KNEADING
We prepare the autolysis
- First pour all the flour into a bowl large enough to hold about three times as much.
- Insert 320g of water taken from the total and start mixing the ingredients using a spoon until the water and flour are roughly blended.
- Once you have a rough but not sticky mixture, you will let it rest for one or two hours at room temperature (20-22°C).
We toast the seeds
- in a hot pan toast the seeds, which will be ready in about ten minutes
- Let them cool and hydrate them with 30 grams of water taken from that for the dough
- Leave the seeds in the refrigerator until kneading.
Let’s prepare the actual dough
- Place all the autolysis, all the sourdough and about 80g of water in the mixer.
- start kneading at low speed, add more water in small doses gradually increasing the speed making sure that the previous one has been completely absorbed.
- before adding the last part of water , add the salt, continue kneading and complete by inserting the remaining water as well.
- once you have a perfectly stringy dough, lower the speed and add all the seeds.
POINT
- Now that the dough is formed take it out of the bowl and let it rest 20 minutes open on the counter.
- after which make a few reinforcing folds and store it in a container that you will have previously oiled, for 4-5 hours at 25/26°C.
- During this time, the volume of your dough should increase by about 20-30%.
CUTTING AND PREFORMING
- Dust the counter with a dusting of flour (preferable to semolina at this juncture).
- Divide the dough into 2 630g loaves and “close” them perfectly by making very gentle folds so that the loaves have a round shape.
- let the molds rest on the counter uncovered for one hour
FORMING AND RESTING
The most delicate moment of the whole process has come, the molding! Forming goes according to one’s dexterity. I try to give you a method that I think is one of the simplest.
- Turn the loaf with the “nice” side toward the counter, take the two left and right flaps and bring them toward the center overlapping them.
- Then take the top (the one furthest from you) and roll the loaf up, squeezing it gently.
- Form a “seam” in the joining part, dust the basket with a little regrind semolina, and lay the loaf with the scar upward.
- Let relax 20 minutes at room temperature, then put the baskets to rest in the refrigerator at 5-6°C for 12 to 15 hours.
COOKING
This is it, it’s time to bake, and since few people are equipped with a steam oven we will use pot baking.
- Preheat the oven to maximum (250°C) and place the rack on the slide closest to the bottom
- turn your loaf of bread upside down on a wooden paddle, make a 45° cut along its entire length, and insert the loaf into the pan without deforming it.
- Bake with the pan closed, and after 20 minutes lower the temperature to 220°C without uncovering.
- After another 20 minutes, uncover the pan and lower it to 180°C (350°F)
- Bake for another 20 minutes and lower to 150° for another 20.
If all went well your loaf of bread will have lost 20% of its weight coming in at exactly 500g
THE CUT
Don’t get anxious as yours truly sometimes does! Wait for the bread to cool perfectly and then go for it!
If all has gone as it should your loaf should lose between 15 and 20 percent of its weight and have a pronounced but uniform honeycombing.
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…And now knead, enjoy and taste!
Rudy
