First, the recipe as originally written, from this PDF. I have transcribed it at the end of this post, in case the link ever dies.
What I Actually Did
Overnight poolish (ingredients for one)
- 250g all purpose flour
- 250g cool whey (straight from the fridge)
- 1g Active Dry Yeast
Remaining ingredients
- 240g bread flour
- 30g hard white wheat flour (stone ground)
- 8g salt
- 6g Active Dry Yeast
- 125g warm whey (microwaved until warm to the touch)
- 50g honey
- 50g butter, softened
Let poolish rest under cling wrap in a bowl for 14+ hours up to 24 hours. Warm whey in microwave at half power until warm to the touch, not hot. Add honey and yeast and stir to incorporate. Let rest 10 minutes. Measure out other flours and ingredients into large tub so there is room for the rise. Add softened butter to melt in warm whey/yeast mix. Incorporate whey mix and poolish gently into the flour and salt in the tub. Mix and squish until dry ingredients incorporated well. Does not need to be perfect, will be pretty shaggy and sticky. Using water on your hand helps, but still this stuff sticks.
Cover and proof over 3-4 hours. In first 90 minutes, stretch dough every 30 minutes, pulling up edges and folding into middle. Then just let it do its thing until you're ready for the final rest. It will double or triple in size beautifully!
Pre-heat French or Dutch oven in 500* degree oven (475 is fine, I usually account for lost heat during the time I transfer the dough, keeping the oven open for a minute or so).
For this final rest, gently transfer dough onto floured surface. Stretch gluten cloak however you like. In this recipe, it pulls from the edges up to the middle, putting the "pretty" side on the bottom. You can also do it more traditionally, pulling the edges under, so the stretched gluten cloak is on top. So, too, when putting in a proofing basket, you can do it pretty side down or pretty side up. When transferring to your French oven, you can do it either way as well.
HOW I DID IT: I did as the recipe called for, pretty side down to stretch and proof in the basket on a well-flowered cloth. When turning out, I turned it pretty-side-up onto a piece of parchment paper. I sliced the top in a swirl with a wet knife. Using the parchment paper, I lifted it gently into the French oven and covered with the lid.
Decrease temp to 475 after transferring the dough. 35 minutes lid on, 10-15 minutes lid off until deep golden brown. Remove from French oven using the parchment paper as a sling, remove parchment paper and let rest on a cooling rack for 10-20 minutes. Don't cut in too early! You want it to cool enough that the crumb settles. This last bit of steam from the oven needs to stay trapped in there to have the bounciest crumb.
* Bottom of my bread turned a burned color, but did not taste overly burned. I think I would just have it at 475 the whole time after all, so the bottom doesn't get heated so much.
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Original Recipe
Overnight poolish (ingredients for one)
- 250g strong white flour
- 250g cool whey
- 0.5g dried yeast or 2g fresh yeast
Remaining ingredients
- 175g strong white flour
- 60g strong wholemeal flour 30g
- dark rye flour
- 8g salt
- 2g dried yeast or 6g fresh yeast
- 125g warm whey (40ºC)
- 50g honey
- 50g butter, softened
Method
The evening before mix the poolish ingredients in a large bowl so that the mixture will have 12 to 14 hours fermentation at around 20/22ºC.
Next day start by dissolving the yeast and honey in a little of the warm whey and leave for 10 minutes. Meanwhile weigh out the remaining flours, salt and butter. Add the remaining flours, salt, butter in small pieces and warm whey to the poolish and mix by squishing between your fingers. Wet your hands first so the dough doesn’t stick.
The dough is going to prove now for 3 to 4 hours, kept warm and covered. At the start of this time give the dough 3 folds at 30 minute intervals. Make the folds by going round the dough (in the bowl) pulling the dough up and out as far as it will go without tearing then folding it back into the middle.
At the end of the proving, ease the dough out onto a floured surface. If you are making two boules now is the time to divide the dough. Go round the dough pulling an edge gently away from the centre then folding it lightly back into the centre. Do this till you have a neat high mound of dough.
Lay the dough, pretty side down in a well floured proving basket or bowl lined with a well floured tea towel. Let it prove for about 40 minutes in a warm and moist place (covering the dough bowl with a larger bowl works). Around 20 minutes in advance heat the oven to 240ºC with the casserole plus lid. Gently tip the dough onto floured work surface.
Take the (VERY HOT) casserole out of the oven, pick up the dough with well floured hands and ease it into the pot. Replace the casserole lid Bake at 230°C (fan 220ºC) for 35 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 25 minutes.
Overnight poolish ingredients for two: (literally just double all ingredients)
