Baguettes à la Bouabsa

When I first started learning how to bake bread a few years ago, my goal then, as it is to this day, was to be able to bake breads with superior flavor, texture and aesthetics.  Most of the bread books I’d read at the time, as well as most of the professional bakers with whom I’d spoken, had emphasized the use of a preferment, whether it be a pâte fermentée, poolish or levain, to bring out the maximum flavor of the bread.  Somewhere lost in the conversation was the fact that the use of preferments evolved as more of a time-saving and scheduling convenience for commercial bread production (see comment by Judson below) and that their use was not, in fact, a necessity for the production of a full-flavored bread.  The use of direct dough methods, containing a long, slow fermentation step, could also produce incredibly flavorful breads.

I was recently having this very discussion with Helen, author of the food blog Beyond Salmon, who was well aware of the virtues of extended fermentation and was in the process of investigating its use in the baking of ciabatta.  As part of her investigation into the extended fermentation of hand mixed, high hydration doughs, I suggested to Helen that perhaps she might want to have a look at the method used by Anis Bouabsa to create baguettes that won La Meilleure Baguette de Paris (The Best Baguette in Paris) for 2008. The original method was first described by good friend and bread baker extraordinaire Jane, author of the blog … Au Levain!, and makes use of a first fermentation time of 22 total hours!  The method below was modified to incorporate an autolyse and a double hydration step in order to more efficiently develop the gluten during hand mixing of the 75% hydration dough.

Final Dough

• 500 g La Meunerie Milanaise Organic All-Purpose Flour
• 375 g Water
• 10 g Salt
• ¼ tsp. Instant Yeast

The flour, salt and yeast are all mixed together in a large bowl.  A central well is then formed in the flour mixture and 325 g of the water is added to the well. The water is gently stirred with one hand, gradually drawing in all of the flour mixture until a rough dough is formed.  The bowl is then covered with plastic wrap and the dough is allowed to rest for an autolyse period of 30 minutes.

After the autolyse, the dough is tipped onto a work surface and hand-mixed using the slap-and-fold technique (see Musings on Mixing…).  Approximately 200 slap-and-folds were required to reach a moderate level of gluten development (further development will occur during subsequent folding and extended fermentation).  The dough is then placed back into its bowl and the remaining 50 g of water is added.  The water is then incorporated into the dough by further hand mixing, this time through the stretch-and-fold technique, as demonstrated here for pain au levain dough.  At the beginning of the mixing, the dough will be very wet and slosh around the bowl, but the mixing is continued until all the water is incorporated.  The bowl is then once again covered with plastic wrap and the dough is allowed to undergo a 1 hour fermentation at ambient temperature, with 6-8 stretch-and-folds being performed every 20 minutes during the 1 hour period.  After the one hour ambient temperature fermentation, the dough is placed in the refrigerator and allowed to ferment for an additional 21 hours at 40ºF.

After the 21 hour fermentation period, the dough is removed from the refrigerator and allowed to warm to ambient temperature for 1 hour.  The dough is then divided into two pieces of equal weight and each piece is pre-shaped into a short cylinder.  The dough pieces are then covered with a plastic sheet and allowed to rest for 15 minutes.  Each piece is then shaped into a baguette using the shaping technique shown here, laid onto a floured couche and allowed to proof at 78ºF for 45 minutes.  The baguettes were then scored and baked in a 480ºF oven for 20 minutes, the first 10 minutes of which were under steam.

Tahini Bread, shown with Tahini and Sesame Seeds

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of sampling a piece of halvah, that sweet, dense and crumbly sesame seed-based confection, then you’ll understand why I’ve been enamored of sesame flavor since childhood.  Sesame seeds and bread are a classic combination.  Whether sprinkled on top of a loaf, as in the quintessential sesame bread Scali, or incorporated into the bread along with other seeds, nuts and/or grains as part of a multigrain loaf, sesame seeds add a unique, rich flavor that perfectly complements the inherently nutty character of a well-fermented wheat dough.

