mrs617 ([personal profile] mrs617) wrote2005-09-20 07:04 am
Entry tags:

Bread dough as art and a living thing.

Pain de Campagne
Country-Style French Bread


Day 5
The second refreshment

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup organic, unbleached white (or all-purpose) flour
1/2 cup (4 ounces; the size of a tangerine) levain from the previous step
1/2 cup water

The second refreshment is made in much the same way as the first. Use the entire levain, discarding any crust that has developed on top. Combine the 2 types of flour and hold back 1/4 cup for kneading the final dough on the table. The dough should be moist to the touch but firm enough not to stick to easily to the hands.
Let the levain rise, covered in the container, for between 10 and 12 hours. At this stage you will see the levain take on a new life. After about 4 or 5 hours, it will sit up nicely in the container. By the end of about 10 hours it will have almost doubled in bulk, and, eventually, it will stop springing back when touched with a finger. At this stage it is ready to be mixed into a bread dough.


Stay tuned for Day 5 part 2, Tuesday evening!

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