Benito's blog

I’m enjoying making Fougasse for dinner parties.  I wanted to try different flavours in the Fougasse than I have already made to chose to try pecorino cheese, oregano and black pepper.  Overall I was really pleased with this bake, but I let the baking get away from me and it got even darker than I usually like.  Fortunately brushing EVOO on the crust right before serving really helped avoid the crust being too crispy.

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Levain Overnight

12 hours warm room temperature 74-76°F. 

In large bowl add the water and the levain then dissolve.  Then add salt and olive oil, then whole wheat flour and mix, finally add bread flour. After 10 mins of autolyse, slap and fold to develop the dough moderately.  Towards the end of mixing add the grated Pecorino cheese, oregano and black pepper through stretch and folds in the bowl.  Finally give the dough a bench letterfold and place into the bowl.

At 30 min intervals give the dough coil folds.  After the third set give the dough 1 hour 30 mins rest.

Allow the dough to rise to about 40-50% then shape.

To remove the dough from the bowl drizzle olive oil onto and around the edges of the dough.  Then gently spread the olive oil over the surface and around the sides.  In the bowl flip the dough to oil the bottom of the dough.

Transfer the dough to a parchment lined tray, smooth side up and gently stretch the dough out into a rough triangle.  Rest for 10 mins then cut the dough.  Make 2 or 3 short vertical cuts from the base of the triangle to the top, leaving space between the cuts. While cutting, use your other hand to gently spread the dough with your fingers to encourage it to open and prevent it from sticking back together. After cutting, spread the sides of the triangle outward to widen the cuts even further. Next, make diagonal cuts from the center cuts outward toward the sides of the triangle, while spreading the sides outward so the cuts open wide.  Place into a large plastic bag and close.  Allow to proof for 1 and a half to 2 hours.  30 mins prior to the end of proof pre-heat the oven to 450°F.  (Changes for the second time - cutting soon after stretching)

The dough should pass the finger poke test when ready to bake.  Prior to baking brush the dough with more olive oil and top with more grated pecorino cheese to your liking. 

Bake at 450°F for 25-30 mins on the lowest rack rotating partway through.

After baking brush with olive oil and you can add herbs to your olive oil to add more flavour if you wish.

Cool on a rack.

Best eaten the day of bake. Reheat a minute or two under the broiler.

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My index of bakes.

We had another dinner party last night so I wanted to bake another pie for dessert and wanted something different from those I had bake before.  Pineapples aren’t that common a filling flavour for pies so decided to try this one.  I have to say it was delicious, I reduced the sugar from the original recipe especially the meringue which I also prepared as a Swiss meringue instead of the French meringue in the original recipe since I find them a bit more stable.

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Filling 

One 20-ounce can crushed pineapple (do not drain)

1 cup sour cream

¾ cup sugar (I reduced to a bit under ¾ cup)

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 egg yolks

Meringue 

3 egg whites, at room temperature

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (reduced to just under ¼ cup)

Ritz Cracker Crust

• 5 ounces round buttery crackers (such as Ritz) (about 40 crackers), crushed.  (Original not enough increased to 175 g)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (reduce greatly to 1 tbsp)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (reduce to ½ tsp)
• 1/2 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Crush the crackers finely, but not to dust. You can use a food processor or your hands. Add the salt and sugar, then knead in the butter until the crumbs hold together like dough. Press into an 9-inch pie pan. Freeze for 30 minutes, then bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.   

To make the filling: In a large saucepan, combine the pineapple with its syrup, the sour cream, sugar, flour, lemon juice, and salt. Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to bubble, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Continue to whisk vigorously while adding a few splashes of the hot pineapple mixture into the bowl to temper the eggs. Dump everything back into the pan, and cook for 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly.

Pour the filling into the pie shell and set aside.

Make the Swiss meringue.

With gently simmering water, the meringue should cook fairly fast. If you find the temperature climbing too slowly, simply crank up the heat.

Fill a 3-quart pot with 1½-inches of water and place over medium-low heat, with a ring of crumpled foil set in the middle to act as a booster seat. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine egg whites, sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and rose water or vanilla bean (if using). Place over steamy water, stirring and scraping constantly with a flexible spatula until thin, foamy, and 175°F on a digital thermometer, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on high until glossy, thick, and quadrupled in volume, about 5 minutes. Use immediately.

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My index of bakes.