The objective in creating this bread was to have a subtle sesame flavor permeate the entire crumb of the loaf, rather than providing the intense bursts of sesame flavor afforded by the addition of whole sesame seeds to the dough.  Tahini, a paste made from roasted sesame seeds used ubiquitously in Middle Eastern cuisine and available in many supermarkets and ethnic food stores, turns out to be ideally suited to the task.  In addition to its sesame flavor, tahini also provides enough sesame oil to result in a beautifully tender crumb.  For those looking for a slightly more intense sesame flavor, by all means feel free to increase the amount of tahini used.

Final Dough

• 770 g King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
• 515 g Water
• 15 g Salt
• 240 g Levain (mature sourdough culture, 60% hydration)
• 50 g Tahini

The water and 50 g of the flour are added to the bowl of a 6 quart planetary stand mixer and the mixture is whisked at speed 3 using a whisk attachment until a stable, frothy emulsion is formed, about 1 minute. The remainder of the flour is then added and the mixture is mixed on speed 2 using a spiral dough hook, just until all the flour is incorporated, about 2 minutes. The bowl is then covered with plastic wrap and the rough dough allowed to rest at room temperature (78ºF) for an autolyse period of 30 minutes.

After this time, the levain and salt are added and the dough is mixed on speed 3 using the spiral dough hook to medium development, about 3 minutes. The tahini is then added and mixing is continued on speed 2 until all the tahini is incorporated, about 2 minutes. The dough is then placed in a lightly oiled container, covered, and allowed to ferment for 4 hours, with the dough being given a turn midway through this first fermentation.

After the 4 hour first fermentation, the dough is divided into two, 1 1/2 lb. pieces and each piece is lightly rounded.  After resting under a plastic sheet for 15 minutes, the pieces are shaped into boules, and the boules then formed into fendus (Shaping a Fendu video can be found here).  The fendus are placed, inverted, into rice flour-coated brotformen, the bottoms of which are sprinkled with sesame seeds.  After covering with Saran Quick Covers, a second fermentation is allowed to proceed at 78ºF for 2 hours.

After the second fermentation, the loaves are inverted onto a peel, loaded into the oven and baked at 425°F for 40 minutes with steam applied for the first 20 minutes (Scoring and Steaming video can be found here.  Note: No scoring is necessary for this shaping).  The resulting loaves exhibited an open, tender crumb with a wonderfully subtle nuttiness which doesn’t overpower the natural flavor of the levain.

Pain Héloïse with (left to right) coconut milk, agave nectar and coconut oil

Having made the commitment at the beginning of this year to eat only foods that are fresh, unprocessed and nutritious, I know what it feels like to give up foods that one has become accustomed to and has enjoyed over the years. It was therefore with a great sense of empathy that I learned that Héloïse, the 10½ year old daughter of my good friend Flo (author of the wonderful food blog Makanai), was recently instructed by her physician that she needs to exclude all dairy products from her diet. A French young lady who can no longer eat ice cream, butter or cheese? Quelle horreur! And that’s not to mention the prohibition on all the butter-enriched sweet breads and pastries for which the French have become famous. This is a situation which must be rectified!

Most sweet breads use butter and milk as ingredients to get the soft, tender crumb characteristic of these types of breads. But who’s to say that the fat and milk need to be of animal origin?  An ideal, non-dairy source for these ingredients is the coconut.  Coconut milk, while being dairy-free, is still a good source of calcium and coconut oil adds that rich coconut aroma that pairs perfectly with any sweet bread.  Agave nectar, instead of the usual cane sugar, rounds out the eclectic ingredient list.  The aroma of this bread while it is baking is indescribable.  And the crumb has that close, feathery texture found in the finest brioche.  Héloïse, ce pain est fait pour vous!

Final Dough

• 500 g King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
• 205 g Unsweetened Coconut Milk
• 70 g (1 large) Egg
• 10 g Osmotolerant Instant Dried Yeast
• 5 g Salt
• 120 g Light Agave Nectar
• 55 g Virgin Unrefined Coconut Oil
• 4 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• Egg wash, as needed

Into the bowl of a stand mixer is placed the flour, yeast and salt.  In a separate bowl is placed the egg, agave nectar, vanilla extract and coconut milk.  The liquid mixture is then beat with a whisk until smooth.  This liquid is then added to the flour mixture and the combined ingredients are mixed using the stand mixer on speed 2 until all the ingredients are incorporated, about 2 minutes.  The mixer speed is then increased to speed 3 and the dough is given an intensive mix until a smooth windowpane can be drawn, about 10 minutes.  The mixer speed is then reduced to speed 2 and the coconut oil is added.  The mixing is continued until all the coconut oil has been incorporated into the dough, about 10 minutes.  During this time, it may be necessary to stop the mixing and fold the dough over a few times by hand to facilitate the coconut oil incorporation.

