30 Hour Bread (update)
>> 03 February 2009
Rochelle got a Kitchenaid Mixer for Christmas. For any readers who don't know what a Kitchenaid mixer is, allow me to explain. A Kitchenaid mixer is just like a normal mixer except heavier and more expensive and you don't have to hold it. Well, that's not entirely true. It is handy for some things. In particular, the dough-hook attachment makes it very easy to make bread dough. I have made two different kinds of bread so far: a sandwich-style loaf, and a rustic Italian loaf. The Italian bread turned out to be delicious, but also VERY time consuming. I spent more than 30 hours working on one loaf. Here's the timeline:
- Sat. 3:00 PM - I mix ingredients for the "sponge" (the part that gets to rise extra long, in order to give the bread its flavor and chewiness) and set them aside to rise.
- Sat. 6:00 PM - I check the sponge - it is rising but slowly.
- Sat. 10:00 PM - I put the sponge in the refrigerator to continue to rise slowly during the night.
- Sun. 4:00 PM - I remove sponge from the fridge and mix the second portion of the dough, setting the new dough aside to rise for twenty minutes.
- Sun. 4:20 PM - I combine the sponge and the new dough, add salt, and mix until it turns into a cohesive ball.
- Sun. 4:30 PM - Dough is placed in a lightly oiled bowl, covered, and allowed to rise for one hour.
- Sun. 5:30 PM - I turn the dough in the bowl, cover it, and let it rise for another hour.
- Sun. 6:30 PM - Repeat the previous step.
- Sun. 7:30 PM - Repeat the process one more time.
- Sun. 8:30 PM - I remove the dough from the bowl and gently press it into an 8x10 inch rectangle. I fold in the corners and roll it, so that it forms a football shape. The dough is then transferred to a sheet of parchment paper and dusted with flower and allowed to rise for one more hour.
- Sun. 9:30 PM - I place a baking stone in the oven and turn it on to 500 degrees.
- Sun. 9:45 PM - The dough is once again dusted with flour and then dripped with water. Using an inverted, cookie sheet, the loaf is transferred to the baking stone and baked at 500 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Sun. 9:55 PM - The oven temperature is reduced to 400 degrees. Loaf is rotated on the baking stone. The bread is baked for 35 more minutes.
- Sun. 10:30 PM - Bread comes out from the oven and is placed on a wire rack to cool for 3 hours.
- Mon. 1:30 PM - Bread is completely finished and ready to eat.
Update:
Here's a picture of the chef with his creation:
5 comments:
What will power. I would have cut into it as soon as that sucker came out of the oven
I just made banana bread with my Kitchenaid for the first time. I had to bake it for 75 minutes. I thought THAT was a long time to wait for bread. Props man.
yeah - looking good Joel.... that makes me remember why I don't like cooking sometimes.
Thanks for including the mixer in the background.
You're making it again This Week?! Nummers!! Internet, I can also witness that this was one of the best breads I've ever eaten. Chewy, moist, flavorful...kind of like the cook. Ha!
We got Brisa a mixer for christmas a couple years ago. We mainly use it for mashed potatoes. You're making me want to bake some bread.
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