I enjoy making Key Lime pies when we’re down here in Florida.  I do love chocolate and decided to try an Oreo cookie crust with the lime coconut filling.  I’ve not made an Oreo cookie crust before, in the past when I’m home if I want to have a chocolate crust I have a recipe that I have developed for a Pate Sucrée pastry, but without my food processor I do not make it.

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Ingredients:

• 250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons icing sugar (sub 2 tbsp sugar)
• 5-ounces (2/3 cup) unsweetened coconut milk
• 14-ounces (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed or bottled Key lime juice
• Zest of 1 lime, finely grated

To garnish:

• Whipped cream (optional)
• Toasted coconut (optional)
• lime slices (optional)

Bourbon whipped cream idea

• 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon Bourbon

Instructions:

• In a bowl, using an electric mixer beat heavy cream and sugar until creamy. Add the coconut milk, condensed milk, lime juice, and lime zest and whisk until fluffy and thick. Pour into crust and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set.
• Before serving, top pie with whipped cream, sprinkle some toasted coconut and/lime slices or lime zest(if desired). Slice and serve.

Ingredients

22 regular Oreo cookies

5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

• Make the crust: In a food processor or blender, pulse 22 Oreos (including the cream filling) into a fine crumb. You can also place them in a zip-top bag and crush them into fine crumbs with a little arm muscle and a rolling pin. You should have about 2 cups (packed) crumbs, or 250g. Pour crumbs into a large bowl.
• Add the melted butter and stir to combine. The mixture will be thick and quite wet. Try to smash/break up any large chunks.
  
• Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8-inch, 9-inch, or 10-inch pie dish, cake pan, springform pan, or square pan. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact, thick crust. If the mixture seems really wet and is not forming a nice crust, grind up 2 more Oreos and mix those crumbs in. Tip: You can use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help press down the bottom crust and smooth out the surface, but do not pack down too hard. If making a pie, run a spoon around the bottom “corner” where the edge and bottom meet to help make a rounded crust⁠—this helps prevent the crust from falling apart when you cut slices.
• For a baked dessert, pre-bake this crust per your filling recipe directions. I usually pre-bake for 8–10 minutes at 350°F (177°C). For a no-bake filling such as cookies & cream pie, bake for 10–12 minutes at 350°F (177°C). Cool the crust completely before using, unless your no-bake filling recipe instructs otherwise.  Don’t forget to use pie weights to prevent the crust sides from sagging and the bottom from puffing up.

Although we enjoyed the pie, I found the Oreo cookie crust too sweet for me.  I think I’ll go back to making Ritz Cracker crusts when I’m without my food processor.

My index of bakes

Time for another dinner party at our place.  So for last night’s main course I decided to make chicken sliders and made a batch of miso sweet potato sourdough milk rolls topped with sesame seeds.  I eliminated the salt and just used miso for the salt.  I looked at my salt content of my miso again and believe I had previously miscalculated the salt in it.  I made the mistake of not accounting for the water that the soybeans are hydrated with during the soak.  After assuming that the soybeans absorb their equal weight in water during the soaking is now use 14.8% as the amount of salt in the miso.

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24 rolls or 12 buns in a 7.5 x 11.5” pan 

egg wash: 1 yolk and 1 tbsp milk, beaten…

Prepare the stiff sweet levain overnight or the day before and refrigerate when ready.

Prepare the butter paste by blending very soft butter with flour.

Cook Tangzhong mixing flour and milk constantly until it becomes a thick roux.  Let cool before adding to final dough.  Or add to cold milk and egg to cool it down.  Add the levain and break it up into small pieces with your spatula.  Add and dissolve miso paste.

To mix by hand, add the flour to the wet ingredients (milk, tangzhong and egg) to dissolve.  Next add the flour and mix with a silicone spatula until no dry flour remains.  Rest 10-20 mins.  Next perform French folds until the dough is well developed.  Smear the butter onto the dough and then fold to incorporate and then perform further French folds until well developed.  Gradually add the mashed potato and knead to incorporate it well into the dough.  Form into a tight ball and place in a bowl covered with plastic or a damp cloth @ 82°F for 3-4 hours, some rise will be visible. Alternatively, you could mix the mashed potato and butter and then add the mixture to the developed dough until well incorporated.