The dough is then placed in a lightly coconut oil-greased container, covered and allowed to ferment at 76ºF  for 1 hour.   The dough is then divided into 4 pieces, each piece pre-shaped into short logs and the pieces then allowed to rest at room temperature, covered, for 10 minutes.  The dough pieces are then shaped into 10 inch long strands.  Two strands are twisted around each other and then placed in a lightly coconut oil-greased 8½”x4½” bread pan, as shown:

Panned Pain Héloïse

The second two dough strands are treated in the same way.  Both pans are then covered with Saran QuickCovers and allowed a second fermentation of 1 hour at 76ºF.  The pans are then uncovered, the loaves brushed with egg wash, and the pans loaded into a 375ºF oven.  The loaves are allowed to bake for 30 minutes until mahogany brown, the first 10 minutes being under steam.  When the loaves have finished baking, they are immediately removed from their pans and allowed to cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Multigrain Bread

Alright everyone.  Get out your monogrammed stationery and Cross pen.  This is a bread that you simply must write home about.

Up until this point, I’ve not been a real big fan of multigrain bread.  Perhaps it’s because I’ve never had the pleasure of sampling a really well-made multigrain loaf.  To me, multigrain bread has always conjured up images of heavy, dry and tasteless planks of corrugated cardboard.  But with my New Year’s resolution of trying to eat foods that are better for me (no, I won’t totally be giving up the occasional croissant or slice of brioche but I am trying to eat less and include only natural, additive-free foods in my diet), I decided to revisit the world of whole grains.

My main objective was to produce a light crumbed, complex flavored loaf with whole grains. As a starting point, I decided to use the Five-Grain Levain described in Hamelman’s Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes as a template.  This bread makes use of a soaker consisting of cracked rye, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and oats, and, in addition to the use of whole wheat flour, calls for some high gluten flour to support the structure of such a grain- and seed-laden bread.  I ended up using cracked hard red winter wheat instead of cracked rye in the soaker (who would have guessed that rye berries would be so hard to find in both the national chain and local health food stores?) and found that I had to increase the dough hydration substantially from that specified in the original formula to obtain a beautiful dough with just the right balance of elasticity and extensibility.  For those mixing by hand, be forewarned that in the early stages of mixing, right after the addition of the soaker, the dough becomes quite sticky and slippery but then becomes much better behaved upon further mixing and full incorporation of the soaker.

Since the first of the year, I’ve been concentrating my efforts on extracting more of the subtle flavors available from a properly formulated and fermented dough and the incredibly rich, nutty and caramel-like flavor of this bread leads me to believe that I may be making some progress.

Levain

• 250 g King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
• 315 g Water
• 50 g 100% Hydration Sourdough Starter

Soaker

• 95 g Cracked Hard Red Winter Wheat
• 95 g Flaxseeds
• 75 g Sunflower Seeds
• 75 g Oat Groats
• 405 g Boiling Water
• 7 g Salt

Final Dough

• 500 g King Arthur Sir Lancelot (high gluten) Flour
• 250 g King Arthur Organic Whole Wheat Flour
• 360 g Water
• 15 g Salt
• 1 tsp Instant Dried Yeast
• 560 g Levain (a small amount of the prepared levain is discarded)
• All of the Soaker

The evening before the bake, the levain is prepared by whisking the mature starter in the water until fully dispersed.  The flour is then added and the mixture once again whisked until a smooth, pancake-like batter is obtained. The mixture is then covered and allowed to sit overnight at 72ºF for approximately 12 hours until mature.  The soaker is also prepared the preceding evening by mixing together the cracked wheat, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, oats and salt in a heatproof bowl and then pouring the boiling water onto the mixture.  This mixture is also covered and allowed to sit overnight at room temperature.

