posted to DiscussCooking.com - Bread Making Invite 4 All - a Collaborative Bread Thread on 2005-12-05 by subfuscpersona
This is a follow-up to my Freeform Loaf with Preferment - Part I which I posted on 2005-03-10 to this thread. In that post I was experimenting with bread shapes, baking temperatures and baking surfaces (baking sheet vs. cast iron - a baking stone would give better results but I am still using what I already own).
I've settled on a recipe for both the preferment and the final bread. I shape the bread as a cylinder and then stretch it out to a baguette since it is easy to do and seems to bake well in my oven. I use preheated cast iron as my baking surface because I've found that a preheated surface helps the bread rise in the oven. (You should, however, have good success with this recipe if you use sheet pans.)
I use instant rather than active dry [AD] yeast for bread making, simply because Santa gave me a one-pound package of instant yeast last year. Either type is fine; the recipes have instructions for either type. If you don't know the difference click here for an explanation. For yet more information on yeast click here.
My one epiphany has been the addition of parchment paper to my bread-baking arsenal. This makes it much easier to slide the risen bread onto the baking surface without deflating it. Comments on parchment paper are in the Discussion Section at the end of this document.
I've continued to experiment with various techniques for introducting steam during the initial baking process. My observations are in the Discussion Section at the end of this document.
At times words fail me. To rectify this I've included many pictures to guide you in your efforts. These pictures were taken over many sessions of breadmaking; some show the recipe with all white flour and others with the addition of some whole wheat flour. Don't worry if sometimes the dough is white and at other times tan. They are all the same basic recipe.
Everyone measures flour slightly differently, so if you're measuring by volume the amount of flour you use may not be the same as the amount I use. To make sure we're all on the same page before we begin, here's how I convert flour from weight (in OZ) to volume (in cups) using the "scoop into a measuring cup and level off" method (note: I use the symbol ~ as an abbreviation for "about")...
Flour By Weight and By Volume
OZ CUPS ==================== 8.0 ~ 1-2/3 cups 4.5 ~ 1 cup
Enough of the pitter-patter! Let's get started...
You don't need expensive equipment to make this bread. I often make it entirely by hand. There is, however, some equipment that will make your life easier so here's my list of recommended equipment along with when it is used in the process and why I think you should have it...
| WHAT | WHEN | WHY | |
| digital kitchen scale | measuring | weighing ingredients reduces error plus you can adjust recipes for different quantities |  |
| bench scraper [aka dough scraper] | kneading and shaping | helpful when kneading a "wet" dough (one with a relatively high ratio of water to flour) and for shaping the final dough |  |
| plant mister filled with any flavorless vegetable oil | kneading | keeps dough from sticking to board, scraper, your hands... | |
| parchment paper | rising and baking | helps keep dough from deflating when put in oven |  |
| single edge razor blade | slashing dough | dough less likely to deflate when slashed with something thin and sharp | |
| baking stone, unglazed quarry tiles or cast iron baking surface A baking stone is ideal. I don't own a baking stone or quarry tiles so I substitute the flat side of a cast iron grill. | baking | preheated bottom surface contributes to better oven spring |  |
| oven thermometer | baking | test and monitor the actual temperature of your oven |  |
Technically this preferment is a biga since it is a saltless dough. It uses bread flour; do not substitute all-purpose flour for the biga; it will not work as well in the final bread recipe.
The bread recipe calls for 8 oz of this biga for each one-pound loaf of bread. Save yourself time and make extra. Package it in 8 oz portions well wrapped in plastic wrap and freeze. Do label your packages with the type of preferment and date.
Here's what one of my packages looks like 
for about 8 oz Biga or enough for one 1-pound loafOZ GM Volume ================================================================ bread flour 4.8 136.0 ~ 1 cup + 1 TBS water 3.2 90.5 ~ 6 TBS yeast [AD or Instant] .02 .5 ~ 2 large pinches
for about 3 pounds Biga or enough for six 1-pound loaves
OZ GM Volume ================================================================= bread flour 30.0 848.0 ~ 6 cups + 4 tsp water 20.0 566.0 ~ 2-1/2 cups yeast .11 3.2 ~ 1 tsp Instant or ~ 1-1/4 tsp AD
Baker's Percentage Formula
Percent =============================================== bread flour 100.00% water 66.70% yeast [AD or Instant] .36%
Measure/weigh the flour and put in your mixing bowl. Then remove a small amount and put it in a separate bowl. This is your reserve for hand kneading.
If using instant yeast, add it to the flour in your mixing bowl and stir it in.
Measure/weigh the water in a separate container.
If using AD yeast, add it to the water and stir it in. Let it dissolve (about 5 minutes).
Add water to flour. Mix/beat/knead until the water is incorporated and a slightly tacky dough is formed. (If using a stand mixer with dough hook, beat on low speed - KitchenAid speed 2 - about 4 minutes after dough balls on the hook.)
Sprinkle your reserve flour on the board. Scrape dough from mixing bowl onto board and knead by hand until the dough is smooth, supple and slightly tacky. Do NOT use more flour beyond your reserve! A dough scraper will come in handy for this part. You may at times lightly oil the scraper, your hands and/or the board if the dough is too sticky.
