Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Rustic Bread ala Hamelman –Mellow Bakers-
12:32 PM
My book has finally arrived I am over the moon.
I have been waiting for "Bread"a bread baking book by Hamelman to arrive when the Iceland volcano started to cause trouble. The ashes caused European airspace to be pretty much empty for almost a week which meant that my book was who-knows-where waiting for the long haul here.
Last Thursday our local APO finally received a big shipment and with it my book. Yippee, can you tell I am excited?
Friday I pulled out the book, checked the Mellow Bakers online page to see which bread to start with first.
Mellow Bakers: What is it?
Mellow Bakers is a group of bread baking enthusiasts who look to bake a particular bread or breads together each month. Specific breads will be announced on the site every month and members can choose to make these breads as a group then post and share their results.
(for more information on Mellow Bakers, to read, to join etc. check here)
The group decided on a pace of 3 breads a month. Great because that way I will try new recipes and at the same time still have time to make old time favorites or other recipes without getting sick and tired of bread (yeah, like that is going to happen, NOT). Here is the first recipe I chose from the options provided.
Rustic Bread
“Bread” by Jeffrey Hamelman
Page 115
This recipe starts out with a pre-ferment that will ferment for 12-16 hours. This will help create some great flavor and also will aid in a longer shelf life.
Recipe linked from "The Fresh Loaf"
Rustic Bread
I have been waiting for "Bread"a bread baking book by Hamelman to arrive when the Iceland volcano started to cause trouble. The ashes caused European airspace to be pretty much empty for almost a week which meant that my book was who-knows-where waiting for the long haul here.
Last Thursday our local APO finally received a big shipment and with it my book. Yippee, can you tell I am excited?
Friday I pulled out the book, checked the Mellow Bakers online page to see which bread to start with first.
Mellow Bakers: What is it?
Mellow Bakers is a group of bread baking enthusiasts who look to bake a particular bread or breads together each month. Specific breads will be announced on the site every month and members can choose to make these breads as a group then post and share their results.
(for more information on Mellow Bakers, to read, to join etc. check here)
The group decided on a pace of 3 breads a month. Great because that way I will try new recipes and at the same time still have time to make old time favorites or other recipes without getting sick and tired of bread (yeah, like that is going to happen, NOT). Here is the first recipe I chose from the options provided.
Rustic Bread
“Bread” by Jeffrey Hamelman
Page 115
This recipe starts out with a pre-ferment that will ferment for 12-16 hours. This will help create some great flavor and also will aid in a longer shelf life. When a recipe asks for rye or whole wheat (spelt) I grind my own flour. This way it’s really fresh, I have control over how course or fine I make it and it’s a satisfying experience.
This bread takes some time to complete though not much work. The Bulk Fermentation is 2 1/2 hrs. During that time you fold the dough twice after each 50 min. For the final rise I placed my loafs into some baskets but you can also use a bowl lined with a thin kitchen towel (don’t forget to flour it and the bread or it will stick) or even bakers linen that you fold between the loafs to create some stability. You will need something to hold it in shape for the final rise or it will spread and you’ll end up with a hockey puck.
My slashes turned out not to be deep enough so I will have to work on that. The crumb could be a little lighter this is the fault of my inexperience and not the recipes.
Overall this bread was great and we liked it a lot. One loaf is gone. The other is sitting in the freezer. Here is to great bread!
Recipe linked from "The Fresh Loaf"
Rustic Bread
Makes 2 large loaves
Preferment:
1 lb. bread flour (3 1/2 cups)
9.5 oz. water (1 1/4 cups)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
Final dough:
10 oz. bread flour (2 1/2 cups)
6 oz. whole wheat or rye flour or a mixture of them (around 1 1/2 cups)
12.5 oz. water (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
all of the preferment
For the instructions on how to bake this bread please head on over to the “Fresh Loaf” link above.
This Bread has been Yeast spotted
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3 comments:
Oh, this looks very very good. Inside and out! I love your process photos, they really give me a sense for all of it. Beautiful.
That bread looks fantastic! What a beautiful crumb.
The crumb looks great. I start to think that I maybe need another book... now that Eyjafjalla stoped being nasty.
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