I should know better
Sometimes, I don't know where my mind goes. It may already be full of little holes that fill up with panic in moments of stress and then, you know what happens? Basic logic and reason fly out the window and my brain reverts to the path of least resistance, a full-on "Anything goes."
But, sometimes, the mind goes and all you can do is clean up the aftermath. Make the best of a bad situation. A large Pyrex baking dish was lost in the making of this bread, and by lost, I mean, exploded in the oven when hit with boiling water because...I wasn't thinking that far ahead. Guess the new Pyrex products cannot handle temperature changes as well as they used to, or, I forgot how materials work when subjected to great stress. Oh well. Chemistry. I should have known better.
Great crumb though, good texture, so halfway there and a little pat on the back. Now, to work on more flavor and presentation. Some of the non-peanut butter ones turned out kind of pretty. Sorry the writing is a bit stunted, my brain is reverting back to the path of least resistance, or it's usual freneticism.
I don't really know what kind of bread this is though. I really don't know how to make that many different kinds of bread, so we'll call this one everyday, since it's all I know how to do. They're made with my sourdough starter (75% hydration, fed once a week, chilling in the fridge) - it's just a baby, only 2 years old and not very strong.
Look at the cute bubbles. I've made this bread a few times, using Clothilde's instructions, but as with all bread, the dough somehow becomes yours with all the changes. I've tried to pack more flavor into my bread with the barest of ingredients, so there's a much longer cold ferment on this bread than expected and probably a little extra water. All the other instructions are loose. It's a lazy bread, I guess.
Everyday Sourdough Starter Boules
200 g fed 75% starter
600 g AP flour
1 TB powdered gluten
400 g tepid water
1 teaspoon sea salt
Note: Really, just keep the ratio of the starter : flour : water approximately the same and you'll be fine
The sourdough starter should be at room temperature.
Mix together all of the starter, flour, powdered gluten, and water and let sit for 40 minutes. This is the autolyse step, meaning you want to give the flour time to absorb all the water.
Add the salt. Knead or mix the dough until a smooth but sticky dough forms. If using a mixer, beat on low setting for 7 minutes until you can see the gluten forming. If mixing by hand, I'd advise pouring the dough onto a clean counter, picking it up with the aid of a dough scraper, slapping it it down, and using a dough scraper to fold it up and pick it up again for further slapping. Do not add more flour. It is a wet dough, so this kneading method works a little cleaner.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise 1 hour. After 1 hour, fold the dough in on itself, in the bowl, 12 times. Then cover and let rest 1 more hour. After this second hour, fold the dough in on itself in the bowl again, 12 times. I get my hands wet when I handle the dough, makes it a little easier, reduces the stickiness. When finished, cover with double plastic wrap (press down so the first layer of plastic wrap is touching the dough, and the second one is sealing up the bowl) and place in the fridge.
Let rise in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
Bake day. Remove the dough from the oven and let come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 470 degrees F. Place a shatter-resistant pan (a.k.a. metal or cast iron) on the lowest rack and a second rack in the middle of the oven. Boil a pot of water.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into the appropriate amount of pieces (size will vary depending on how many boules you want to make, how small or large the boules you want are, etc). Tuck, fold, and/or shape the dough into little boules.
***This is the point that you would tuck in any add-ins, like peanut butter, nuts and fruit, cheese, etc***
Try not to knock out too many bubbles. Loosely cover with saran wrap and let rise another 40 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the boules to the pan. Slice with a lame in whatever design you'd like. Right before placing in the oven, pour about 1 C of boiling water into the pan on the bottom rack on the oven creating steam. Slide the dough into the oven, trying not to let steam escape.
Lower oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake for 25-35 minutes (if you divided the dough into 4 parts) until the bread has a golden brown crust. Halfway through baking, feel free to pour another 1 C of boiling water into the lower pan to create more steam in the oven. Once done, remove from the oven and let cool.
I should know better. Life mantra, am I right? Or is it, I should have known better, the always in hindsight approach. Let's look at the bread though. Clearly, I'm a little wild with the cuts. Obviously, a little bit of crunchy peanut butter went into the making of half of these mini boules. They were okay. I think next time, I'll do a tighter roll. My pre bake slicing is a bit haphazard, so I probably should get a proper lame and work on that as well.
Look at the cute bubbles. I've made this bread a few times, using Clothilde's instructions, but as with all bread, the dough somehow becomes yours with all the changes. I've tried to pack more flavor into my bread with the barest of ingredients, so there's a much longer cold ferment on this bread than expected and probably a little extra water. All the other instructions are loose. It's a lazy bread, I guess.
Everyday Sourdough Starter Boules
200 g fed 75% starter
600 g AP flour
1 TB powdered gluten
400 g tepid water
1 teaspoon sea salt
Note: Really, just keep the ratio of the starter : flour : water approximately the same and you'll be fine
The sourdough starter should be at room temperature.
Mix together all of the starter, flour, powdered gluten, and water and let sit for 40 minutes. This is the autolyse step, meaning you want to give the flour time to absorb all the water.
Add the salt. Knead or mix the dough until a smooth but sticky dough forms. If using a mixer, beat on low setting for 7 minutes until you can see the gluten forming. If mixing by hand, I'd advise pouring the dough onto a clean counter, picking it up with the aid of a dough scraper, slapping it it down, and using a dough scraper to fold it up and pick it up again for further slapping. Do not add more flour. It is a wet dough, so this kneading method works a little cleaner.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise 1 hour. After 1 hour, fold the dough in on itself, in the bowl, 12 times. Then cover and let rest 1 more hour. After this second hour, fold the dough in on itself in the bowl again, 12 times. I get my hands wet when I handle the dough, makes it a little easier, reduces the stickiness. When finished, cover with double plastic wrap (press down so the first layer of plastic wrap is touching the dough, and the second one is sealing up the bowl) and place in the fridge.
Let rise in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
Bake day. Remove the dough from the oven and let come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 470 degrees F. Place a shatter-resistant pan (a.k.a. metal or cast iron) on the lowest rack and a second rack in the middle of the oven. Boil a pot of water.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into the appropriate amount of pieces (size will vary depending on how many boules you want to make, how small or large the boules you want are, etc). Tuck, fold, and/or shape the dough into little boules.
***This is the point that you would tuck in any add-ins, like peanut butter, nuts and fruit, cheese, etc***
Try not to knock out too many bubbles. Loosely cover with saran wrap and let rise another 40 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the boules to the pan. Slice with a lame in whatever design you'd like. Right before placing in the oven, pour about 1 C of boiling water into the pan on the bottom rack on the oven creating steam. Slide the dough into the oven, trying not to let steam escape.
Lower oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake for 25-35 minutes (if you divided the dough into 4 parts) until the bread has a golden brown crust. Halfway through baking, feel free to pour another 1 C of boiling water into the lower pan to create more steam in the oven. Once done, remove from the oven and let cool.
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