Bread dough as art and a living thing.
Sep. 19th, 2005 03:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrs617Pain de Campagne
Country-Style French Bread
Day 4
The first refreshment
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons chef from the previous step
1/3 cup warm water
For the first refreshment, remove the outer crust of the chef and use a piece of the moist dough that is the size of a large walnut (about 2 Tablespoons).
Pour the flour onto the workbench and make a fountain. Break up the chef into little pieces and place it in the middle of the fountain. Pour in the warm water; stir and work the chef with your fingers until it is completely dissolved. Then, with several fingers of one hand, start pulling in some of the flour to make a paste in the middle of the fountain. Gradually work in most of the flour. You will see that the dough becomes more and more active as it is worked. Use the dry hand with some of the remaining flour to clean off the mixing hand and incorporate every little bit into the dough, which is now called levain.
If the levain will not take all the flour, you can leave out a Tablespoon or two. If the levain is too moist and does not come together as dough, add a little flour, a teaspoon at a time.
We describe the final dough as "firm," but it should not be too dry. Rather it should be moist and feel sticky and should stand up in a little ball and spring back when touched.
Let the levain rise in the container, covered with a damp cloth, for between 18 and 24 hours. When ready the levain will have noticeably risen and fallen a little. It will still have a pleasing, alcoholic aroma. Inside it will be inflated with tiny bubbles.
Stay tuned for Day 5, Tuesday morning!
Country-Style French Bread
Day 4
The first refreshment
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons chef from the previous step
1/3 cup warm water
For the first refreshment, remove the outer crust of the chef and use a piece of the moist dough that is the size of a large walnut (about 2 Tablespoons).
Pour the flour onto the workbench and make a fountain. Break up the chef into little pieces and place it in the middle of the fountain. Pour in the warm water; stir and work the chef with your fingers until it is completely dissolved. Then, with several fingers of one hand, start pulling in some of the flour to make a paste in the middle of the fountain. Gradually work in most of the flour. You will see that the dough becomes more and more active as it is worked. Use the dry hand with some of the remaining flour to clean off the mixing hand and incorporate every little bit into the dough, which is now called levain.
If the levain will not take all the flour, you can leave out a Tablespoon or two. If the levain is too moist and does not come together as dough, add a little flour, a teaspoon at a time.
We describe the final dough as "firm," but it should not be too dry. Rather it should be moist and feel sticky and should stand up in a little ball and spring back when touched.
Let the levain rise in the container, covered with a damp cloth, for between 18 and 24 hours. When ready the levain will have noticeably risen and fallen a little. It will still have a pleasing, alcoholic aroma. Inside it will be inflated with tiny bubbles.
Stay tuned for Day 5, Tuesday morning!