Butter a large baking pan or line the pan with parchment.  Punch the dough down and then divide into 24/12 equal portions.  Form each into tight boules.  Place in the buttered baking pan seam side down.  Cover them and allow them to fully proof about 4-6 hours, they should pass the poke test.

About 30 mins before the end of proofing time, whisk your remaining egg and milk and then brush the small boules.

About 30 mins prior to end of final proof preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Immediately prior to baking brush the dough again with the egg and milk mixture.  Top with sesame seeds.

Bake the rolls/buns uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature is at least 190F. Cover if your rolls get brown early in the baking process.

Remove the bread from the oven but not the pans, brush the tops with the melted butter while hot, and then let cool for 10 minutes before pulling the bread from the pans. You may need to slide a butter knife down the sides of the pan to loosen the bread, but I have found parchment paper to be unnecessary. 

Chicken Sliders

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (12-ounce) package Hawaiian sweet rolls, such as King’s
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 cup shredded)
• 4 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup shredded)
• 1 clove garlic (1 tsp garlic powder)
• 1 pound boneless, skinless cooked chicken
• 4 medium scallions
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, preferably toasted

INSTRUCTIONS

• Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Without separating the rolls, cut 1 package Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Place the bottom half of the rolls cut-side up on a cookie tray lined with parchment.
• Grate 4 ounces cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup each). Place both cheeses in a medium bowl and toss to combine. 
• Shred 1 pound cooked chicken into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups). Thinly slice 4 medium scallions (about 1 cup). Place the chicken, scallions, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl and stir to combine.
• Arrange half of the cheese mixture onto the bottom half of the rolls in an even layer. Transfer the chicken mixture over the cheese and spread into an even layer. Top with the remaining cheese mixture.
• Place 3 tablespoons unsalted butter and the garlic in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, about 30 seconds. (Alternatively, melt the butter on the stovetop.) Brush half of the garlic butter on the cut side of the top half of the rolls. Place the top half of the rolls over the sliders cut side down.
• Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake until the cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until the rolls are lightly browned and toasted, 5 to 7 minutes more. Cut with the serrated knife to separate the sliders into individual sandwiches before serving.

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I served the sliders with a Greek yoghurt coleslaw with pineapples raisins.

My index of bakes.

We are still enjoying our extended visit here in Fort Lauderdale where we are seeing friends that we don’t otherwise.  Since many of them know that I like baking bread, I am getting requests to bring bread to their dinner parties in lieu of bringing the usual bottle of wine.  So for this dinner party I decided to bring milk rolls since they alway seem to go over well, but decided to try using my homemade red miso to amp up the flavour of the sweet potato and butter along with the cheddar cheese on top of the rolls.  As I may have written about in the past, the amount of miso needed to really be a prominent flavour in a bread would probably make it too salty.  However, miso is rich in glutamate, an amino acid that is released as the Aspergillus oryzae’s proteinases bread down the proteins in the soybeans as the miso is fermenting.  Glutamate is one of the substances that give food umami, that fifth taste sensation.  So it really brings out the other flavours in the food.

Our host for the evening only heated up half of the two dozen rolls saying that he was being selfish and keeping the other dozen for himself since they were so delicious.  So I guess they went over well.

I am without my trusty Ankarsrum Assistent down here so I am developing all my doughs by hand.  For these enriched doughs it is a lot of slap and folds, but I am getting a bit of exercise from it.

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24 rolls in a 7.5 x 11.5” pan 

egg wash: 1 yolk and 1 tbsp milk, beaten…

Prepare the stiff sweet levain overnight or the day before and refrigerate when ready.

Prepare the butter paste by blending very soft butter with flour.  Doing this makes the butter faster to incorporate by hand than adding the butter directly in my experience.  I don’t do this if I am using my Ankarsrum Assistent.

Cook Tangzhong mixing flour and milk constantly until it becomes a thick roux.  Let cool before adding to final dough.  Or add to cold milk and egg to cool it down.  Add the levain and break it up into small pieces with your spatula.  Add and dissolved miso paste and salt.

To mix by hand, add the flour to the wet ingredients (milk, tangzhong and egg) to dissolve.  Next add the flour and mix with a silicone spatula until no dry flour remains.  Rest 10-20 mins.  Next perform French folds until the dough is well developed.  Smear the butter onto the dough and then fold to incorporate and then perform further French folds until well developed.  Gradually add the mashed potato and knead to incorporate it well into the dough.  Form into a tight ball and place in a bowl covered with plastic or a damp cloth @ 82°F for 3-4 hours, some rise will be visible. Alternatively, you could mix the mashed potato and butter and then add the mixture to the developed dough until well incorporated.