Lightly oil the mixer bowl (you do not need to wash it first). Place the biga in the mixer bowl, rotate it in a full circle and then turn upside-down so there is a light film of oil on top. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap.
Let dough rise until doubled in bulk. Given the small amount of yeast, the rise can be very slow at room temperature. I strongly recommend letting the biga rise overnight in the refrigerator, as this helps it develop flavor.
After the biga has doubled in bulk, it may be held in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. However, when held this long, be aware that it may develop a "yeasty" or "strong" taste that may not be to your liking. IMHO, once it has doubled, biga made expressly to be frozen for future use should not be held in the refrigerator for more than about 12 additional hours before it is wrapped and frozen. Biga intended for immediate bread baking should not be held in the refrigerator for more than about 24 additional hours before being used in the final bread recipe.
If you have made a large quantity, portion, wrap and freeze what you don't need for immediate use once it has doubled in bulk. Remove biga from refrigerator to the board, punch it down and knead briefly and lightly, just enough to release any large air bubbles. Weigh or divide it into packets of the appropriate size, wrap each packet well in plastic wrap, label and freeze. Biga may be held in the freezer for about 3 months.
The minimal equipment you must have to continue is
The recipe is for one 1-pound loaf. You may rely on the weight measurements and scale the recipe if you wish.
The recipe calls for unbleached all-purpose [AP] flour. Do not substitute bread flour for the AP flour in the final recipe. In my experience, the texture of the bread is best when the biga is made with bread flour and AP flour is used in the final recipe.
You may, if you wish, replace 2 oz of the AP flour with EITHER 2 oz whole wheat flour OR 2 oz semolina flour. I recommend using either of these substitutions. I personally normally use 4 oz AP flour plus 2 oz whole wheat flour in the recipe.
You will also need a small amount of any coarse flour, such as cornmeal or semolina, for dusting the parchment paper and/or baking surface. I normally use cornmeal. Whatever you use, it should feel like medium to coarse sand when you rub some between your fingers.
makes one 1-pound loaf
OZ GM Volume
=================================================================
biga 8.0 227.0 ~ 1 cup
unbleached all-purpose [AP] flour 6.0 170.0 ~ 1-1/3 cups
water 4.O 115.0 ~ 1/2 cup
Instant yeast 0.06 1.7 ~ 1/2 tsp
NOTE if using AD yeast, use ~ 3/4 tsp
salt 0.12 3.4 ~ 1/2 tsp
variations: replace 2 oz of the AP flour with either
2 oz semolina flour
OR
2 oz stone ground whole wheat flour
Baker's Percentage Formula
Percent
========================
biga 133.3%
flour 100.0%
water 66.8%
yeast 1.0%
salt 2.0%
If the biga is frozen, defrost it. It is easiest to defrost it overnight in the refrigerator. It's ready to use when completely defrosted but still cold.
Measure/weigh the water and put it in your mixing bowl.
If using AD yeast, add it to the water and stir it in. Let it dissolve (about 5 minutes).
Measure/weigh the flour and put it in a separate bowl. Add the salt and stir it in.
If using instant yeast, add it to the flour/salt mixture in the bowl and stir it in.
Cut or tear the biga into small pieces and add it to the water in your mixing bowl, beating or mixing until the the water looks milky and the biga is broken into small lumps.
Add flour/salt mixture gradually to water/biga mixture. Mix/beat/knead just until the mixture forms a rough mass.
If using a stand mixer with dough hook, beat on low speed - KitchenAid speed 2 - about 4 minutes.
If mixing by hand, it may be hard to incorporate all ingredients thoroughly in the bowl. Remove the dough to your board (do not add more flour!) and finish the kneading by hand.
Even when I use a stand mixer I always like to finish the kneading by hand. The dough is sticky, so you will need a bench scraper for this part. Hold the scraper in your left hand. Using the heel of your right hand, push the dough out and fold it over. Using the scraper, scape the dough from the board and flip it. The sequence is push - fold - flip. It really is an easy sequence once you get the hang of it. You may at times lightly oil the scraper, your hands and/or the board if the dough is too sticky. Do not add more flour! When done, the dough should feel firm, smooth, supple and slightly tacky.
It should look something like this 
The Press-and-Lift Dough Consistency Test
My (patent-pending) Press-and-Lift Dough Consistency Test is a good way to test the consistency of the final dough. Press the palm of your hand firmly on the dough then lift your hand until the dough pulls away from your palm and falls back on the board. The dough should initially stick to your hand, stretch up and then fall back, leaving a defined peak. If the peak is soft and undefined the dough is a little wet and you can knead in more flour in very small increments and test again. If the dough won't stick to your hand or doesn't stretch up very far before falling back, you've used too much flour and the dough is too dry. Go ahead and bake it anyway but use less flour next time.
Lightly oil the mixer bowl (you do not need to wash it first). Place the dough in the mixer bowl, rotate it in a full circle and then turn upside-down so there is a light film of oil on top. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap.
