Despite prep time, fresh French bread isn't hard to make
Associated Press
Despite all the intimidating science involved, Pain a l'Ancienne is one of the easiest-to-make doughs in Peter Reinhart's "The Bread Baker's Apprentice." He included this particular recipe because he believes that home bakers are hungry for professional information.
His book includes these three tips for making Pain a l'Ancienne by the recipe, which follows:
- It will take two days to make, so plan accordingly.
- This dough is very sticky, so it is best made in an electric mixer or food processor.
- Use sharp scissors to score the bread instead of a knife or razor. The wet dough is difficult to slit in the normal manner. Try to get a long angle with the shears and make a long cut rather than just short snips.
Pain a l'Ancienne
- 6 cups unbleached bread flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 3/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons ice-cold water (or more, as needed)
- Semolina flour or cornmeal, for dusting
Combine the flour, salt, yeast and water in the bowl of the electric mixer with the paddle attachment and mix for 2 minutes on low speed. Switch to the dough hook and mix for 5 to 6 minutes on medium speed. The dough should be sticky on the bottom of the bowl, but it should release from the sides. If not, sprinkle in a small amount of flour until this occurs (or dribble in water if the dough seems too stiff and clears the bottom as well as the sides of the bowl).
Lightly oil a large bowl and immediately transfer the dough, with a spatula or bowl scraper dipped in water, into the bowl. Mist the top of the dough with sprayed oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Immediately place the bowl in the refrigerator and chill overnight, to retard fermentation.
The next day, check the dough to see if it has risen in the refrigerator. It will probably be partially risen but not doubled in size (the amount of rise will depend on how cold the refrigerator is and how often the door was opened).
Leave the bowl of dough out at room temperature for about 2 to 3 hours (or longer if necessary) to allow the dough to wake up, lose its chill and continue fermenting.
When the dough has doubled from its original prerefrigerated size, liberally sprinkle the counter with bread flour (about 1/2 cup). Gently transfer the dough to the floured counter with a plastic dough scraper that has been dipped in cold water, dipping your hands as well to keep the dough from sticking to you. Avoid punching down the dough as you transfer it, to expel as little as possible of the carbon-dioxide gas that has built up in the dough during fermentation.
If the dough is very wet, sprinkle more flour over the top as well as under it. Dry your hands thoroughly and then dip them in flour. Roll the dough gently in the sprinkled flour to coat it thoroughly, simultaneously stretching it into an oblong about 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. If it is too sticky to handle, continue sprinkling flour over it.
Dip a metal pastry scraper into cool water to keep it from sticking to the dough, and cut the dough in half width-wise with the scraper by pressing it down through the dough until it severs it, then dipping it again in the water and repeating this action until you have cut down the full length of the dough. (Do not use this blade as a saw; use it as a pincer, pinching the dough cleanly with each cut.) Let the dough relax for 5 minutes.
Prepare the oven for hearth baking, making sure to have an empty steam pan in place. (See story.) Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, or 550 degrees if your oven goes this high. Cover the back of two 17-by-12-inch sheet pans with baking parchment and dust with semolina flour or cornmeal.
To make baguettes, shape as follows:
Take one of the dough pieces and repeat the cutting action, but this time cut off 3 equal-sized lengths. Then do the same with the remaining half. This should give you 6 lengths.
Flour your hands and carefully lift one of the dough strips and transfer it to an inverted parchment-lined pan, gently pulling it to the length of the pan or to the length of your baking stone. If it springs back, let it rest for 5 minutes and then gently pull it out again. Place 3 strips on the pan, and then prepare another pan and repeat with the remaining strips.
Score the dough strips as for traditional baguettes, slashing the tops with 3 diagonal cuts. Because the dough is sticky, you may have to dip the razor blade, serrated knife or scissors in water between each cut. You may also omit the cuts if the dough isn't cooperating.
Take one pan to the preheated oven and carefully slide the dough, parchment and all, onto the baking stone; or bake directly on the sheet pan. Make sure the pieces aren't touching. Pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan and close the door.
After 30 seconds, spray the oven walls with water and close the door. Repeat twice more at 30-second intervals. After the final spray, reduce the oven setting to 475 degrees and continue baking.
Meanwhile, dust the other pan of strips with flour, mist with spray oil, and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. If you don't plan to bake these strips within 1 hour, refrigerate the pan and bake later or the next day.
The bread should begin to turn golden brown within 8 or 9 minutes. If the loaves are baking unevenly at this point, rotate them 180 degrees. Continue baking 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the bread is a rich golden brown and the internal temperature registers at least 205 F.
Transfer the hot breads to a cooling rack. They should feel very light, almost airy, and will cool in about 20 minutes.
While these are cooling, you can bake the remaining loaves, remembering to remove the parchment from the oven and turn the oven up to 500 degrees or higher before baking the second round.
Makes 6 baguettes, 6 to 8 pizzas, or one 17-by-12-inch focaccia.
