Pain de Campagne

Bread Baker's Apprentice, p. 195
lean, indirect method, commercial yeast

Pâte Fermentée:
1 cup AP flour
1 1/4 c bread flour
1 t kosher salt
1 t activate dry yeast (activate in a little water prior)
3/4 c water, room temp

Pain de Campagne:
3 cups pâte fermentée
1 3/4 c bread flour
1/3 c dark rye flour
1 t kosher salt
1 1/2 t active dry yeast (activate in a little water prior)
3/4 c water

Pre-ferment- Stir together flours, yeast and salt and paddle for 1 min on low. Adjust flour/water ratio, and then switch to dough hook and knead for 4 minutes. Transfer to oiled bowl and let sit at room temp for 1 hour, then refrigerate overnight.
Mixing- Dechill pâte and cut into 10 pieces. Add to mixing bowl of mixer along with flours, salt, yeast, and water and dough hook for 6 minutes. Was not windowpaning so continued kneading with hook for another 4 minutes until I finally gave up. Might have overmixed? Ended up stiffer than initial windowpane test.
Primary Fermentation- 2 hrs in oiled bowl under plastic wrap. Degassed slightly after 1 hour, as it had grown a lot and left to continue to rise.
Punching Down- see above
Dividing- Divide into 3 pieces. They were stiff.
Rounding- I made 1 boule and 2 bâtards. No benching.
Shaping- Formed 1 bâtard into fendu, left others as is.
Proofing- Proof for 1 hour on counter on parchment paper on sheet pan.
Baking- Hearth baking, double steam method, score boule and bâtard with serrated knife. Baked on sheet pan rather than ceramic stone. Preheat to 500, triple spray, lower to 450 and bake for 20 minutes, rotating once halfway.




Results: Scores were lousy, not deep enough, probably due to tool used. Crumb was tight, flavor was not as good as ciabatta, and texture was overly chewy. Crust color was not dark like pictured, perhaps because I used organic dark rye without malt barley?? Next time use WW. Fendu shape did not hold up through baking. I think I forgot to activate the yeast in the pre-ferment stage, and overall I think I did not use enough water. Remember rustic dough=wet dough! Also, as I transferred the bâtard into oven, it slipped and smushed against itself. Overall a little disappointing.

Poolish Ciabatta

Bread Baker's Apprentice, p. 135
lean, indirect method, commercial yeast

Poolish:
2 1/2 c bread flour
1 1/2 c water, room temp
1/2 t active dry yeast

Ciabatta:
3 1/4 c poolish
3 c bread flour
2 t kosher salt
2 t active dry yeast
3/4 c water, lukewarm

Pre-ferment- Stir together flour, water and yeast in a large mixing bowl until the consistency of pancake batter. Let sit at room temp for 3-4 hrs, then in the fridge overnight.

Mixing- Dechill poolish for 1 hour at room temp. Mix together flour, salt and yeast, then add poolish and water and paddle for 5-7 min on low, then switch to dough hook for 2 min.

Primary Ferment- Stretch and fold on counter, then rest for 30 minutes. Stretch and fold again, and then let ferment 1 1/2-2 hours.

Punching Down- Not necessary, the bread's own weight to degases itself.

Dividing- Divide into 2 or 3 rectangles.

Rounding- None

Benching- None

Shaping and Panning- If dough is wet, use a lot of extra flour on counter, roll to coat dough. Fold each piece of dough over itself, letter style.

Proofing- Proof in a couche or floured tablecloth for 45-60 minutes.

Baking- Prepare oven for hearth style baking with double steam method at 500, spray 3 times, lower to 450, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Bread will be done when golden and 205 degrees at the center.

Results: Very tasty, delicious, yeasty, complex flavor but tight crumb without irregular holes. In hindsight, dough was not wet enough and was accidentally degassed by excessive handling. Next time, increase hydration, cut back on stretching and folding, and bake longer for deeper color.