Artisan Bread
Sometimes you want a special type of bread to get your friends and family excited, and this recipe could be exactly the right thing.
Creating such bread works best using a dough that has a high hydration level (TA 167-180). The recipe itself is not the determining factor, but rather how you make it! In most cases, a main dough is kneaded before being eventually divided and improved with an additional soaker.
Recipe
For a dough weight of 1938g / 3 pieces, each 646g
Wheat sourdough:
| 150g | Wheat flour type 700/550 | 100% |
| 150g | Water | 100% |
| 15g | Starter | 10% |
Dissolve the starter in the water and then mix it with the wheat flour. Maturation time 12-14 hours / dough temperature 25-27°C.
Soaker:
Variation 1
| 15g | Coarse rye meal | 20% |
| 15g | Coarse wheat meal | 20% |
| 20g | Dried roasted malt | 27% |
| 15g | Dried, roasted and finely ground breadcrumbs | 20% |
| 10g | Roasted sesame seeds | 13% |
| 75g | Water 50°C | 100% |
or
Variation 2
| 15g | Coarse rye meal | 19% |
| 15g | Dried, roasted and finely ground breadcrumbs | 19% |
| 50g | Roasted and coarsely chopped pumpkin seeds | 62% |
| 50g | Water 50°C | 63% |
| 30g | Pumpkin seed oil | 37% |
Both variations: Mix the ingredients with water and let it soak for 3-4 hours.
Main dough:
| 315g | Mature wheat sourdough | 100% |
| 850g | Wheat flour 700/550 or French T65 | 100% |
| 600g | Water 10°C | 100% |
| 22g | Salt | 2,2% |
| 1g | Yeast | 0,1% |
| 150g | Softened soaker | 100% |
Instructions
- Mix the flour, water and mature sourdough for 2 minutes and then let it sit, covered, to autolyze for 30-45 minutes.
- After the autolyze, add the salt and yeast and mix slowly for 8-10 minutes.
- Finally, mix it quickly for another 1-2 minutes. The dough has been fully kneaded when it falls away entirely from the side of the mixing bowl.
- Split the dough into two halves and knead the soaker (variation 1 or 2) slowly into one of the halves.
- Fold the dough after 30 and 60 minutes.
- Let it rise for 90-120 minutes.
- In preparation to work the dough, dust your work surface with flour. Tip the first dough out of its container. Straighten it up a bit and then tip the second dough directly onto the first one!
- To more easily divide the dough, pull the whole piece, elongating it so that it roughly measures 15 by 45cm. (The advantage of long, narrow dough forms is that they are much easier to divide!) As soon as the dough has been split into three pieces of equal size, fold each of these from their four sides into the middle. Let them rest, seam-side down and covered, for 30 minutes.
- Turn the pieces of dough over and fold each one into the middle from its left and right sides so that the flaps are slightly overlapping. Then roll each piece from top to bottom with light tension of the dough.
- Put the dough seam-side down in a floured proofing basket and let it proof in the fridge at 4°C.
- Dough maturation 12-24 hours at 4°C.
- Preheat the oven to 245°C. Put in the bread, reduce the temperature to 200°C and use strong steam. Bake for 35 minutes.
- If you are baking the bread in a pot, bake for 30 minutes at 245°C. Keep the oven temperature at 245°C. If after 30 minutes the bread’s crust is not yet dark enough, you can bake it for 2-3 more minutes without the lid. (WARNING: It will brown quickly!)
Note: The soaker can be changed and improved according to taste.
