About six years ago I discovered what I believe is the most extraordinary bread recipe in existence. It comes from Peter Reinhart's cookbook called "The Bread Baker's Apprentice". I don't make the recipe exactly the way he says anymore; after 6 years I have made various modifications to suit my taste preferences and have altered certain procedures of technique, so the following recipe is sort of "my own", but the underlying principle, the one that makes the end result so amazingly great, is 100% creditable to Peter Reinhart. The idea is that the slow action of yeast on the dough as it rests in a cold environment allows more sugars to develop in the fermenting dough. Then, as the dough is baked at a very high temperature, these sugars caramelize to produce a gorgeously colored and complexly flavored loaf of bread.
To make this bread, first assemble your ingredients:
27 oz. of bread flour
5 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
20 oz. very cold water
Combine the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer to mix with the bread hook.
You may also use a hand mixer with bread hooks if you do not have a stand mixer.
Mix for 8-10 minutes.
The dough should be just wet enough that it cleans the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom of the bowl as you are mixing. If it does not stick to the bottom, add more water a tiny bit at a time until it does stick.
Turn the dough out into a bowl greased with a little oil - I use olive oil but vegetable oil is probably fine as well. Immediately cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the refrigerator over 2 nights. Through trial and error I have noticed that with just 1 night refrigeration, the flavor is not as developed, but with 3 nights the dough begins to turn sour.
After 2 nights, remove the dough from the refrigerator 3 hours before you wish to bake it, and let it sit at room temperature for those 3 hours.
Look at the wonderful changes that have occurred in your dough!
Once the dough has fully risen, preheat the oven to 500 degrees fahrenheit.
Gently cover the surface of the dough with a light dusting of flour. Then allow the dough to rest for just a moment while you line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a long, very sharp knife, gently cut along the dough to separate the first of 4/5 baguettes that you will make from this batch of dough. Gently stretch the portion of dough holding it by the ends to form a baguette shape and place it on your parchment-lined baking sheet.
Use a lame (shown below - essentially a razor blade on a stick), or a very sharp knife, or even kitchen shears to create shallow slits on an angle down the length of the bread. These will allow steam to escape during baking, preventing large bubbles from forming on the bread.
Here is the cut bread, ready to bake.
Now slide the parchment off of the baking sheet and onto a baking stone. If you don't have a baking stone, and are serious about baking this bread, get one. You can custom size it to exactly fit your oven, and you can leave it in all the time.
After 20-25 minutes, or when your baguettes look like this, remove them from the oven and cool them on a cooling rack.
Look up close to see the fabulous color and texture.
Make enough to share with your friends and family. Overestimate the amount you need. They will all want a loaf for themselves at the end of the night. Any leftovers can be toasted and spread with jam to make a perfect breakfast the next morning.
6 comments:
That looks absolutely mouthwatering!
Quite impressive.
What time is breakfast?
Mary - i'm curious why you line a baking sheet with parchment if you are transferring to a stone? why not just put the parchment on your counter top?
this looks heavenly for a bread fiend! i'm afraid i wouldn't share, you'd find me hiding in a closet somewhere with nothing left but crumbs!
The reason for placing the parchment on a baking sheet is that it makes the transfer to the oven a lot easier. With the dough being heavy and flexible and the parchment not very supportive, the paper can bunch up or the dough could slide off or the loaves might become stuck together on the way to the oven. Also, it makes it easier to keep your hands out of the way of the oven to avoid burns...just hold the baking sheet on one end, position it toward the back of the oven, and slowly slide the parchment down at an angle right off onto the stone while pulling the baking sheet back towards yourself.
oh - hence the brain not registering the comment that you leave your stone in the oven, got it now - thanks - also you commented on leftovers, how do you initially serve it? my baguette experience is limited to dining out and having it with oil and seasonings prior to the main course
:-)
Yes, the point of the stone is that it gets really, really hot and retains the heat for a long time, and so you have that hot surface in direct contact with the bread immediately (except for the tiny little parchment barrier which is basically nothing). If you were to bake on a baking sheet, then it would take longer for the heat to get to the bread, and the crust wouldn't become as crisp as you want it. As for serving it, just eat it - haha :) Yes, it is often an accompaniment to meals, or a starter to meals, but sometimes we just eat it on a weekend afternoon - plain, with butter, with oil, with cheeses... You can also slice lengthwise and make a sub-style sandwich with deli meats and mustard, or cheese, or whatever you like... Also, instead of making baguettes you can use the dough for pizza, too! Follow-up post on that coming soon :)
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