SkieSquiggles wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 2:42 pm
Ended up baking the bread last night even though it didn't really rise and it worked pretty well! It tastes a little off but I think the next time I make it it'll be even better!
Spoiler!
First attempts are often the roughest - and that doesn't look bad at all! Some non-expired yeast will definitely get you there
Hello Freakboards I have made more bread that are misshapen as hell but it was my first try at this recipe and I really need to invest in a peel to avoid ruining the shape when I transfer to the baking stone. That or use parchment paper next time.
Anyway. These are made from a recipe for Paesano bread, which ideally is a nice, crunchy crust with light, airy insides with plenty of pockets. I got pretty close! I think I overworked it a little bit.
Because the recipe is long, it's in the spoiler below. Please note this bread takes a particularly long time to make, it does a lot of fermenting/proofing. However, the ingredients are minimal and very simple.
Spoiler!
*PAESANO BREAD*
Makes 2 loaves
*INGREDIENTS*
Poolish
* All Purpose Flour - 3/4 cups plus 1 Tbsp / 114g
* Water (room temp) - 1/2 cup / 114g
* Instant Yeast - 1/8 tsp
Final Dough
* Poolish
* Water (room temp) - 1 3/4 cups / 400g
* Instant Yeast - 1/2 tsp
* All Purpose Flour - 3 3/4 plus 2 Tbsp / 545g
* Sea Salt - 2 1/2 tsp / 14g
* Cornmeal (for dusting)
*INSTRUCTIONS*
1. Make the Poolish - in a medium bowl, use a fork to stir together the flour, water, and instant yeast until everything is incorporated.
2. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and allow the poolish to ferment at room temperature for 8 hours. (I did this overnight, don't worry too much about having an extra hour of fermenting time for this step)
3. Make the dough - in a large bowl, add the water, poolish, and yeast and combine thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add half of the flour and mix until the mixture resembles a thick pancake batter. Add the remaining flour and stir the dry and wet ingredients together. Continue mixing until the dough becomes shaggy and starts to just barely form a ball. Turn the dough out onto a clean, unfloured work surface.
4. Knead* the dough for 6 to 8 minutes, using a plastic scraper to scrape the dough off the table. Place the dough in a bowl that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or oil and cover with plastic. Ferment for 1 hour.
5. After 1 hour, lightly flour the work surface and turn the dough out of the bowl. Fold** for the first time. Return it to the bowl and cover. Ferment for 1 hour. After the second hour, lightly flour the work surface and turn the dough out of the bowl, fold for the second time. Return it to the bowl and cover. Ferment for 1 hour. After the third hour, lightly flour the work surface and turn the dough out of the bowl, fold for the third time. Return it to the bowl and cover. Ferment for 1 hour. After the fourth hour, lightly flour the work surface and turn the dough out of the bowl, fold for the fourth time. Return it to the bowl and cover. Ferment for 1 final hour.
6. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Divide it in two and shape*** each into a round loaf. Place seam side down onto a cornmeal covered sheet tray. Top with a dusting of cornmeal and cover the dough rounds with plastic. Proof for 1 - 1.5 hours.
7. Preheat the oven with a baking stone to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/230 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes *before* baking. The loaves are ready when they've relaxed into disks 9 inches/23 cm in diameter by about 2 inches/5 cm tall. The top surface should be shiny with a few large bubbles visible.
8. When the loaves are fully proofed, gently flip one of the rounds onto a peel (with the bottom side now up) that has been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal, and slide it onto the baking stone in the preheated oven. Repeat for the second round. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until the loaves are a rich, deep brown. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and cool completely. OPTIONAL: at around halfway through the bake time (or a couple minutes under), rotate the loaf 180 degrees, for a more even bake.
* KNEADING - Wash your hands! Use a table that is at or slightly below waist height, if possible. Do *NOT* add extra flour at this step. Place the dough about 3 - 4 inches (7.5 - 10 cm) from the edge of your work surface. Hold a plastic scraper in one hand and, with the heel of the other hand, press firmly into the mass of dough and stretch it several inches in front of you. With your bare hand or the plastic scraper, fold the dough farthest from you back towards you, over the top of the dough. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat. You'll be here for a while, and kneading can feel like exercise, so make sure you are standing comfortably.
** FOLDING - Wash your hands!! To fold the dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into a rectangle. From right to left, fold the dough as you would a letter, bringing one third of the dough toward the left and then pulling the remaining portion of the dough over the top. Now do the same vertically, by folding the top third toward the bottom and the bottom over the top. Flip the dough over (seam side down) and place back into the bowl.
*** SHAPING - Wash your hands!!! Lightly flour your work surface. Tap a portion of dough gently onto the floured surface, Hold the dough in both hands. With your right hand, stretch about a sixth of the dough away from you and tuck it under the rest of the dough. This tucked section should be facing away from you. Rotate the loaf ~60 degrees and repeat the tucking motion. Continue to rotate and tuck until you have completed a full revolution, or slightly more than a full revolution. Place the dough in the palm of your left hand with all the tucks facing up. With your right hand, gently press and seal all of the tuck sections together while continuing to rotate the dough. When sufficiently sealed, place on the work surface with the tucked & sealed portion facing down. The top should be smooth and unblemished.