The following morning, the final dough is prepared by adding 560 g of the prepared levain to the water in a stand mixer bowl and the bowl contents are mixed using the whisk attachment at speed 3 for 1 minute.  A mixture of the high gluten flour, the whole wheat flour and the instant dried yeast is then added and the bowl contents are mixed using a spiral dough hook at speed 2, just until all the ingredients come together, approximately 2 minutes.  The bowl and its contents are then allowed to rest at 72ºF for an autolyse period of 30 minutes.  After this time, the salt is added and the dough is mixed at speed 3 for 5 minutes using the spiral dough hook.  All of the soaker is then added and the sticky, slippery mixture is mixed at speed 2 until all the ingredients are incorporated.  Occasionally, it was found necessary to stop the mixer, manually fold the dough a bit, and then restart the mixer to get all the soaker incorporated.  After the incorporation, the dough is then mixed for an additional 5 minutes on speed 3 until the dough just begins to separate from the walls and bottom of the mixing bowl.

The dough is then placed in a lightly oiled container, covered and allowed to ferment for 2 hours, with a fold given halfway through the fermentation period.  The dough is then divided into 3 pieces, pre-shaped into rounds and allowed to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.  The dough pieces are then shaped into batards, placed in brotformen coated with rice flour, covered and allowed a second fermentation of an additional 2 hours at 72ºF.  The batards are then unloaded onto a peel, scored, loaded into a preheated 450ºF oven and baked for 40 minutes, the first 20 minutes being under steam. The loaves are allowed to fully cool to room temperature before slicing.

Submitted to YeastSpotting

If there was one bread that could legitimately lay claim to being the bagel’s ‘heir apparent’, it would have to be the bialy.  A lesser-known cousin to the bagel, the bialy is named after Bialystok, the city in Poland from which it originates.  Like the bagel, the bialy has a characteristic chewy, toothsome crumb.  However, that is where the similarity ends.  Unlike the bagel’s shiny, deep brown crust, the bialy’s crust is soft and floury.  And instead of a hole through the center, the bialy sports a central indentation where a small amount of chopped onion resides, giving the bialy its signature flavor.

The formula used here is a modification of the one described by Maggie Glezer in Artisan Baking Across America.  High gluten flour is used to give the bialy its chewiness.  Because doughs made with high gluten flour can be difficult to properly develop in a home stand mixer using conventional techniques, Glezer uses a food processor to mix her dough.  Unfortunately, this leads to a significant heating of the dough and as a result, Glezer is forced to repeat 3 or 4 cycles of processing the dough followed by letting the dough cool down to get to the desired degree of dough development.

By using the double flour addition technique in a home stand mixer, the need for repeated cycles of mixing and cooling can be eliminated.  An initial incorporation of some air into a flour/water slurry using the whisk attachment, followed by adding the remaining flour and mixing with a standard spiral dough hook leads to a nicely developed dough in a just a few minutes without the risk of overheating the dough.

Final Dough

• 600 g  King Arthur Sir Lancelot High Gluten Flour
• 390 g Water
• 12 g Salt
• 1 tsp. Instant Yeast

Onion Schmear

• 1 medium Yellow Onion

The evening before the bake, the onion schmear is prepared by cutting the onion into quarters, placing the quarters into a food processor and processing the onion until a very fine chop, almost a puree, is obtained.  The finely chopped onion is then sweated in a skillet, over medium-low heat, until the onion is translucent and just a hint of color is obtained, about 3-5 minutes.  The onion is then allowed to cool and refrigerated until needed.

Onion Schmear

The day of the bake, all the dry ingredients of the final dough are combined.  The water and 50 g of the combined dry ingredient mixture are placed in the bowl of a stand mixer and the ingredients are mixed on speed 3, using the whisk attachment, until a light froth is obtained, about 1 minute.  The whisk attachment is then replaced with a spiral dough hook and the remaining dry ingredients are added.  Mixing is then continued at the lowest speed (“Stir”) until all the ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes.  The mixer speed is then increased to speed 3 and the dough mixed to full development, taking about 6 minutes.  The desired final dough temperature is 76-78ºF.

The dough is then placed in a lightly oiled, covered container and allowed to ferment at 78ºF for 1 hour, 40 minutes.  After this time, the dough was divided into 12 equally sized pieces, lightly rounded, covered with a plastic sheet and allowed to proof until the dough springs back slowly when gently poked with a finger, about 2 hours.