Butter a large baking pan or line the pan with parchment.  Punch the dough down and then divide into 24 equal portions.  Form each into tight boules.  Place in the buttered baking pan seam side down.  Cover them and allow them to fully proof about 4-6 hours, they should pass the poke test.

About 30 mins before the end of proofing time, whisk your remaining egg and milk and then brush the small boules.

About 30 mins prior to end of final proof preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Immediately prior to baking brush the dough again with the egg and milk mixture.  Top with the shredded cheddar cheese to your preference.

Bake the rolls uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature is at least 190F. Cover if your rolls get brown early in the baking process.

Remove the bread from the oven but not the pans, brush the tops with the melted butter while hot, and then let cool for 10 minutes before pulling the bread from the pans. You may need to slide a butter knife down the sides of the pan to loosen the bread, but I have found parchment paper to be unnecessary.  

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My index of bakes

Still enjoying ourselves in Fort Lauderdale and starting to see friends gradually.  So tonight we are hosting a dinner party and the main course has some olives in it, a chicken saltimbocca so I decided I’d bake another Fougasse, my second time baking this bread for those who love crust.  It is quite fun to make, with very little effort or skill you can turn out a fancy looking delicious bread.  Even with my lack of artistic talent the bread baked up looking like a nice large monstera leaf.  If you like crust bread give this a go.

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Levain Overnight

12 hours warm room temperature 74-76°F. 

In large bowl add the water and the levain then dissolve.  Then add salt and olive oil, then whole wheat flour and mix, finally add bread flour. After 10 mins of autolyse, slap and fold to develop the dough moderately.  Towards the end of mixing add the Kalamata olives and oregano through stretch and folds in the bowl.  Finally give the dough a bench letterfold and place into the bowl.

At 30 min intervals give the dough coil folds.  After the third set give the dough 1 hour 30 mins rest.

Allow the dough to rise to about 40-50% then shape.

To remove the dough from the bowl drizzle olive oil onto and around the edges of the dough.  Then gently spread the olive oil over the surface and around the sides.  In the bowl flip the dough to oil the bottom of the dough.

Transfer the dough to a parchment lined tray, smooth side up and gently stretch the dough out into a rough triangle.  Rest for 10 mins then cut the dough.  Make 2 or 3 short vertical cuts from the base of the triangle to the top, leaving space between the cuts. While cutting, use your other hand to gently spread the dough with your fingers to encourage it to open and prevent it from sticking back together. After cutting, spread the sides of the triangle outward to widen the cuts even further. Next, make diagonal cuts from the center cuts outward toward the sides of the triangle, while spreading the sides outward so the cuts open wide.  Place into a large plastic bag and close.  Allow to proof for 1 and a half to 2 hours.  30 mins prior to the end of proof pre-heat the oven to 450°F.  (Changes for the second time - cutting soon after stretching)

The dough should pass the finger poke test when ready to bake.  Prior to baking brush the dough with more olive oil.

(Changes for second time - brushing with olive oil prior to baking)

Bake at 450°F for 25-30 mins on the lowest rack rotating partway through.

After baking brush with olive oil and you can add herbs to your olive oil to add more flavour if you wish.

Cool on a rack.

Best eaten the day of bake. Reheat a minute or two under the broiler.

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My index of bakes

One of my plans in bringing my homemade miso down to Fort Lauderdale was to use it in a couple of bakes.  We were out of bread and needing more bread for toast and dinners.  I’ve wanted to bake a bit more lean breads but baked in my Pullman pan since that is what I prefer for sandwiches and toast.  This is what I came up with.  I have to say that dough seems to ferment faster down here.  I’m not sure why, it is my starter from Toronto so the only differences would be the flour or the water.  I don’t think it is a temperature related thing since Toronto in the summer is bloody hot, hotter than it is here right now.  Also I have a proofing box in Toronto, while I don’t have one here.

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My red miso paste is almost 1 g sodium per 20 g miso

For 1 loaf in a 9x4x4” Pullman pan.

Build stiff levain, ferment at 74°F for 10 hours overnight.

