Red Apple Guy
New member
From Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads, this is terrific bread.
Soaker
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (227 g)
1/2 teaspoon table salt (4 g)
3/4 + 2 tablespoons milk (88 g)
Biga
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (227 g)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (1 g)
3/4 cup spring water or filtered (170 g)
Dough
all soaker
all biga
7 tablespoons whole wheat flour (56 g)
5/8 teaspoons table salt (5 g)
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (7 g)
2 1/2 tablespoons honey or molasses (42.5 g)
1 tablespoon butter or oil (14 g)
extra whole wheat flour for adjustment if needed
Directions:
- mix soaker ingredients for about 1 minute until well mixed.
- Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 8 to 24 hours
- if longer is desired, place in refrigerator after 24 hours.
- Mix biga ingredients and knead by hand till evenly distributed about 2 minutes
- Rest biga for 5 minutes and knead 1 more minute with wet hands
- Place in container, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.
- Before making the final dough, remove from fridge and warm on counter for 2 hours still covered.
- For final dough, place soaker and biga on floured counter and cut into 12 pieces each, lightly flouring and place in bowl.
- Add all other ingredients (keep salt and yeast separated in bowl).
- Either stir in bowl vigorously with wooden spoon or wet hands until uniform, or mix with paddle in electric mixer 1 minute on low speed. Switch to dough hook if using mixer and knead on medium-low speed for 2 to 3 minutes until dough is uniform and slightly sticky but soft. If not add small amounts of flour or water until it is.
- Dust counter with flour and knead by hand for 3 to 4 minutes using minimum amount of flour. You can adjust with flour or water to get soft, slightly sticky dough (just a small amount sticks to hands when touched).
- Form into a ball and rest for 5 minutes while you prepare an oiled rising bowl or straight sided container.
- Knead by hand one minute or stretch and fold one minute and check to see if dough can form a window pane (stretch golf-ball sized piece until it shows light through it). If not, knead some more.
- Place ball of dough into oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in 70 to 85F area until 1.5 times it's former size (45 to 60 minutes).
- Gently transfer to floured area and shape into a loaf to fit a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or make a batard or boule.
- Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until 1.5 times its size (45 to 60 minutes)
- Preheat oven to 425F with an iron skillet in the oven for holding water later.
- When ready, score top and place in oven.
- Lower temperature to 350F and add 1 cup of hot water carefully to skillet, with oven door glass covered with a towel to prevent breakage.
- Bake for 20 minutes, rotated in the oven and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes until 205F in the center of the loaf or brown and hollow-sounding with thumped on the bottom.
- Remove from pan and cool on a rack for about an hour before cutting.
Soaker
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (227 g)
1/2 teaspoon table salt (4 g)
3/4 + 2 tablespoons milk (88 g)
Biga
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (227 g)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (1 g)
3/4 cup spring water or filtered (170 g)
Dough
all soaker
all biga
7 tablespoons whole wheat flour (56 g)
5/8 teaspoons table salt (5 g)
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (7 g)
2 1/2 tablespoons honey or molasses (42.5 g)
1 tablespoon butter or oil (14 g)
extra whole wheat flour for adjustment if needed
Directions:
- mix soaker ingredients for about 1 minute until well mixed.
- Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 8 to 24 hours
- if longer is desired, place in refrigerator after 24 hours.
- Mix biga ingredients and knead by hand till evenly distributed about 2 minutes
- Rest biga for 5 minutes and knead 1 more minute with wet hands
- Place in container, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.
- Before making the final dough, remove from fridge and warm on counter for 2 hours still covered.
- For final dough, place soaker and biga on floured counter and cut into 12 pieces each, lightly flouring and place in bowl.
- Add all other ingredients (keep salt and yeast separated in bowl).
- Either stir in bowl vigorously with wooden spoon or wet hands until uniform, or mix with paddle in electric mixer 1 minute on low speed. Switch to dough hook if using mixer and knead on medium-low speed for 2 to 3 minutes until dough is uniform and slightly sticky but soft. If not add small amounts of flour or water until it is.
- Dust counter with flour and knead by hand for 3 to 4 minutes using minimum amount of flour. You can adjust with flour or water to get soft, slightly sticky dough (just a small amount sticks to hands when touched).
- Form into a ball and rest for 5 minutes while you prepare an oiled rising bowl or straight sided container.
- Knead by hand one minute or stretch and fold one minute and check to see if dough can form a window pane (stretch golf-ball sized piece until it shows light through it). If not, knead some more.
- Place ball of dough into oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in 70 to 85F area until 1.5 times it's former size (45 to 60 minutes).
- Gently transfer to floured area and shape into a loaf to fit a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or make a batard or boule.
- Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until 1.5 times its size (45 to 60 minutes)
- Preheat oven to 425F with an iron skillet in the oven for holding water later.
- When ready, score top and place in oven.
- Lower temperature to 350F and add 1 cup of hot water carefully to skillet, with oven door glass covered with a towel to prevent breakage.
- Bake for 20 minutes, rotated in the oven and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes until 205F in the center of the loaf or brown and hollow-sounding with thumped on the bottom.
- Remove from pan and cool on a rack for about an hour before cutting.
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