Using a thumb, each dough round was then flattened in the center and then stretched outward from the center until each piece was approximately 5″ in diameter, resembling mini pizza shells.  A thin membrane of dough should stretch across the center of each dough piece.  A scant ¼ teaspoon of the onion schmear is then thinly spread over the center of each dough piece as shown below:

Dough Pieces with Onion Schmear

The bialys are then baked in a 475ºF oven just until a light brown with darker mottling, about 8 minutes.  Allow to cool before serving.  I enjoy bialys sliced and toasted, adorned with butter or cream cheese and smoked salmon or smoked sable.

As a child, I, like many other Americans, had been conditioned (unintentionally, I’m sure… no conspiracy theory here!) to think of bread as merely an adjunct; a pasty white, flavorless platform for slices of lunch meat, peanut butter or any other filling that happened to find its way into my school lunch sandwich.  But sandwich bread doesn’t have to be dull and uninspired.  With a little imagination, even simple sandwich bread can take center stage, providing both a satisfying, deep wheaty flavor and needed nutrition.

This 100% whole wheat sandwich bread is made from flour derived from white spring wheat, rather than the red wheat that goes into making conventional whole wheat flour.  The resulting white wheat flour has a less biting flavor, making it ideal for sandwich bread even for those, like myself, who do not like the taste of conventional whole wheat bread.  And while whole wheat breads can tend to be dense and heavy, this bread has a light and airy crumb, in part due to the double flour addition technique that is used during the mixing of the dough.  Butter and dried milk powder provide a richness and tenderness to the crumb.  Finally, a touch of honey lends just the right note of sweetness.

Poolish

• 185 g King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
• 185 g Water
• 1/16 tsp. Instant Yeast

Final Dough

• 460 g King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
• 370 g (all of the above) Poolish
• 260 g Water
• 15 g Dried Milk Powder
• 1 3/4 tsp. Instant Yeast
• 15 g Salt
• 40 g Honey
• 90 g Butter

The evening prior to baking, the ingredients of the poolish are mixed and allowed to ferment overnight at 70°F until mature, about 12 hours.

The next morning, the flour, dried milk powder, instant yeast and salt are combined.  To the bowl of a stand mixer is added the mature poolish, water, honey and 125 g of the flour mixture.  Using the whisk attachment, the combined mixture is then whisked on speed 3 until lightly aerated, about 1-2 minutes.  The whisk attachment is then replaced with a spiral dough hook, the rest of the flour mixture is added and all the ingredients are mixed on the lowest speed (stir) until a homogeneous dough is formed, about 3 minutes.  The mixer speed is then increased to speed 3 and the dough is mixed to medium gluten development, about 3 minutes.  While the mixer is still running, the butter is then added piece by piece and mixing is continued until all the butter is incorporated and a smooth dough is obtained, about an additional 3 minutes.

The dough is then placed in a lightly oiled, covered container and is allowed to ferment at 72ºF for 1 hour.  Halfway through this 1 hour fermentation, the dough is given a fold.

After the first fermentation, the dough is divided into two pieces and each piece is lightly rounded.  After a rest of 15 minutes under a plastic sheet, the dough pieces are formed into loaves as shown here and placed into buttered loaf pans.

The loaves are then placed into a small homemade proof box and allowed to undergo their second fermentation at 78ºF for 1 hour.  The loaves are then baked in a 350°F oven for 50 minutes, with steam being supplied during the first 10 minutes of baking

With the arrival of spring here in New England (although with evening temperatures still below freezing, one would be hard-pressed to find evidence of spring’s return), gastronomic thoughts turn from the rich, substantial ‘comfort foods’ of winter to lighter, more refreshing fare.  But what of those of us who would like to continue to enjoy some of the hearty flavors of winter throughout the year?  Potato leek bread perfectly sates this desire.  Suffused with the flavors of a rich potato leek soup, the deep, earthy aroma of freshly roasted potatoes and the slightly vegetal accent provided by the leeks combine to give a bread that would be ideally suited as an accompaniment to a salad or light broth.

