baguettes, rolls, or other small
loaves, it works beautifully on big boules or freeform loaves. The moisture
in the bread's interior gradually migrates to the surface, but since the
cut side is covered, it can't escape there; instead, it must navigate its
way through the thick crust, a much slower process. This keeps the bread's
interior soft, and the crust hard and crunchy.
Nutrition information per serving (1 slice, 1/24 of loaf, 47g): 87 cal, .2g
fat, 3g protein, 18g complex carbohydrates, 1g sugar, 1g dietary fiber,
267mg sodium, 38mg potassium, 2RE vitamin A, 1mg iron, 42mg calcium, 27mg
phosphorus.
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Joyce Owen
Eugene OR
"Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are
wonderful." -- Ann Landers