Rise Up!

It is cold here today.  Very, very, very cold.  See that thermometer?  Yep, cold.

It is also bread day.

After being inspired by a neighbor a couple months ago, I decided to start baking our bread regularly and so now, once or twice a week, I do just that.  I don't know why I was always so intimidated by bread, because baking it really is a very simple and soothing process.  After all, much of the process doesn't even require your attention.  You just show up to create the right environment, do a little mixing and kneading, quite a bit of waiting, and then a transfer into and out of the oven and voila! delicious bread is your reward.  The perfect vehicle for butter.  (Come to think of it, many of my favorite foods are excellent vehicles for butter- lobster, pasta, bread..... maybe I should just be honest and start saying that butter is one of my favorite foods.  Hmm.)  Anyway, bread.  I've been making the same predominantly whole wheat bread for the last couple months and I rather like it.  I usually form it in a large round or oblong loaf, but Mike recently informed me that he prefers a traditional loaf shape.  I think he actually said something like "I'd find it much more usable if it was shaped like regular bread".  I get it.  Sandwiches are easier to make and pack for travel if they are in a square shape, after all.  I don't know why I prefer it the other way- I think maybe it just feels kind of special since it's not shaped like "regular" bread.  No matter, the recipe makes 2 or 3 loaves, and so now we'll have one of each.  And Claire?  Well, she doesn't really care what shape the loaf is in, as long as she gets to chew on some strips of mama's homemade bread from time to time.  I suppose I should note that today papa helped quite a bit with the bread.  It is becoming a family affair, and I wouldn't have it any other way~

bread rising in Mike's great-grandmother's bowls~








The recipe I've been using comes from the lovingly worn and stain-splattered pages of my neighbor's copy of Mediterranean Harvest, by Martha Rose Schulman.  It calls for a biga, which is a a pre-ferment (or levain, poolish, chef, starter, sponge, or whatever you want to call it) that you get ready the day before baking, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's a complicated recipe, because it is not.

Biga

1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 cup water

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

-dissolve yeast in water, then combine with flour and stir until blended and sticky

-scrape down sides to form a ball, cover with wrap and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours

Whole Wheat Country Bread

1 large loaf

1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

2 cups warm water

1 cup biga

3 cups whole wheat flour

1-1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp kosher salt

-dissolve yeast in water in bowl of standing mixer and let sit 5 minutes, add biga and mix on low until broken up

-add whole wheat flour, 1 cup of the all purpose flour and salt and mix for 1-2 minutes until blended using paddle attachment

-switch to dough hook and mix on medium for 6-8 minutes, dough should be sticky and a little wet, but should come together on hook (add more AP flour if necessary)

-scrape onto floured surface and knead for about 1 minute, then form into a ball and place in a clean oiled bowl, turning ball around to cover all sides.  cover with wrap and let rise ~3 hours

-tap dough to deflate and turn it onto an oiled surface, shape 1 large loaf as a tight ball (or place in loaf pan) and place on a parchment lined baking sheet (or a cornmeal dusted baking peel if you have one). cover with a clean dry towel and then a warm, moist towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour

-preheat oven to 450 degrees, and place baking stone in oven on middle rack, if using one

-place baking sheet on stone, or, if using a peel, slide loaf onto stone

-bake for 15 minutes at 450, then reduce temp to 400 and bake for 30-40 minutes

*I use all of the biga at once and therefore double the recipe, making 2 large loaves or 3 medium loaves. My mixer (KitchenAid Artisan standing mixer) doesn't deal well with that much at once, so I divide the dough in 2 or 3 batches for mixing.  Of course, if you are mixing by hand, no need to worry.

Enjoy~