Bread Machine (80 page)
T
he
poolish
was a turn-of-the-century breadmaking technique, but of late it has revitalized the artisan bread movement. A starter dough is prepared and left to sit for at least six hours before the dough is mixed. The final mixing and kneading phase is known as the
petrissage.
In the bread machine, you get to skip the long hours of hard work needed to make a nice loaf of bread from this classic sponge starter recipe. The instructions given here are for baking the bread in the machine, but I also like to hand shape this bread into
boules
and bake them in the oven. This loaf is dense and slightly sour.
1
1
/
2
-POUND LOAF
For the poolish:
1 cup water
1
1
/
4
cups organic bread flour
1
/
4
teaspoon SAF or bread machine yeast
For the dough:
1
/
3
cup water
1
1
/
2
teaspoons SAF yeast or 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
2 cups organic bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon gluten
1
1
/
2
teaspoons salt
2-POUND LOAF
For the poolish:
1
1
/
3
cups water
1
/
2
3 cups organic bread flour
1
/
3
teaspoon SAF or bread machine yeast
For the dough:
1
/
2
cup water
1
1
/
2
teaspoons SAF yeast or 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
2
2
/
3
cups organic bread flour
1
1
/
2
tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon gluten
2 teaspoons salt
To make the
poolish
starter, place the water, flour, and yeast in the bread pan. Program for the Dough cycle, and set a kitchen timer for 10 minutes. When the timer rings, press Stop and unplug the machine. Let the starter sit in the machine for about 6 hours.
To make the dough, combine the water and the yeast, stirring to dissolve. Pour into the bread pan with the
poolish
and add the flour, sugar, gluten, and salt. Set crust on dark and program for the French Bread cycle; press Start. (This recipe is not suitable for use with the Delay Timer.) The dough ball will be slightly wet and slack, but smooth and elastic.
When the baking cycle ends, check the bread. If the crust is still pale and loaf is not done, reset for Bake Only for 12 minutes longer. When the bread is done, immediately remove it from the pan and place it on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
B
aguette dough used to be called
pain de Paris,
or Parisian bread. The French Bread cycle will give this dough three full rises with rests in between called
autolyses,
which are terribly important for developing the gluten structure, and therefore a good, chewy texture and strong flavor. While this dough is best when formed into the familiar long rod (program for the Dough cycle in Step 3 and see
Technique: Shaping Long Loaves of Pain de Paris for Oven Baking
), it can also be fully baked in the machine as instructed here. It has a traditional French starter known as a
pâte fermentée,
or “old dough,” a pre-ferment that is as thick and silky as a bread dough. This is a delicious bread, which I am very proud to share with you.
1
1
/
2
-POUND LOAF
For the pâte fermentée:
1
/
2
cup water
1
1
/
4
cups bread flour
Pinch of sea salt
1
/
2
teaspoon SAF or 1 teaspoon bread machine yeast
For the dough:
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon water
2 cups bread flour
1
1
/
2
teaspoons gluten with vitamin C
3
/
4
teaspoon SAF yeast or 1
1
/
4
teaspoons bread machine yeast
1
/
2
cup pâte fermentée
1 teaspoon sea salt
2-POUND LOAF
For the pâte fermentée:
1
/
2
cup water
1
1
/
4
cups bread flour
1
/
4
teaspoon sea salt
1
/
2
teaspoon SAF or 1 teaspoon bread machine yeast
For the dough:
1
1
/
3
cups water
3 cups bread flour
2
1
/
2
teaspoons gluten with vitamin C
1
1
/
4
teaspoons SAF yeast or 1
3
/
4
teaspoons bread machine yeast
3
/
4
cup pâte fermentée
1
1
/
2
teaspoons sea salt
To make the
pâte fermentée
starter, place the starter ingredients /in the bread pan. Program for the Dough cycle; press Start. Set a kitchen timer for 10 minutes. When the timer rings, press Pause and set the timer again for 10 minutes. Let the starter rest for 10 minutes (the
autolyse
). When the timer rings, press Start to continue and finish the Dough cycle. When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine. Gently deflate the spongy starter, and let it sit in the bread machine for 3 to 12 hours, deflating it about every 4 hours. (If you are making the starter ahead of time, remove it from the machine at this point and refrigerate it for up to 48 hours. Bring to room temperature before making the dough.) You will have about 1
1
/
2
cups starter.
Rinse out a plastic dry measure with cold water. With the measuring cup still wet, measure out
1
/
2
cup (for the 1
1
/
2
-pound loaf) or
3
/
4
cup (for the 2-pound loaf) of starter and set it aside for the dough (it will slide right out of the measuring cup). If you have not already stored the
pâte fermentée
earlier, you can store the rest of the starter (enough for 2 to 3 batches of Pain de Paris) in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours (see
Bread Machine Baker’s Hint: Storing
Pâte Fermentée
for more information). Or discard it and make a new batch the next time you make this bread.