KNEADING
Rustic bread dough in planetary mixer:
- Start by pouring the flour, yeast and 480 ml of cold refrigerator water into the bowl of the mixer and run at low speed using the “leaf” of your planetary mixer until the dough is coarse but perfectly mixed.
My advice is to put all the water in the refrigerator at least 3 to 4 hours before you start kneading. - At this point you can increase the speed of turning the dough hook and knead until the sides of the bowl are fairly clean.
With a machine performing at a fairly high speed, it will take about 2 minutes - Time to stop the machine and detach the dough from the leaf with a tarot.
- Then restart at low speed and add about half of the remaining water and as soon as there is no risk of it splashing everywhere increase the speed and continue kneading until the walls are clean.
This step at a good speed and moderate room temperature will take about 4 minutes - You are almost done … slow down the action of the mixer without stopping it, add all the salt and the last few milliliters of water slowly, and press the accelerator again until the dough comes completely off the sides and bottom of the bowl.
To give you an idea of how fast your planetarium must work, consider that it must physically move across the plane, it must “walk.” - Once the dough is firm and detached from the bowl is “stringy,” all you have to do is let it rest 10 minutes and run the planetary mixer on low speed while mounting the dough hook; the dough should literally roll on it.
- If the hook does not “catch” the dough, repeat this last procedure 2 or 3 times at 10-minute intervals, and once you have a smooth, nonsticky dough ball you are ready to put it to rest.
Dough by hand:
- Start by pouring all the flour into a bowl large enough to hold about three times as much.
- For simplicity, divide the water into 2 jugs, one filled with 450 ml and the other with 150 ml.
- At this point create the classic “volcano” in the center of the flour and insert the first 450 ml of water.
- Then start mixing the ingredients using a spoon, pay special attention to lumps, which of course should be completely absent, and continue mixing until the water and flour are well blended.
- Then proceed to manipulate the dough (hey yes it’s time to get your hands in the dough), add the remaining water in small doses and only if the one previously inserted is well absorbed.
In order for all the elements to be mixed in the best way, the simplest method is to rotate the bowl with one hand, while with the other you bring the dough toward the center, never stopping. This is to form as much glutinic mesh as possible. - Before adding the last part of water , insert the salt along with a drop of water, to facilitate its absorption, and continue kneading as described in the previous step.
You may need to alternate breaks of about 10 minutes per manipulation to allow the flour to fully absorb the water. - Once you have a smooth, nonsticky dough ball, you are ready to put the dough to rest.
POINT (first rising)
- When finished kneading, let the dough rest 30 minutes in the bowl or on the work surface by covering it with plastic wrap.
- Then bring it to the pastry board and make one round of folds, so the dough will gain strength and support itself.
- Now the dough is ready to rest and rise, place it in a container that you have previously oiled, for about an hour at room temperature (20/22°C).
I recommend using a food container that can hold at least three times the volume of your mass and that has perfectly vertical walls. - After the time needed to start the rising at room temperature has elapsed, store your container in the refrigerator for 16 to 18 hours, for staking.
At this stage, the dough will triple in volume and the gluten mesh will strengthen by gaining “structure.”
CURING AND SECOND RISING
- About 3 to 4 hours before baking, divide your dough into 2 800 g loaves, helping yourself with a mattock by dusting the work surface with a very thin layer of remilled durum wheat semolina.
- Place each loaf on the pastry board and try to form a square, being careful not to ruin the texture.
- Fold each corner of the dough toward the center and fold it back on itself, trying to give it the shape of the basket in which you are going to place it later.
I promise to include a video describing this delicate stage. - Finally, close the resulting shape with finger pressure so that the bread does not open during rising and subsequent baking, and dust the entire loaf with semolina.
- Line a bowl (or a wicker basket) with a clean cloth, preferably linen or cotton, which will ensure that excess moisture is absorbed, place the inverted form inside, and stuff the whole thing into a nice plastic bag closed with a rubber band.
The bag allows the dough not to dry out on the surface, creating that annoying surface film - Now let rise for 3 to 4 hours at about 20/22°C° or at least until the volume of each shape has reached 1.5 times its initial volume.
COOKING
The decisive stage has come, if you have carefully executed all the steps nothing can go wrong anymore.
- After 3 to 4 hours has elapsed, invert the basket onto a baking sheet covered with baking paper and dust the back with a layer of semolina.
- Using a perfectly clean disposable razor blade, make a 3/4 mm deep cut about halfway down the side of the loaf.
- In the meantime you will have preheated the oven in static mode to 230°C and placed a saucepan full of water in the bottom. This will help ensure that the bread does not form a crust too quickly and can develop in baking.
Here unfortunately you will have to gain experience because each oven works very differently - Then place the pan back in the second-to-last shelf on the bottom of the oven and bake this way for about 20 minutes.
If you have an oven with an “aggressive” top heating element, place the empty drip pan just below it so the back does not harden. - After the first 20 minutes have elapsed, set the thermostat to 200°C, open the oven and remove the pan and drip pan (if you used one). Then let the steam escape, letting it cook for another 15 minutes .
- After the necessary time has passed, lower the temperature further to 180° and continue for another 15 minutes.
- Finally keep the thermostat at 180°C (350°F) and open the oven slightly, keeping it “cracked” to disperse the remaining steam, and let it bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.
- When baked, bake your loaf, place it back on a wire rack and let it cool completely before the fateful cutting
CONCLUSIONS
In this type of preparation, practice and experience are essential, but I assure you that with time you will be able to create true masterpieces. If you have any questions or further inquiries about the article you just read, feel free to send me a message on Instagram => by clicking here
…And now knead, enjoy and taste!
Rudy