Let dough rise until doubled in bulk. You may either
The Stretch-and-Fold-in-the-Bowl Technique
If the dough rises at room temperature you may, when it has risen to about 1-1/2 times the original bulk, give it two or three folds in the bowl. The purpose is to redistribute the yeast and deflate any large bubbles that have developed in the dough during its rise. It is especially well suited to wetter bread doughs and takes a few seconds.
Grasp the dough, stretch it up and fold it over. Think of the minute hand on the face of a clock - the first fold is at 0 minutes, the second at 15 minutes, the third at 30 minutes... you get the idea! I normally find two folds sufficient.
Recover the bowl with the plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.
When the dough has doubled, it is ready to shape. From this point on, dear Reader, you must be gentle gentle gentle in your handling of the dough. The dough is fragile and you don't want to deflate it and destroy the air pockets that have developed during the rise.
The final shape of the dough is really up to you. You may shape it in a ball (aka a boule), a cylinder (aka a batard or torpedo) or an elongated cylinder (aka a baguette). I shape it first as a cylinder and then elongate the cylinder into a baguette about 14 inches long, which fits nicely on my baking surface.
Gently scoop the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured board. The dough will deflate by itself, no need to punch it down.
Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Using your hands, gently pat the dough into a rough rectangle and use your scraper to fold the dough like a business letter. Pinch the seam side together, place seam side down, and gently pat and stretch it into a cylinder. It should now look something like this: 
Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Place your baking sheet on the board. If you intend to bake directly on the baking sheet, have it rim side up; otherwise have it rim side down. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal. Gently stretch and pull the dough the length of your baking sheet and gently place it on the baking sheet.
At this point, the dough is ready for the final rise. If left unbraced, the dough will tend to spread out rather than up and you want it to rise up. You will therefore have to figure out some way to support the sides of the dough during this final pre-baking rise. I normally bake only one baguette at a time so I either
[1] brace the sides with rolling pins 
OR
[2] put the dough, on the parchment paper, in a sling made from a cotton kitchen towel and suspend it from a table top 
Whatever bracing system you come up with, lightly oil some plastic wrap and place it, oiled side down, just on the top of the dough. Let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours. The oven must be preheated to 500°F by the time the dough is ready to bake, so make sure you know how long it takes your oven to preheat to this temperature (mine takes about 30 minutes, with a cast iron grill pan in it).
Just prior to baking, remove the braces, place the parchment paper with the dough on your baking sheet and slash the dough. Spray the dough with a light mist of water. If you are baking on a cast iron surface or a baking stone, gently slide the dough, with the parchment paper, onto the baking surface. I do not use any steaming techniques but I do lightly mist the bread with water after it has been in the oven for about one minute, and a second time after about two minutes. The initial baking temperature of 500°F is, in part, designed to compensate for an average drop in oven temperature of about 50°F as a consequence of opening and shutting the oven door for spraying.
After about 5 to 7 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 450°F. Any oven spring that's going to happen will have happened during the initial 5-7 minutes of baking. (For me, the dough typically rises about an inch during this period). Bread shaped as a baguette should be done in about 25 minutes.
OPTIONAL STEP When the bread is done, remove from baking surface, turn off the oven and place bread directly on the oven rack with the oven door propped open one or two inches. Let it rest in the oven as it cools for about 15 minutes. This will help further dry out the exterior, contributing to a more crackly crust in the finished product.
Place the finished loaf on a rack to cool. This bread tastes best if cooled completely, which can take from 2 to 3 hours.
This is a baguette made with AP flour
This is the interior of a baguette made with AP and whole wheat flour
The bread should be eaten within 48 hours; since it contains no oil, it will start to stale after the second day. Any leftover bread makes excellent bread crumbs. Slice it, place it in a paper bag and let it dry completely (this may take several days). Use a blender or food processor to make bread crumbs from the dry slices.
Professional bakers of artisan breads introduce steam into the oven during the first five minutes of baking to help the bread rise during baking. For the home baker, there are many approaches to achieving similar results. A full discussion of home steaming techniques may be found by clicking on this link to www.the artisan.net. Unfortunately, most discussions ignore the most vital part of the equation - your oven. The oven must be capable of holding the steam that is introduced. Alas, I find that my gas oven with the vent in the back dissipates steam so quickly that steaming methods are largely ineffective. An electric oven, which has no vent, should be better suited for these techniques, as should a self-cleaning oven, which has a tighter seal. While I urge you to experiment, I note that a number of posters to this thread who have achieved excellent results do not use any steaming methods.
Inspired by remarks by other posters in this thread, I now use parchment paper for my freeform bread baking.
Doughs with preferments are often very fragile; they deflate easily with handling, especially the tricky part of getting them off the board and into the oven. Parchment paper has unequivocally eliminated, for me, the disappointment of having a dough rise beautifully on the bench only to deflate miserably when slid onto the baking surface of the oven. Parchment paper is rated for a "safe" oven temperature of about 420°F. However, even baking at an initial temperature of 500°F (for 5 to 10 minutes) I have yet to see the paper burst into flames (or other dire effects). It is brown on the exposed edges and very crumbly at the end of the baking period, but it is safe.
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