Pain a l'ancienne

[vitoduke]

James-I'm going to be doing pizza on Wednesday, and would like to try to do some bread. I don't know if I can get Guistos Flour by then, what would you recommend instead. What temp. should I let the oven come down to?THANKS---Mel

[james]

This is a new recipe for a dough that works and pizza dough, focaccia and baguettes. It's right out of the Breadbaker's Apprentice, but armed with a digital scale, I was ready to tackle it.

It is a very hydrated dough mixed with ice water, then put straight into the refrigertor. You bring the dough out the next day to proof. The theory, as Reinhard explains, is that the cold stops the yeast from getting started until after enzymes get a head start in breaking down starch into sugar. As a result, there is more sugar for the yeast to work with, and some of the sugar stays in the dough for flavor, texture and for the crust.

It worked really well for me the first time, which is a good sign. My baguettes were nicely brown and crusty (just using a pizza stone). This will be great in a brick oven. It isn't that much harder than the basic ciabatta, and it really is good.

Here is the basic recipe:

500 gram flour
400 grams ice water
2 tsp salt
2 tsp yeast

That's right. 80% hydrated.

When the dough has doubled the next day (it takes a long time to warm up and proof), pour/scrape the ball into a floured surface, gently pull to a 6"x8" oblong, then cut into three strips that become the baguettes. Let them rest a short period (5-10 minutes), slash and bake.

Between my digital scale and this recipe, I'm in new territory. Eccellente.

As an aside, I did the recipe twice. Once with Caputo 00 and once with Giustos bread. The Giustos was much better at making a dough and acting like bread. I made the baguettes from that, and made a focaccia from the more delicate Caputo dough.