Bread Machine (83 page)

Shaping bread dough, called rounding by professional bakers, requires your full attention so that the finished loaf will be the right texture and consistency. This is an area of baking that expands along with your knowledge and technique. You can shape any of the recipes in this chapter into the following classic rustic shapes. Remember, since they are not baked in pans, they will have an asymmetrical beauty of their own forged in the heat of the oven.

Unless directed, use as little flour as possible on your work surface while shaping. Have some extra flour on hand for dusting the tops of the loaves. Pro fessionalsuse “gray” or clear flour for dusting country breads. Take a section of dough and press it with your palms onto the work surface to remove the accumulated carbon dioxide. It will remain in a rounded form. Take one side of the dough and fold it toward the center and press. Fold in the other side and press in the center. By folding you will have a side with a seam and a smooth side that has some surface tension, which will eventually be the top of the loaf. Shape as directed and note that the loaves should always be evenly shaped and not torn anywhere on the surface. Bake in a preheated hot oven, 425°F, with a ceramic baking stone or tiles, if you have them.

Any of the shapes can be made from 1
¹
/
₂
or 2 pounds dough.

The glaze referred to in these shaping instructions is the classic lean bread glaze, 1 egg white with 1 table spoon water beaten until foamy and brushed onto the dough with a pastry brush.

Bâtard

Makes 1 large loaf

In the same family as the baguette and
ficelle
,
bâtard
translates to “bastard,” as it is a cross between a round loaf and a baguette. It is a large oblong torpedo-shaped loaf that looks like a shorter, fat baguette. You will need a whole recipe of dough to form one loaf. Pat the dough into a rectangle, tightly roll up and fold into thirds the long way, as for a baguette, then shape into a 12-inch elongated oval (the ends can be blunt or tapered) with a thick middle section. Gently transfer, seam side down, to a greased and dusted 15
¹
/
₂
-by-8-by-4-inch French bâtard cradle pan or a greased and dusted 17-by-12-inch baking sheet. Slash the top 3 times on the diagonal with a sharp knife no deeper than 14 inch, or make one long slash down the middle of each loaf. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Glaze, and bake in a hot oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the surface of the loaf is golden brown in color and sounds hollow when tapped on the top and bottom with your finger. Immediately remove the loaf from the pan to a cooling rack.

Ficelle

Makes 3 or 4 thin loaves

This loaf is long, like a baguette, but only about 2 inches in diameter after baking. Divide the dough into 4 even portions. Flatten each into a thin 14-by-6-inch rectangle with your palm. Tightly roll up and fold into thirds the long way, as for a baguette. Gently transfer, seam side down, to baguette pans or baking sheets that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal. Rise, glaze, and slash as for the bâtard. Bake in a hot oven for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the surfaces of the loaves are golden brown in color and the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the top and bottom with your finger. Immediately remove the loaves from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack.

Pain de Campagne

Makes 1 large loaf

This is an oversized round country loaf shaped from one large mass of dough. In France the diameter could be as great as 12 to 14 inches. The doughs from these recipes will make a slightly smaller loaf. One and a half pounds of dough will produce about an 8- to 10-inch round. Roughly pat all of the dough into a thick, uneven circle. Pull up the sides and knead into the center of the loaf to create a tight round ball. Place seam side down on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper or greased and sprinkled with oatmeal. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Glaze or dust with flour, and, using a sharp knife, slash the top in a netlike tic-tac-toe or triangle pattern, no deeper than 14 inch. Bake in a hot oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the surface of the loaf is golden brown in color and sounds hollow when tapped on the top and bottom with your finger. Immediately remove the loaf from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack.

Boule

Makes 2 medium loaves

This is a small round country loaf, about 6 inches in diameter, a favorite shape. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Form each into a tight round as for
pain de campagne
. Place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or greased and sprinkled with cornmeal. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Glaze or dust with flour, and, using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, slash an X or a square on top, no deeper than 14 inch. Bake in a hot oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the surfaces of the loaves are golden brown in color and sound hollow when tapped on the top and bottom with your finger. Immediately remove the loaves from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack.
Boules
can also be shaped with a three-stand braid (known as
la boule tressée
) or two twisted or spiraled strands that form a rope (known as a
pain cordon
or
pain spiral
), fashioned from extra dough, laid across the tops and gently attached with an egg glaze after the final rise. These decorated loaves need no slashing.

La Couronne

Makes 1 large loaf

The crown, which is a circle with a hole in the center, is one of the oldest shapes for bread. It could be carried on the arm into the fields or stored on a wooden pole. There are special molds for making crowns, or they can be shaped by hand. They are pretty on a buffet table with the center filled with grapes or a cheese ball. Roughly pat all of the dough into a thick, uneven circle. Pull up the sides and knead into the center of the loaf to create a loose round. Using the tips of all five of your fingers, held tightly together, use both hands to pierce the center of the round of dough. Pull the inside open and gradually work around the inside of the hole, expanding it to about 3 inches in diameter. Place the ring on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or greased and sprinkled with flour. Place a small greased custard cup in the center to define the hole. Let rise until doubled in bulk. Glaze or dust with flour. Bake in a hot oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the surface of the loaf is golden brown in color and it sounds hollow when tapped on the top and bottom with your finger. Immediately remove the loaf from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack.

Champignon

Makes 6 small loaves

These hearth loaves are shaped like rustic little mushrooms. This shape has been made for centuries and was a favorite for harvest celebrations. The shape is traditional for
petit brioche
, but here they are freestanding. Divide dough into 6 even portions (you can also shape it into one large loaf). Further divide each piece into 2 uneven portions. Form the larger piece into a tight round. Form the smaller piece into a round, roll it out into a disc the same diameter as the larger dough ball, and place atop the larger ball. With a floured finger, poke a hole in center of the stacked rounds to adhere them to each other. Place, top up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or greased and sprinkled with flour. Rise only 15 to 20 minutes, as the mushroom shape becomes less defined the longer it rises. Gently redefine the hole to keep the top intact, although it may tip to one side or the other after baking. Dust with flour and bake in a hot oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the surfaces of the loaves are golden brown in color and sound hollow when tapped on the top and bottom with your finger. Immediately remove the loaves from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack.

Pain Épis

Makes 2 long loaves

This loaf is cut with a kitchen shears to resemble a shaft of wheat. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the dough into 2 equal portions and form each into a 18-inch-long rectangle, then tightly roll up and fold into thirds the long way, forming a tight log, as for a baguette. Gently transfer, seam side down, to the prepared baking sheets. Holding kitchen shears at a 45 degree angle to the loaf, and using quick motions (to prevent sticking and give a more earthy appearance), make cuts in the dough, halfway across. Cut at 3-inch intervals down the length of the dough, and with your other hand, turn each piece over, stretching every other one over the top of the dough to the other side so that the pieces alternate sides, resembling a head of wheat. You will have 6 to 8 cuts, depending on the size of the loaf. Let rise at room temperature for only 25 minutes. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the surfaces of the loaves are golden brown in color and sound hollow when tapped on the top and bottom with your finger. Immediately remove the loaves from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack. Take care with the
l’épis
after baking; its sections can break apart easily.