bread baking challenge TUSCAN BREAD # 38

It is almost TWO years since we have had a bread-baking challenge, following “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.

I was looking in this book for a recipe that I have bread (or two) in 2 days' time, maximum. In this book that we follow, the majority of the bread needs 3 days or more.

I found recipe #38, in this challenge, “TUSCAN BREAD”, by chance, and it fit me very well.

There are 2 things that make this bread unique: First there is no salt in the recipe. This is because people from Tuscany use this bread with different pastes, olive oil, and hearty soup, and the flavors do not interfere with salt. Second is the “ boiled dough” = get hot boiling water mixed with flour, and leave it overnight on the kitchen counter, this will increase the gelatin from flour to become evident, in the consistency of this crusty loaf of bread.

Last night, just before I went to bed, I mixed:

2 cups flour (one white and 1 rye )

with 1 and ¾ boiling water.

After it got cold, I cover it with a wrap and a kitchen towel, at room temp, until tomorrow, when I come back from work.

The next day I added to this paste the ingredients, and knead the dough in the bread machine:

2 and 2/3 unbleached flour

2 and 1/2 tsp yeast

2tbs oil

3/4  cup, room temp, water.

I added poppy seeds, 2tbs 

Two hours later I get a well-raised dough, very sticky that I have to manipulate with a lot of flour, on my hand, on the counter.

Cut the dough in two and make it in any shape you feel like it: 

"battard" long and curl, 

"boule" round and plumply.

 Keep it covered for 60-90 more minutes at room temp, to raise again.

After this second rise, score the bread, mist water on top of loaves, and dust lithely with flour or corn meal, with a help of a sieve.

Prepare the oven of 500F and spry oven walls with water, to steam.

Put bread on parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes.

Lower the temp to 450F and bake the bread for 20 more minutes until is brown and well baked.

I was surprised: such a crusty, hard outside and very soft,  fluffy, inside. A very tasty, crunchy slice of bread, warm and soft, and very good with butter. 

Bone appetite!