The formula for potato leek bread described below is a slightly modified version of the one for pain au levain, as described in More Musings on Mixing….  The double flour addition technique works particularly well here to counteract the heaviness that potatoes and leeks can bring to the dough.  The result is a moist, flavorful bread with a light, open crumb.

Final Dough

• 680 g King Arthur Organic Select Artisan Flour
• 90 g Medium Rye Flour
• 455 g Water
• 15 g Salt
• 300 g Levain (mature sourdough culture, 100% hydration)
• 230 g Red Potatoes, roasted
• 260 g Leeks, roasted

The potatoes and leeks are prepared the evening before the day of the bake.  Leaving the skins on, the potatoes are cut into large chunks and the pieces are lightly coated with olive oil.  The potato pieces are then placed in a roasting pan and roasted in a 375ºF oven until the potatoes are browned and tender, about 45 minutes.  After cooling, the potato pieces are placed into a food processor and processed in pulses until a slightly chunky mixture is obtained.  Be careful not to over-process to the point of yielding mashed potatoes.  You are looking for fairly small chunks of potato to give the bread character.

The leeks can be prepared simultaneously with the potatoes.  The leeks are first thoroughly washed to removed any sand trapped within the leaves.  The tender part of the leeks (the white and a bit of green) is then finely chopped, placed in a pan and stirred with 1 tbs. of olive oil.  The pan is then covered and also placed in a 375ºF oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  The leeks are then allowed to cool to room temperature.  The consistency of the prepared potatoes and leeks are shown below:

Prepared Potatoes and Leeks (click to enlarge)

Then next day, the organic white and medium rye flours are combined in a large bowl.  The water and levain are then added to the bowl of a stand mixer and mixed on the lowest speed, using the whisk attachment, just until the levain became evenly dispersed in the water, about 1 minute.  The mixer speed is then increased to speed 3 and just enough of the flour mixture (~75 g) is added to produce a loose batter.  Whisking is continued until the mixture becomes well aerated, about 3 minutes.  The whisk attachment is then exchanged for a spiral dough hook and after the remaining flour mixture is added, the dough is mixed at the lowest speed until all the ingredients are incorporated, about 2 minutes.  The bowl is then covered with plastic wrap and allowed to rest for an autolyse period of 30 minutes.

After this time, the salt is added and the dough is mixed on speed 3 using the spiral dough hook until moderate gluten development is achieved, about 6 minutes.   The prepared potatoes and leeks are then added to the dough and the dough is further mixed at the lowest speed until all the ingredients are incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.  The wet, sticky dough is then transfered into a lightly oiled container, covered, and allowed to ferment for three hours, with a fold being performed halfway through the fermentation.

After the first fermentation, the dough is divided into two, 1 1/2 lb. pieces (a bit of extra dough remains and can be shaped into rolls) and each piece is lightly rounded.  After resting under a plastic sheet for 15 minutes, the pieces are tightly shaped into boules and fendus are formed (see video here).  The fendus are inverted and placed into rice flour-coated bannetons, covered with Saran Quick Covers and allowed a second fermentation of 3 hours. After the second fermentation, the fendus are inverted onto a peel, loaded into the oven and then baked at 425°F for 40 minutes with steam applied for the first 15 minutes.

I think it was in a Szechuan Chinese restaurant where the list first began.  After a bite of a particularly spicy serving of mapo doufu (spicy bean curd), I grabbed my glass of water, downed about half of its contents and, after reducing the fire on my tongue to a mere smolder, turned to my wife and remarked, “Water has to be one of the world’s greatest inventions!”.  Thus, my list of the World’s Greatest Inventions was born.

Now before I get comments pouring in, pointing out that water isn’t strictly an ‘invention’, I ask that you bear with me and allow me the latitude to use the word ‘invention’ in the broadest possible sense.  Why the requested forbearance?  Because my list of the World’s Greatest Inventions includes inventions, discoveries, natural resources… well, you get the picture.  And what does all this have to do with gougères?   Gougères happen to be made with two ingredients that are on my World’s Greatest Inventions list; water, #2 on my list and cheese, #4 (anyone care to guess what #1 and #3 are?).