Starter 6 g, water 23 g bread flour 38 g

Bread flour 296 g, Whole Wheat Flour 83 g, Water 294 g, all levain, hold back water 13 g, salt 4 g and Red Miso 50 g

In the morning, add miso and salt to the water and dissolve.  Then add the levain and break down the levain as well as you can.  Add both the flours and mix well until no dry bits are left. After 10 mins of rest start gluten development with slap and folds then gradually add the hold back water in several aliquots using Rubaud to fully incorporate the water well.  Bench letterfold, remove aliquot, then at 30 mins intervals do coil folds until good structure is achieved.

Once the dough has risen 40% then shape the dough into a batard and place in prepared pan.

Final proof the dough until it has reached 1 cm of the rim of the pan.  pre-heat oven at 425°F .

Once oven reaches 425ºF score top of dough and then brush with water.  (I decided last minute to sprinkle with sesame seeds). Transfer to oven and bake (without steam) for 25 mins.  Rotate the pan and drop temperature to 350ºF.  Bake for another 25-30 mins rotating as needed until browned.  Remove from the pan and place directly on the rack baking for another 5-10 mins to firm up the crust.

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My index of bakes.

Down in Florida we are a bit more social than we are at home in Toronto.  We have friends we don’t see often so try to get together a few times each visit.  One of our close friends invited us over for dinner with his new partner so of course I offered to bring rolls to have with their Italian dinner.  Crusty rolls might have been better with Italian but I decided to use up some of my mashed sweet potato I have left over for some soft milk rolls.  

I forgot to get photos of the rolls when they were pulled apart, but I can say they turned out just as I wanted, soft, shreddable and yummy.

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24 rolls in a 7.5 x 11.5” pan 

egg wash: 1 yolk and 1 tbsp milk, beaten…

Prepare the stiff sweet levain overnight or the day before and refrigerate when ready.

Prepare the butter paste by blending very soft butter with flour.

Cook Tangzhong mixing flour and milk constantly until it becomes a thick roux.  Let cool before adding to final dough.  Or add to cold milk and egg to cool it down.  Add the levain and break it up into small pieces with your spatula.  Add and dissolved IDY if using.

To mix by hand, add the flour to the wet ingredients (milk, tangzhong and egg) to dissolve.  Next add the flour and mix with a silicone spatula until no dry flour remains.  Rest 10-20 mins.  Next perform French folds until the dough is well developed.  Smear the butter onto the dough and then fold to incorporate and then perform further French folds until well developed.  Gradually add the mashed potato and knead to incorporate it well into the dough.  Form into a tight ball and place in a bowl covered with plastic or a damp cloth @ 82°F for 3-4 hours, some rise will be visible. Alternatively, you could mix the mashed potato and butter and then add the mixture to the developed dough until well incorporated.

Butter a large baking pan or line the pan with parchment.  Punch the dough down and then divide into 24 equal portions.  Form each into tight boules.  Place in the buttered baking pan seam side down.  Cover them and allow them to fully proof about 4-6 hours, they should pass the poke test.

About 30 mins before the end of proofing time, whisk your remaining egg and milk and then brush the small boules.

About 30 mins prior to end of final proof preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Immediately prior to baking brush the dough again with the egg and milk mixture.

Bake the rolls uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature is at least 190F. Cover if your rolls get brown early in the baking process.

Remove the bread from the oven but not the pans, brush the tops with the melted butter while hot, and then let cool for 10 minutes before pulling the bread from the pans. You may need to slide a butter knife down the sides of the pan to loosen the bread, but I have found parchment paper to be unnecessary.  Sprinkle with fleur de sel if you wish after brushing with butter. 

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My index of bakes.

My first bake this trip in Fort Lauderdale today was a success.  I was a bit worried taking some of my homemade miso (who knew it was so hard to find down here?) and starter across the border.

My starter survived the trip and was raring to go after one feed so I prepared the levain to bake a loaf of bread.  Although the instructions below state that I used a stand mixer to develop the dough, I actually do not have a mixer here and had to knead by hand.  I really missed by Ankarsrum Assistent but it is far too expensive to buy one for the time we are here.  Anyhow, it is probably good to hand knead once in a while.

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For one 9x4x4” Pullman pan loaf.

Instructions

Levain

Mix the levain ingredients in a jar or pyrex container with space for at least 300% growth. 

Press down with your knuckles or silicone spatula to create a uniform surface and to push out air.

