Bread - For the Mind and Body

There is nothing more satisfying to me than making my own bread.  I can't fully explain the reason why this is, only that making bread grounds me.  Perhaps it is the fact that it is a full day process and it slows me down enough to appreciate all the small pleasures in life.

Three years ago I made my first trip up to Norwich VT to visit the King Arthur Baking Co and take a bread making class.  Not only did I fall in love with the idea of making my own bread, I fell in love with the process.  Bread making is a learned craft, the ingredients are simple, the process is complex.  Flour, water, salt, yeast.  Mix them together over the course of 18 hours and the outcome is a rustic looking boule with a chewy, flavorful crust and a  soft body with medium to large air pockets to sink your butter and jam into.  I acutally prefer my bread the day after it is baked, it has a more robust flavor and a denser texture opposed to when it first comes out of the oven and cools.

Sunday is bread making day.  My standby recipe makes two large loaves of bread.  If we don't give one to the neighbors or family, two loaves will last us until Friday, just in time to start the process over on Saturday night.

Basic Artisan Bread

Poolish - mix the night before 
3 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
2 1/4 cup warm water
1/8 teaspoon of yeast

Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl and cover with celophane.  The mixture should look like a thick pudding consistancy.

Dough - mix approx 12-15 hours after mixing the poolish 
3 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 TBLS + 1 tsp Sea Salt
3/4 tsp yeast
all your poolish you mixed the night before

Combine the flour, warm water, sea salt and yeast with the poolish and mix together by hand until ingredients are all incorporated and your dough looks shaggy. Cover and set your timer for 20 minutes.  When your timer goes off, uncover the dough and give it a few folds. (Folds = taking the top edge of the dough and folding it up and over the bottom half)  I fold my bread right in the bowl.  If your bowl isn't big enough you will need to take it out and fold it on the counter and then gently place it back in the bowl so that it can rest another 20 minutes.  Repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 sets of folds in the first hour after mixing your final dough. By now your dough should have some form and structure.  If pressed lightly with your finger it should bounce back slightly.

Let your dough rise in a warm room for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Shaping and Proofing your Bread
After letting your dough rise for 2 hours, gently scrape it out onto a floured surface and divide in half.  The dough will be sticky so dust the top lightly with flour before dividing it with a bench scraper or sharp knife.

Gently fold the dough like a letter until you have a square, then fold the 4 corners into the center.  Flip the dough over and cup the sides with your hand gently forming it into a round ball.  Place the dough in a small colunder or basket lined with a floured towel and cover (seams should be facing down in the basket).
Proof for 1 hour.  Set your timer for 15 minutes and then start warming your oven.

You'll want to bake your bread in a bread cloche or dutch oven with a cover.  If you have neither then you can use a pizza stone.  Place your baking surface (cover as well if using a cloche or dutch oven) in your oven and set to 450 degrees.  Heat for 45 minutes before baking your bread.

After you have proofed your bread it will be ready to bake.  If you are baking your loaves seperately then place the 2nd loaf in the fridge 20 minutes prior to putting the first loaf into the oven.  This way the 2nd loaf won't be over proofed by the time you go to bake it.

Carefully uncover your bread cloche or dutch over.  Gently roll the shaped loaf into your hands so that the seams are facing up.  Place in the cloche or dutch oven and place the cover over the bread.  Bake for 30 minutes then remove the cover and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until browned to your liking.