Last edited by Finch on Sat Oct 07, 2023 8:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
Finch wrote: ↑Thu Oct 05, 2023 3:21 pm
Hello Freakboards I have made more bread that are misshapen as hell but it was my first try at this recipe and I really need to invest in a peel to avoid ruining the shape when I transfer to the baking stone. That or use parchment paper next time.
Anyway. These are made from a recipe for Paesano bread, which ideally is a nice, crunchy crust with light, airy insides with plenty of pockets. I got pretty close! I think I overworked it a little bit.
Finch wrote: ↑Thu Oct 05, 2023 3:21 pm
Hello Freakboards I have made more bread that are misshapen as hell but it was my first try at this recipe and I really need to invest in a peel to avoid ruining the shape when I transfer to the baking stone. That or use parchment paper next time.
Anyway. These are made from a recipe for Paesano bread, which ideally is a nice, crunchy crust with light, airy insides with plenty of pockets. I got pretty close! I think I overworked it a little bit.
Because the recipe is long, it's in the spoiler below. Please note this bread takes a particularly long time to make, it does a lot of fermenting/proofing. However, the ingredients are minimal and very simple.
Spoiler!
*PAESANO BREAD*
Makes 2 loaves
*INGREDIENTS*
Poolish
* All Purpose Flour - 3/4 cups plus 1 Tbsp / 114g
* Water (room temp) - 1/2 cup / 114g
* Instant Yeast - 1/8 tsp
Final Dough
* Poolish
* Water (room temp) - 1 3/4 cups / 400g
* Instant Yeast - 1/2 tsp
* All Purpose Flour - 3 3/4 plus 2 Tbsp / 545g
* Sea Salt - 2 1/2 tsp / 14g
* Cornmeal (for dusting)
*INSTRUCTIONS*
1. Make the Poolish - in a medium bowl, use a fork to stir together the flour, water, and instant yeast until everything is incorporated.
2. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and allow the poolish to ferment at room temperature for 8 hours. (I did this overnight, don't worry too much about having an extra hour of fermenting time for this step)
3. Make the dough - in a large bowl, add the water, poolish, and yeast and combine thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add half of the flour and mix until the mixture resembles a thick pancake batter. Add the remaining flour and stir the dry and wet ingredients together. Continue mixing until the dough becomes shaggy and starts to just barely form a ball. Turn the dough out onto a clean, unfloured work surface.
4. Knead* the dough for 6 to 8 minutes, using a plastic scraper to scrape the dough off the table. Place the dough in a bowl that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or oil and cover with plastic. Ferment for 1 hour.
5. After 1 hour, lightly flour the work surface and turn the dough out of the bowl. Fold** for the first time. Return it to the bowl and cover. Ferment for 1 hour. After the second hour, lightly flour the work surface and turn the dough out of the bowl, fold for the second time. Return it to the bowl and cover. Ferment for 1 hour. After the third hour, lightly flour the work surface and turn the dough out of the bowl, fold for the third time. Return it to the bowl and cover. Ferment for 1 hour. After the fourth hour, lightly flour the work surface and turn the dough out of the bowl, fold for the fourth time. Return it to the bowl and cover. Ferment for 1 final hour.
6. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Divide it in two and shape*** each into a round loaf. Place seam side down onto a cornmeal covered sheet tray. Top with a dusting of cornmeal and cover the dough rounds with plastic. Proof for 1 - 1.5 hours.
7. Preheat the oven with a baking stone to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/230 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes *before* baking. The loaves are ready when they've relaxed into disks 9 inches/23 cm in diameter by abut 2 inches/5 cm tall. The top surface should be shiny with a few large bubbles visible.
8. When the loaves are fully proofed, gently flip one of the rounds onto a peel (with the bottom side now up) that has been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal, and slide it onto the baking stone in the preheated oven. Repeat for the second round. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until the loaves are a rich, deep brown. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and cool completely.
* KNEADING - Wash your hands! Use a table that is at or slightly below waist height, if possible. Do *NOT* add extra flour at this step. Place the dough about 3 - 4 inches (7.5 - 10 cm) from the edge of your work surface. Hold a plastic scraper in one hand and, with the heel of the other hand, press firmly into the mass of dough and stretch it several inches in front of you. With your bare hand or the plastic scraper, fold the dough farthest from you back towards you, over the top of the dough. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat. You'll be here for a while, and kneading can feel like exercise, so make sure you are standing comfortably.
** FOLDING - Wash your hands!! To fold the dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into a rectangle. From right to left, fold the dough as you would a letter, bringing one third of the dough toward the left and then pulling the remaining portion of the dough over the top. Now do the same vertically, by folding the top third toward the bottom and the bottom over the top. Flip the dough over (seam side down) and place back into the bowl.
*** SHAPING - Wash your hands!!! Lightly flour your work surface. Tap a portion of dough gently onto the floured surface, Hold the dough in both hands. With your right hand, stretch about a sixth of the dough away from you and tuck it under the rest of the dough. This tucked section should be facing away from you. Rotate the loaf ~60 degrees and repeat the tucking motion. Continue to rotate and tuck until you have completed a full revolution, or slightly more than a full revolution. Place the dough in the palm of your left hand with all the tucks facing up. With your right hand, gently press and seal all of the tuck sections together while continuing to rotate the dough. When sufficiently sealed, place on the work surface with the tucked & sealed portion facing down. The top should be smooth and unblemished.
This bread looks delicious!! Would love to make some of my own some day in the nearish future !
Signature Under Construction(until I think of a better one)
Signature Under Construction 
