Monday, July 4, 2011

Slow-Rise Bread

I've been baking bread for many years. It has been tasty, but lately I've been dissatisfied with the bread's texture. It crumbles, which is especially irksome when eating a sandwich. Then, on a whim, I decided to make an artisan bread from a recipe in the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.

The recipe starts with an overnight sponge. The ingredients are a cup of water, 1/4 teaspoon yeast, and two cups of unbleached white flour, stirred together. Sometimes I use one cup of unbleached and one cup of whole wheat flour, but always I use our wonderful Kansas flour, Hudson Cream. Overnight this mixture is transformed.


To this bubbling slurry I add salt, 1/2 teaspoon more yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup water, and two cups of whole wheat flour. (King Arthur recipe calls for all white flour, but what do they know?) Then I knead for three minutes in the mixer fitted with its dough hook. I finish the kneading on my pastry cloth, form the dough into a ball, and plop it into a big oiled bowl to rise.


After the dough rises, which happens pretty fast, I shape it into a long loaf and place the loaf on a cookie sheet scattered with cornmeal. The cornmeal keeps the loaf from sticking to the pan. After the loaf nearly doubles bake it at 410 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and set it on a rack to cool.


Sure, it's pretty, but the best part is that the texture is firm, making a sturdy sandwich. It also makes wonderful toast. What a thrill it is to learn a new skill in the twilight of life.

5 comments:

Jayhawk Fan said...

Buddha boy is HAPPY with the bread! It does look so beautiful!

I'm looking up this recipe for myself! Thanks for the recommendation!

Happy Fourth of July, Mama!

LawrenceLinda said...

Shirley,
The 410 oven for 30 minutes on a day when the temperature is 95ยบ is what would stop me. The final photo is wonderful. Happiness is fresh bread with the possibility of beans to go with it. Linda

Jayhawk Fan said...

What she's not revealing to us readers is that she's awake at 5:00 A.M., or EARLIER, and is done baking by the time the sun is up!

Shirley said...

What kind of beans, Linda?

LawrenceLinda said...

The ones in the photo....look like good red beans, any style.