This recipe is a variation of Pain à l'Ancienne that appeared in The Bread Baker's Apprentice, by Peter Reinhart, and is designed to produce a loaf suitable for sandwich bread. No sweetener is used but instead relies on cold fermentation and for enzymes to break down complex carbohydrates in the dough to simple sugars. A temperature of about 40° F is maintained to prevent the yeast from consuming sugars developed by enzymes. The net result is a loaf with superb natural sweetness. Very little kneading is required.
Any brand of instant yeast will do just fine. But if you bake a lot of bread purchase a 16oz packet of SAF Instant Yeast (red label). Check your local supermarket (WinCo has it for $3) or purchase online. Store in an airtight container in the freezer and it will last for years.
Professional bakers specify ingredients by weight. This is especially recommended for flour as it can easily fluff-up or compress rendering volume measurements inaccurate. Kitchen scales are inexpensive and highly recommended. In bread recipes flour counts as 100% and the remaining ingredients are based on this value. For Pain à l'Ancienne Reinhart recommends 79.6% water. Since I use 640g of flour then we require 79.6% x 640g = 510g of water. Use less water and the bread will not be as soft. Use more water and the dough will not hold its shape and be rather sticky.
Timing for certain phases is critical. The recipe calls for a 24 hour stay in the refrigerator. At 24 hours the dough becomes mildly sweet, less than 24 hours the dough is a bit salty; more than 24 hour it ferments and becomes sour. When removed from the refrigerator the dough must be brought to room temperature and allowed to rise as quickly as possible. This prevents the yeast from excessive activity that will destroy the natural sweetness created by the enzymes. To achieve this feat a warm oven is utilized. Due to a rather high moisture content the dough has a tendency to flatten after it has been formed. To prevent this from happening the dough, after forming, is immediately transferred to the oven.
640g unbleached white bread flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
510g ice cold water (40° Fahrenheit — water stored in a refrigerator will do)
pizza stone
pizza peel
oven pan
parchment paper
dough scraper
kitchen scales (see my favorite)
Start by sifting and weighing the flour in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl add about one cup of flour from the small bowl, yeast, and salt. Mix thoroughly with a whisk. Add another cup of flour and whisk. Add the remaining flour and whisk again. This will spread the ingredients evenly throughout the mixture and ensure an excellent rise. Place the large bowl on your scales, zero-out your scales, and slowly add the water until the correct weight is achieved.
Mix the dough well with a sturdy spoon until it is firm. Don't be shy, be strong. Press the dough with gusto and fold it over on itself until it's happy. Then transfer the mixture to the small bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
The next day place a pizza stone on the lowest rack and an oven pan on the top rack. In the following illustration note the position of the pizza stone and oven pan.
Heat the oven to 180° F and then turn it off. Puncture the plastic wrap near the center with a fork to allow the dough to expand and place the bowl in the oven for 55 minutes. After 55 minutes turn the oven on again for another 15 minutes. These times are approximate. If you have an instant-read thermometer measure the temperature near the center of the top layer of dough. It should be 75° F.
After the dough is at temperature remove it from the oven and set oven temperature to 425° F. When the oven reaches temperature add two cups of hot water to the oven pan and proceed to the next step.
Cover the pizza peel with a sheet of parchment paper. Remove the plastic wrap from the bowl. With a dough scraper separate the dough around the edge of the bowl and then scoop the dough onto a floured surface. Kneed the dough for less than 10 seconds and form it into a ball. With floured hands tuck in the bottom edges (palm up) so that the surface is taut and place dough on parchment paper. Tucking in the edges will help the dough retain its shape during baking. Be careful not to over-work the dough as this will result in a dense loaf.
Slide the parchment paper from the peel to the stone. Bake for 24 minutes, rotate the loaf 180°, then bake for 12 more minutes so it browns evenly.
Baking time is approximate. The best way to judge whether or not your loaf is done is to examine the color. The lower 2/3 of the loaf should exhibit some browning on all sides. If not, let it bake a bit longer.
Remove loaf from oven and place on a rack to cool. Examine the bottom of the loaf. It should be dark brown with traces of black. Now comes the hardest part. Wait 3 hours before slicing to allow the natural sweetness to fully develop.
When warming the dough be sure to leave the plastic wrap on the bowl until you are ready to work with the dough. Removing the plastic wrap too early allows the surface to dry and can create small hard nuggets.
In Reinhart's book he periodically sprays the oven walls with water at the beginning of the baking cycle. By adding water to the oven pan while the oven is warming it is already moist when the loaf is inserted so no spraying is needed.
When slicing through the loaf check for soggy portions near the highest point. If this is a problem you need to increase baking time.
If you have kids then the loaf will be gone the same day. Otherwise slice the loaf, cut each slice in half, and freeze in a freezer bag. To thaw place individual slices in a toaster for a bit and then finish thawing in a microwave.
