My New Best Bread Friend

Mar 15, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose

I love Maggie Glezer’s book Artisan Bread and have made many recipes from it but it wasn’t until I saw the photos and posting of the Tom Cat's Semolina Filone on the October 16, 2007 posting in www.breabasketcase.blogspot.com that I just had to try it. I’ve made it twice and will be making it again many times because it is so amazingly good. In fact, while it is baking the aroma is so heavenly it encourages one to breathe more deeply just to hold onto the marvelous scent more fully.

The second time I made this bread I only had enough durum flour left to make a three-quarter recipe and that is a lovely size too. I also find the dough more manageable at 73% hydration so have added 100 grams/ 3.5 ounces extra flour and still love the texture. Maggie recommends a combination of half bread flour half unbleached all purpose but Gold Medal Better for Bread flour aka Harvest King is about the same protein content and seems to work perfectly. Because I added extra flour I also increased the salt by 1/2 teaspoon to keep it at 2%. As Maggie points out, different flours (or methods of measuring rather than weighing) will alter the consistency of the dough so add only as much flour as will make you feel comfortable to handle the dough. This is my adaptation of Maggie’s wonderful recipe.

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Bake 50 to minutes

Makes: A 16 x 6 by 3 inch high batard (3/4 recipe=13 x 6 x 3)
POOLISH

INGREDIENTS	MEASUREMENTS	WEIGHT
	*volume*	*ounces*	*grams*
water 110 to 115ºF	3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons	7 ounces	200 grams
instant yeast	1/16 teaspoon	.	.
Gold Medal Better for Bread flour	1 cup	5.5 ounces	155 grams

The night before: In a four cup glass measure stir together all the above ingredients until all the flour is moistened and it forms a smooth lump-free mixture. Cover tightly and allow it to ferment for about 8 hours or until the surface is filled with breaking bubbles and deep wrinkles are forming. (Note: On first try poolish was held for 12 hours at 60 in back room and then 4 hours at 80-82 in kitchen. It was just starting to wrinkle so could have been longer but worked perfectly.)

The poolish just beginning to wrinkle.

DOUGH

INGREDIENTS	MEASUREMENTS	WEIGHT
	*volume*	*ounces*	*grams*
durum flour	1 2/3 cups	8.8 ounces	250 grams
Gold Medal Better for Bread flour	about 1 cup	5.3 ounces	150 grams
water, lukewarm	3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons	7.5 ounces	205 grams
instant yeast	1/4 teaspoon	.	.
fermented poolish	see above
salt	2 teaspoons	.	11.5
sesame seeds	about 1/2 cup	2.5 ounces	72 grams

Equipment
In the bowl of a stand mixer whisk together the flours. Add the water and with the dough hook on low speed mix until combined. Cover and allow to rest (autolyse) for minimum 15 minutes, preferably 1 hour.

Stir the yeast into the poolish and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Add the poolish to the dough and mix on low speed until the dough is very smooth and cleans the side of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and continue mixing for 2 minutes to incorporate the salt evenly. The dough will weigh 33 ounces/940 grams and be about 1 quart. Scrape it into a 2 quart or larger container lightly coated with cooking spray. Cover tighty and allow it to rise until doubled to 2 quarts, 2 to 3 hours. Turn the dough 3 times at 20 minutes intervals and then leave it undisturbed until doubled.

Preheat the Oven
1 hour before baking preheat the oven to 400°F. Have the oven shelf at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it and a cast iron pan or sheet pan on the floor of the oven before preheating.

Pour the sesame seeds onto a sheet pan. Shape the couche into a trough to support the loaf. (No need to flour the couche.)

Shape the dough on a lightly floured counter. Use a gentle touch to maintain as many air bubbles as possible. First round it lightly, cover and allow it to relax for 15 minutes. Then shape it into a torpedo as follows: Place it skin side down. Bring the top edge of the dough over all the way to the work surface and use your thumbs to seal it all the way along the edge, pushing back to form a tight cylinder. Roll the dough over so that the seam falls at the bottom in the middle of the dough. Use the palms of your hands to roll the dough gently back and forth, allowing it to elongate to 12 to 14 inches. Exert more pressure on the two ends to form a pointed shape.

Lift the dough onto the sheet pan and roll it to encrust it all over with the sesame seeds. If necessary, spritz the dough with water to help them adhere. Set the dough, seam side up, into the couche. (Use a retainer bar or pan set against one side of the folded couche to keep it from spreading.) Cover it lightly with the couche or plastic wrap and allow it to proof until when pressed lightly with a finger tip the depression fills in slowly--about 1 hour. It will grow to about 18 inches in length.

Use the couche to flip it onto a piece of parchment, seam-side-down. Straighten the dough and use a straight-edged razor blade to make a 1/2 inch deep slash along the top of the dough. Mist the dough with water, quickly but gently slide it, still on the parchment onto the hot stone or hot baking sheet and toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath. Immediately shut the door and bake 45 to 55 minutes, turning the bread half way around after the first 20 minutes of baking, until deep golden. (An instant read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 200°F.)

