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This is bread. If you have never tried this bread before, you're in for a treat. In The Bread Baker's Apprentice, Peter Reinhart gives the simplest of ingredients here and makes use of a slow cold fermentation in the fridge to extract sugars from the wheat. According to Mr. Reinhart, this develops loads of flavor from the dough and creates a final product that is oh-so complex. Naturally, the Bread baker's apprentice Challenge folks does not wish for me to share the recipe, but it's all over the internet already, like if you look here.
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This was a VERY wet dough. The original recipe says that: "The dough should be sticky on the bottom of the bowl, but it should release from the sides of the bowl." I wasn't sure quite what that meant, but I just mixed until it looked a little "stringy".
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The dough was allowed to ferment in the refrigerator overnight and then left out at room temp to double in bulk. Because I used my wild yeast(Adam) here the rise was a bit different from the pictures from other bloggers.
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When I first saw the recipe, I realized that it made up to 6 baguettes, so I halved the ingredient list and ended up making only 2 or 3 instead. After scoring the loaves, I baked them at 500 degrees and sprayed the oven twice at one minute intervals at the beginning baking cycle. I then turned down the temp to 375 degrees and baked until done, which took me about 24minutes or so.
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The final bread was delicious and crusty, and I was a little disappointed to see the lack of a BIG open crumb, but it was tasty, nonetheless. A definite keeper in the bread making repertoire.
yeastpotted.
 


Comments

Oriana link
06/11/2010 6:44am

I can't believe I still haven't made this bread. I've heard so many good thing about it and yours looks amazing. I think is has a nice open crumb.

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Mimi link
06/11/2010 9:12am

Gorgeous loaves, and I love that you used your starter!

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Kirk
06/11/2010 9:27am

I have the book and have tried several recipes from it with great results. But I've never tried this one. You have inspired me to do so. Your bread looks terrific.

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Sandra
06/11/2010 9:57am

Oriana,
You are too kind to think my crumb looks so open. I had envisioned great open holes in this bread because of the high amount of hydration, but I bet when you make yours, it will turn out better.

Mimi,
Thank you so much for the compliment.

Kirk,
I am so flattered to be someone else's inspiration. I have discovered that this book is a gem to have around, and believe it or not, this particular recipe is by far the easiest I've come across. Good luck on yours, and be sure to share your results so we can all gawk!

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Anne Marie link
06/12/2010 5:46am

Your crumb looks pretty open to me. This was a delicious recipe. Good luck with the challenge.

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Sandra
06/13/2010 5:35am

Anne Marie, Thanks for such positive words. I am enjoying this so much and hope to eventually join you as a "veteran" of this challenge.

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