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 the action of enzymes to break down complex carbohydrates in the dough to simple sugars. A cold temperature is maintained to prevent the yeast from consuming sugars. The net result is a superb natural sweetness. Very little kneading is required.
4 c. bread flour
1 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 c. ice cold water (40° Fahrenheit — water stored in a refrigerator will do)
pizza stone
spray bottle
2 oven pans
parchment paper
Combine ingredients in a large bowl adding water until dough is sticky to touch (do not use all 2 cups of water). Dough should stick to the bottom of the bowl, but not to the sides. Transfer to a small bowl and store covered in the refrigerator for about 24 hours.
The next day place a pizza stone on the lowest rack, and an oven pan on the top rack. Heat the oven to 170 degrees, turn it off, and place the bowl of dough in the oven for 30 minute. Then repeat the process: warm oven to 170 degrees, turn it off, wait 30 minutes. A fast warmup means fewer sugars are consumed by the yeast and a more flavorful loaf will result. Remove from oven when the dough is room temperature and has risen 1-2 inches. Note the placement of pizza stone and oven pan.
Scoop dough onto a floured surface and briefly knead until dough springs to the touch. Invert the second oven pan and cover with a piece of parchment paper. Form dough into a ball and place it on the parchment paper. Put the oven pan in the oven (it should still be warm) for about 10 minutes to proof (partially rise). Remove the oven pan and dough from oven.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. After the oven is at temperature add 2 cups of hot water to the empty oven pan. Slide the parchment paper from the inverted oven pan to the pizza stone. In my setup the inverted oven pan gives just enough height to match the surface of the pizza stone for a smooth transfer.
Bake for 2 minutes, spraying every 30 seconds. Continue baking for an additional 20 minutes. Then rotate the loaf 180° so it browns evenly and bake for 8 minutes.
Remove loaf from oven and place on a rack to cool. Now comes the hardest part. It's best to wait 3 hours before slicing to allow the natural sweetness to fully develop.
If the resulting loaf is too flat you used too much water to the dough. When adding water the dough should stick to the bottom of the bowl, but not to the sides. It will flatten somewhat during the 10 minute warm-up, but will spring up and regain its height during baking.
The bottom of the loaf should be dark brown with patches of black. If it's solid black and tastes like carbon then decrease baking time. When cutting through the center of the loaf check the top portion. If it's wet then you need to increase baking time. Best way to tell if the loaf is done is to examine its color.
For storage I just tip the loaf up so that the cut end faces down and set it on a cutting board. Wrapping it in plastic causes the crust to go soft. For longer storage freeze individual slices in a freezer bag and thaw in a toaster. Consider a KitchenAid 4-slice toaster to accommodate those long slices.
If you bake a lot of bread purchase a 16oz packet of SAF Instant Yeast (red label). Store in an airtight container in the freezer and it will last for years. Costco sells bread flour in 50 lb bags.
