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Bon Appetit's Best Bread

Reggie Dwork <reggie@jeff-and-reggie.com>
Fri, 21 Feb 2020 22:22:31 -0800
v120.n008.7
* Exported from MasterCook *

                              Bread, BA's Best

Recipe By     :Claire Saffitz
Serving Size  : 18    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Bread                           Bread-Bakers Mailing List
                 Fatfree                         Low Fat
                 Posted

   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
                         Poolish:
      1/8      teaspoon  active dry yeast
      3/4           cup  whole wheat flour -- plus, 117g
   2        tablespoons  whole wheat flour
      2/3           cup  rye flour -- 75g
   6        tablespoons  all-purpose flour -- preferably high protein 
around 11%, 42g
                         Dough:
      3/4           cup  whole wheat flour -- 103g
   3               cups  all-purpose flour -- preferably high protein 
around 11%, 412g
   2        tablespoons  kosher salt -- 17g
                         rice flour -- plus
                         all-purpose flour -- a 50/50 mix
                         cornstarch -- for dusting

This bread has a nutty flavor and intense chew; it makes toast that's 
a wholesome meal unto itself. To ensure you have fresh bread on time, 
count back three nights from the day you want to bake. If you want 
bread on Saturday, start Wednesday night. Bake it anytime Saturday.

Poolish:
Combine yeast and 300g (1 1/4 cups) room-temperature water in the 
bowl of a stand mixer. Take the temperature of your kitchen - between 
72F and 74F is ideal for fermentation. If your kitchen is running 
hot, use cool water. If it's a bit colder, use warm water. Add all 
the flours and mix with a wooden spoon until no dry spots remain. 
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until poolish 
is mature (surface will be very bubbly), 14 - 18 hours.

Drop a pinch of poolish into a small bowl of room-temperature water. 
If it floats, it's mature, and you're good to go. If it sinks, wait 
30 minutes and test again.

Dough:
Combine 300g (1 1/4 cups) room-temperature water into poolish with a 
sturdy wooden spoon. Add whole wheat flour and 412g (3 cups plus 1 
Tbsp.) all-purpose flour and mix until no dry spots remain. Cover 
dough with plastic wrap and let sit 2 hours. (This process, called 
autolysis, starts to develop the all-important gluten, giving the 
dough structure and chew.)

Evenly sprinkle salt over dough, then add 65g (1/4 cup plus 1 tsp.) 
room-temperature water and mix with dough hook on medium-low speed. 
The dough should start to develop a shape and cling to hook after a 
minute or two. Increase speed to medium-high and mix until almost all 
the dough clings to hook and clears the sides of the bowl, 8 - 12 
minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 15 minutes to let dough relax.

Turn out dough on a clean surface. Holding a flexible bench scraper 
in one hand, quickly lift dough eye-level then slap it down on 
surface in one swift, deliberate motion. As you propel dough 
downward, let it fall off the ends of your hands and fold over onto 
itself; the dough will be sticky, but it will want to stick to itself 
more than your hands. Start slowly to avoid flying dough bits, then 
increase the intensity of your motion as the dough starts to firm up. 
Slap and fold 10 - 12 minutes, occasionally scraping bits of dough 
from surface with bench scraper. (If you're not slightly winded by 
the time the dough is ready, you're doing it wrong.) This important 
step builds gluten and strengthens the dough, which helps give the 
finished loaf a nice open crumb.

Pinch off a small piece of dough and stretch it between your thumbs 
and index fingers on both hands. The dough should be able to stretch 
thin enough to let light through without breaking. If it splits or 
tears, the gluten is not yet developed enough. Continue slapping and 
folding another 2 minutes and test again.

Place dough in a large clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let 
sit 30 minutes. Starting from one side, use a bench scraper to lift 
edge of dough, stretching it up and out of the bowl at least 12" and 
shaking back and forth to encourage lengthening, then fold back onto 
itself. Rotate the bowl 90F. Repeat stretching process 3 more times, 
rotating the bowl after each turn. Cover and rest another 30 minutes. 
Repeat process 2 more times, resting dough 30 minutes in between each 
full turn. (This rebuilds gluten and feeds the yeast during 
fermentation.) Cover dough with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm 
spot until nearly doubled in size, 30 - 60 minutes. Dough should look 
puffed and bubbly on the surface.

To test if your dough is fermented, poke it with an oiled finger. The 
dough should spring back slowly but still hold a slight indentation.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured (use all-purpose) surface and 
do a final series of 4 folds, bringing edges into the center. Turn 
dough over, using bench scraper to help you, so seam side is down. 
Lightly dust with more flour and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rest 
until dough is puffed and surface is dotted with a few bubbles, 20 - 
50 minutes.

Line a 9" round colander with a clean kitchen towel and dust towel 
with an even layer of rice flour.

Uncover dough and dust with a bit more all-purpose flour. Use bench 
scraper to push edges of dough toward the center to gather into a 
ball. Cup scraper and free hand around far side of dough and gently 
pull ball toward you, dragging dough several inches across work 
surface and rotating slightly. Repeat dragging motion several times, 
occasionally moving dough back to center of surface. The friction 
against the surface will help tighten the gluten over the dough, 
creating a smooth dome. Lightly flour top of dough, turn over with 
bench scraper, and quickly transfer, seam side up, to prepared 
colander; cover with plastic. Chill 1 - 2 days. The longer the bread 
sits, the more complex the flavor will be, but don't chill longer or 
the yeast may die.

Place an oven rack in lower third of oven and set a 3 1/2 - 5 1/2-qt. 
Dutch oven in center of rack. Set your oven as high as it will go 
(you want it between 450F and 500F). Let pot preheat at least 40 
minutes. (If the handle on the lid is made of plastic, unscrew, 
remove, and plug hole with a small piece of foil.)

Uncover dough and dust surface with rice flour. Cut a round of 
parchment paper so it's slightly larger than dough; place over top. 
Remove pot from oven and set on stovetop.

Working on stove next to Dutch oven, invert dough onto a plate 
(parchment side will be down). Use a lame or a razor blade taped to 
an ice-pop stick to slash dough in desired pattern, using swift and 
deliberate strokes to cut at least 1/2" deep into dough. Working 
quickly and wearing mitts on both hands, slide dough and parchment 
into center of pot. Cover pot and bake bread 15 minutes. Remove lid 
and continue to bake, rotating pot halfway through, until crust is 
very well done - approaching the edge of burnt - 30 - 40 minutes. 
Carefully transfer bread to a wire rack. When it's cool enough to 
handle, remove parchment.

Resist the temptation to cut into that just-out-of-the-oven loaf. 
Trust us. You want to wait at least a couple of hours so the starches 
in the bread have time to set. This gives the bread a better texture. 
If you're dead set on eating it warm, reheat part of the loaf in a 
300F oven (which will also revive the crust), then slice.

Source:
   "bonappetit.com"
S(Internet address):
   http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/bas-best-bread
                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 135 Calories; trace Fat (3.3% 
calories from fat); 4g Protein; 29g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 
0mg Cholesterol; 628mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fat.

NOTES : 2016 - 0201