Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Bread Bakers Apprentice(s) – Polaine style Miche

ב''ה


This is the cover-bread of Peter Reinhart's book, the Bread Bakers Apprentice.


First you have to build a starter. I had to start from the beginning again. I used high gluten wheat flour.


Day 1




Day 2

Day 3


It had some funky bubbles and it smelled pretty bad. Nope, not ready yet.


Day 4 - Smells funky



Day 5 - still smells funky


Day 6 - starting to smell better. Acrid, yet with a tinge of sour.



Day 7. That's better. Still a tinge of acrid, but rip-roaring to go. Lets stick it in the fridge until we are ready.



After a week in the fridge. No more acrid smell. Just a lovely sour. I really tried to keep this starter on the  dryer side so that I would get more sour notes.


This recipe calls for 9 cups of high-extraction flour. You sift your good whole wheat flour and get out the large bran-flakes!


Make a firm starter the night before.




Oops, I forgot to stick it in the fridge after 6 hours (I was at work.) No biggy, I hope.


Mix with high-extraction flour.


Coming together...

Once in a boul you are supposed to give it 4 hours to rise. It was already 11:30 pm so I decided to just stick it in the fridge.


Oh, shoot! I forgot to take a picture of it after it had risen. I left it out 5 hours in the morning and then carefully transfered it to the baking sheet and baked it.



Thump! Thump!


Here is the texture. Soury smell, Crunchy crust, soft tangy-sour-y interior. The high extraction flour really adds something. Very flavorful. Scrumptious.



The "Ez Man" also wants to be a Bread Bakers Apprentice!



5 comments:

  1. Wow, kudos on the perseverance! The bread looks really good. Great job!

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  2. Mendy, these are without a doubt the best pictures ever, worthy of a cookbook cover. Only with the addition of your pretty wife. This is one impressive loaf of bread.

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  3. Great job! LOL! I love that photo of Ez-man holding the bread, that bread is soo huge and Ez-man holding like he's holding a toy ball..

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  4. Mendy, it's so nice to finally see you! The bread looks lovely and huge.

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  5. ב''ה

    Thanks everyone. It was fun.

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