Gougères, those light-as-air French-style cheese puffs, make an ideal hors d’oeuvre or appetizer when having guests over for dinner or a party.  They are quick and easy to prepare and require only a few simple ingredients.  Gougères are made from a very fluid, egg and butter enriched dough called pâte à choux.  Leavening is accomplished not by yeast or chemical leavening agents but by the steam that is produced within the dough during baking.  It is for this reason that it is very important to whip as many small air bubbles into the pâte à choux as possible during its preparation.

The recipe presented here was modified considerably from that presented in Larousse Traditional French Cooking by Curnonsky.  Because I enjoy a more substantial, less creamy center to my gougères, I’ve omitted the small amount of heavy cream in the original recipe.  For the same reason, I’ve substituted water for the originally specified milk.

Pâte à Choux

• 105 g King Arthur Organic Select Artisan Flour
• 105 g Butter
• 265 g Water
• 4 Large Eggs
• 80 g Gruyère Cheese (grated)
• 1/8 tsp. Salt

To a medium saucepan is added the water, butter and salt.  The saucepan is heated until all the butter is melted.  Using a whisk, the ingredients are whipped until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.  The flour is then added all at once and the brisk whipping continued until all the flour is incorporated and a shiny dough is formed.  After incorporation, the whipping is continued on the heat for another 2-3 minutes.

After this time, the dough is removed from the heat, transferred to the bowl of a stand mixer (although the following steps can be done by hand, if so desired), and allowed to cool to room temperature.  Using a whisk attachment, the dough is whisked at speed 6 while slowly adding the eggs, one at a time.  Each egg is allowed to fully incorporate within the dough before the next egg is added.  One half (40 g) of the grated Gruyère cheese is then added and the whisking is continued until a light and fluffy dough is obtained, about 2 minutes.

Using a pastry bag, the resulting pâte à choux is then piped into small mounds onto two, parchment paper lined baking sheets as shown below:

Piping Gougères

The remaining 40 g of grated Gruyère cheese is then sprinkled on top of the pâte à choux mounds and the gougères are baked in a pre-heated 400ºF oven for 15-17 minutes, until brown.  After browning, the oven heat is turned off, the oven door is propped open so that it is slightly ajar, and the gougères are allowed to sit in the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes.  This will allow the gougères to firm up and maintain their structure.  The gougères are then removed from the oven and served either warm or at room temperature.

Like most major U.S. cities, my home town, Boston, is a wonderful mélange of people from many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.  Boston’s North End, rich in colonial history, is today home to a vibrant Italian-American community.  One of my favorite activities has always been to stroll along the narrow streets of the North End enjoying the commotion (I did, after all, spend my childhood years in Brooklyn, New York) while, along the way, sampling the fare at a few of the many Italian eateries, specialty food stores and, of course, bakeries.

The signature bread of Boston’s Italian-American community is Scali, a braided, olive oil-enriched Italian bread sprinkled with sesame seeds.  Scali has a soft crust and a relatively tight, although quite light, crumb.  The formula used here is an adaptation of one described on the King Arthur Flour website.  To obtain the lightness of crumb characteristic of Scali, the double flour addition technique was used.

Biga

• 120 g King Arthur Organic Select Artisan Flour
• 75 g Water
• 1/8 tsp. Instant Yeast

Final Dough

• 240 g King Arthur Organic Select Artisan Flour
• 145 g Water
• 8 g Salt
• 2 tsp. Instant Yeast
• 10 g Non-fat Dry Milk
• 2 tbs. Olive Oil
• 195 g (all of the above) Biga

The night before baking, the biga is prepared by mixing the flour, water and yeast until all the ingredients are well incorporated, then hand kneading briefly until a smooth dough is formed.  The biga is then placed in a covered container and allowed to rest at 70ºF overnight until mature, about 12 hours.

The next day, the flour, salt, yeast and non-fat dry milk are combined.  To the bowl of a stand mixer is added the water and olive oil.  Using the whisk attachment, the water and olive oil are whisked together on speed 3 of the mixer.  Slowly, enough of the flour mixture is added (~40 g) until a stable, aerated emulsion is formed.  The mixer is then stopped and the remaining flour mixture is added along with the biga.  Using a spiral dough hook, the mixture is mixed on speed 3 until a firm, medium developed dough is achieved, about 6 minutes.  The resulting dough is then covered and allowed to ferment at 76ºF for 1 hour, 15 minutes.