At a temperature of 76-78ºF, it typically takes up to 10-12 hours for this sweet stiff levain to be at peak.  For my starter I typically see 3-3.5 times increase in size at peak.  The levain will smell sweet with only a mild tang.

Tangzhong 

In a sauce pan set on medium heat, stir the milk and whole wheat flour until blended. Then cook for several minutes until well thickened, stirring regularly with a spoon or heat-resistant spatula. Let cool in the pan or, for faster results, in a new bowl.  Theoretically it should reach 65ºC (149ºF) but I don’t find I need to measure the temperature as the tangzhong gelatinizes at this temperature.  You can prepare this the night before and refrigerate it, ensure that it is covered to prevent it from drying out.

If you plan on using a stand mixer to mix this dough, set up a Bain Marie and use your stand mixer’s bowl to prepare the tangzhong.

Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk (consider holding back 10 g of milk and adding later if this is the first time you’re making this), egg, tangzhong, salt, sugar and levain.  Mix and then break up the levain into many smaller pieces.  Next add the flour.  I like to use my spatula to mix until there aren’t many dry areas.  Allow the flour to hydrate (fermentolyse) for 20-30 minutes.  Mix on low speed and then medium speed until moderate gluten development this may take 5-10 mins.  You may want to scrape the sides of the bowl during the first 5 minutes of mixing.  Next add room temperature butter one pat at a time.  The dough may come apart, be patient, continue to mix until it comes together before adding in more butter.  Again, knead until well incorporated.  You will want to check gluten development by windowpane during this time and stop mixing when you get a good windowpane.  You should be able to pull a good windowpane, not quite as good as a white flour because the bran will interrupt the windowpane somewhat.  Add the sesame seeds, then mix again until they are well distributed.

On the counter, shape the dough into a tight ball, cover in the bowl and ferment for 2 - 4 hours at 82ºF.  There should be some rise visible at this stage.

You can next place the dough into the fridge to chill the dough for about 1.5 hours, this makes rolling the dough easier to shape.  Remember, if you do so the final proof will take longer.  Alternatively, you can do a cold retard in the fridge overnight, however, you may find that this increases the tang in your bread.

Prepare your pans by greasing them with butter or line with parchment paper.  

Lightly oil the top of the dough. Scrape the dough out onto a clean counter top and divide it into four. I like to weigh them to have equal sized lobes. Shape each tightly into a boule, allow to rest 5 mins. Using an oiled rolling pin roll each ball out and then letterfold. Turn 90* and using a rolling pin roll each out to at least 8”. Letterfold again from the sides so you have a long narrow dough. Then using a rolling pin, roll flatter but keeping the dough relatively narrow.  The reason to do this extra letterfold is that the shorter fatter rolls when placed in the pan will not touch the sides of the pan.  This allows the swirled ends to rise during final proof, this is only done for appearance sake and is not necessary.  Next roll each into a tight roll with some tension. Arrange the rolls of dough inside your lined pan alternating the direction of the swirls. This should allow a greater rise during proof and in the oven.

Cover and let proof for  4-6 hours at a warm temperature.  I proof at 82°F.  You will need longer than 4-6 hours if you chilled your dough for shaping. I proof until the top of the dough comes to within 1 cm of the top edge of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350F and brush the dough with the egg-milk wash.  Just prior to baking brush with the egg-milk wash again.

Bake the loaves for 50 minutes or until the internal temperature is at least 190ºF, rotating as needed to get even browning. Shield your loaf if it gets brown early in the baking process. After 50 mins remove the bread from the pan and bake a further 10 mins by placing the loaf directly in the oven on the rack with the oven turned down to 325ºF.

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My Index of Bakes

I am going to Fort Lauderdale for ten weeks and I’m bringing some of my starter with me to bake, but I’m also going to keep some starter in Toronto.  This is what I did to prepare my starter for a long hibernation.  I’m now down in Fort Lauderdale.

I fed my starter 1:1.5:3 starter to water to flour to reduce the hydration to near 50%.  This reduced hydration will slow the organisms down.  One time I was away from home for three weeks and I was surprised that my starter had mold growing on it.  I greatly reduce the chances of that happening now by placing a good layer of dry flour on top of the starter in its Weck jar.  The times I have done this it has worked very well and I have not seen mold since.  

I then gave John Dough 1 hour on the counter before placing him in the fridge to rest until I return.

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My Index of Bakes.