After the first fermentation, the dough is turned out onto a lightly-floured surface and is divided into three equal-weight pieces.  Each piece is preshaped into a short log and allowed to rest for 10 minutes.  After the rest period, each log is then extended into a tapered strand using the same technique used for shaping baguettes, as shown in the video here.  Shaping into a 3-stranded braid is then accomplished as shown below:

The braided loaf is then placed on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, brushed with an egg white wash, made from one egg white and 1 tbs. of water, and sprinkled with sesame seeds.  The loaf is then loosely covered with lightly oiled plastic wrap and allowed to proof at 74ºF for about 1½ hours.  The loaf-bearing parchment paper is then slid off the baking sheet and placed onto an oven peel.  The parchment paper and loaf are then slid directly onto the baking stone of a preheated oven and allowed to bake at 425ºF for 35 minutes, under steam for the first 15 minutes of baking.

In the previous post (More Musings on Mixing… ), I described a newly devised ‘double flour addition’ dough mixing technique which will allow a home baker, using a conventional tabletop stand mixer, to produce a well developed, nicely aerated dough nearly identical to those produced by professional bakers using commercial mixing equipment.  While it was demonstrated that one could use the double flour addition technique to produce a pain au levain with the desired open crumb, there was still a question about the versatility of the technique.  Could double flour addition be used to produce the type of high hydration dough used to create the wide open crumb structure characteristic of a ciabatta?

To answer this question, I decided to go back to my original ciabatta recipe (Ciabatta using Double Hydration) and modify it slightly by introducing a double flour addition step near the beginning.  In essence, the ciabatta dough was prepared through a tandem ‘double flour addition/double hydration’ sequence.  The result was a loaf with the wide open, slightly translucent crumb structure characteristic of a classic artisanal ciabatta.

Poolish

• 190 g King Arthur Organic Select Artisan Flour
• 190 g Water
• 1/8 tsp. Instant Yeast

Final Dough

• 310 g King Arthur Organic Select Artisan Flour
• 190 g Water
• 10 g Salt
• 1/8 Tsp. Instant Yeast
• 15 g Olive Oil
• 380 g (all of the above) Poolish

The night before baking, the poolish is made by mixing the flour, water and yeast until all the ingredients are well incorporated.  The poolish is then covered with plastic wrap and allowed to rest at 70ºF overnight until mature, about 12 hours.

The next day, all of the poolish is added to only 150 g of the full 190 g of water (the remaining 40 g of water is set aside for later use) in the bowl of a stand mixer.  The olive oil is then added and the mixture is mixed at low speed, using the whisk attachment, until a homogeneous slurry is obtained, about 2 minutes.  The mixer speed is then increased to speed 3 and enough of the flour (~ 25-30 g) is added to produce a thin batter capable of maintaining a stable air emulsion.  The whisking is continued for an additional minute after which time the mixer is stopped and the remaining flour and yeast is added.  Switching to a spiral dough hook, the mixture is mixed on speed 2 just until all the flour is hydrated, about another 2 minutes.  The resulting mixture is then covered and allowed to rest at 76ºF for an autolyse period of 30 minutes.

After the 30 minute autolyse, the salt is added and the dough is mixed with the spiral dough hook at speed 3 until a smooth, medium soft consistency dough is obtained, about 10 minutes.  With the mixer still at speed 3, the remaining 40 g of water is added in small increments over a period of another 10 minutes, with each incremental addition being added only after the previous addition has been fully incorporated.  The resulting very fluid dough was then transferred to an oiled container, covered and allowed to ferment for 3 hours.

After the 3 hours are up, the dough is turned out onto a well-floured surface and is divided in half.  Each dough piece is then gently stretched to the ciabatta’s characteristic oblong shape, placed on a well-floured couche, covered and allowed to proof at 76ºF for 1 hour.  After proofing, the dough pieces are gently flipped onto a transfer peel and then slid from the transfer peel onto an oven peel.  The dough pieces are then loaded into an oven pre-heated to 450°F.  The pieces are baked at 450ºF for 35 minutes, under steam for the first 15 minutes of baking.  The resulting loaves have a nice crispy, light crust with a wide open interior crumb.

(submitted to YeastSpotting)