Set the loaf on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely, top-side-up.

martina
10/03/2008 05:02 AM

Dear Rose,
I found the mixture of flours and water, which in this semolina filone is left at rest for autolysis, to be very stiff. So it is not simple to make it absorb the liquid poolish after resting time. So I ask you why here, differently from your usual instructions in your bread recipes, you don't leave at rest the dough when already added yeast and poolish and before adding the salt, as usual. What's the purpose of autolysis here?
I will never thank you enough for what I'm learning from you and yours books.
Martina

martina
10/03/2008 04:46 AM

Patrincia
05/29/2008 07:43 PM

Bakers are such a wonderful bunch... always happy to help one another out and share what they know - including their wonderful recipes!

Rose Levy Beranbaum
05/29/2008 07:38 PM

p.s. i just remembered something that i know will interest you all: maggie actually asked me to list that i had adapted it. you couldn't find a more honorable or warm person.

Rose Levy Beranbaum
05/29/2008 07:32 PM

thank you both for leaping to my defense while i was out judging the final exams of the pastry class at the french culinary down the block!
of course i got maggie's blessing, in fact i asked her if she'd prefer that i just list the book but as all bakers, especially maggie, and recently marcy goldman as well, she generously gave me the go ahead to print the recipe.
i do hope this teaches you a lesson not to jump to conclusions and be more respectful when launching an attack.

Rozanne
05/29/2008 07:00 PM

Oooops I guess Matthew was posting his response at the same time. Thanks Matthew for finding the page.

Rozanne
05/29/2008 06:59 PM

Cara, I agree with you but I'm sure Rose got permission from the author. I can't find it now but she posted it somewhere on the blog.

Matthew
05/29/2008 06:54 PM

Cara, Rose did receive permission to post this recipe,

http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2007/06/an_artisan_baker_who_loves_the.html#comment-85718

and I think we are all sensitive to that issue here. I agree, it isn't fair for people to post recipes under copyright without permission. We all know how hard Rose works to perfect her recipes, so buying the book is the least we can do in return!

Cara
05/29/2008 06:20 PM

Um, didn't you just rip of Ms. Glazer's recipe by posting the entire thing on your blog with a modest modification (that just so happened to be additional flour made the sponsor of this page--prominently displayed at the top of the page). I just made this bread today and was looking for others who had made this incredible loaf. Unless you received permission, I really think you should take the recipe down out of respect for the author's copyrighted work. It's one thing to share your modifications. It is another to post the entire recipe.

Rose Levy Beranbaum
05/17/2008 02:52 PM

i do appreciate your using the word temporarily though i do hope never again to get so behind!

Patrincia
05/17/2008 02:47 PM

Ah, mystery solved! So nice to have you temporarily back Rose.

Rose Levy Beranbaum
05/17/2008 02:44 PM

don, if they are getting rock hard you must be over-baking them as this doesn't happen to me even if i store them overnight (airtight).
as for the wrinkling--i have tried everything and nothing prevents this in my recipe but i love them so much wrinkles and all i've come to accept this.

Rose Levy Beranbaum
05/17/2008 01:56 PM

bob--great image of the lady in mink at the town dump. obviously she had her priorities right!

Rose Levy Beranbaum
05/16/2008 04:58 PM

patrincia, just to satisfy your curiosity, the rack is sitting a top a biot green glass vase!

Baking Butcher
04/17/2008 12:06 AM

Hi Rose
I am new home baker, and have been having alot of fun with baking, using your Bread Bible as my guide. It is ammazing at the different results you can get on a daily basis it seems.
I have a question that I would like to ask concerning bagels. I have tried the recipe twice, and although the bagels were delicious at first they got hard as a rock real soon after baking, and it seems that alot of them kinda shriveled up after boiling.
My question is why do they get all wrinkled and hard during the boiling process? Are they not proofed enhough? Too much? or is it something else.
BTW I did the 10 second test of dropping a bagel in the water to see if it rises.
I would appreciate any help anyone may offer.
Thanks Don (Baking Butcher)

Harold
04/09/2008 12:40 PM

Another question:
Can one use a banneton instead of a couche?

Harold
04/09/2008 12:32 PM

In the Semolina Filene recipe you say "Turn the dough 3 times at 20 minutes intervals and then leave it undisturbed until doubled."
What do es "turn" mean?
Harold

Adele
04/08/2008 04:41 PM

GORGEOUS ! Rose, thanks for the wonderfully explicit directions in all your recipes. The photos are great,too.
Isn't bread wonderful ?

Bob the Tarheel Baker
04/08/2008 04:34 PM

Terrific story about your cast iron pot rescue, Rose. Years ago, when I lived in a little town in Wisconsin, I drove out to the town dump one day and was flabbergasted to find the richest lady in town rummaging through all "the stuff." The trunk was open on her black Thunderbird and she was wearing her mink coat. When I pulled in, she showed me some of her treasures. They included two pickling crocks (that she used for planters) and a cast iron pot just like yours. She was looking for the lid when I arrived and was still looking for it when I left. The next day she called me to say she had found it. Thanks for the memory.

Louise Allen
04/05/2008 04:13 PM

I am going to make the Semolina Filone on Sunday to bake Monday morning. I have 2 questions.
Can I refrigerate the dough? If so, should I refrigerate it after it has been shaped and had its second rise?
Also, I am not sure what it means to “shape the couche into a trough to support the loaf”. Should I put the dough in my torpedo shaped banneton?
Thanks, Louise

Matthew
03/27/2008 03:08 PM

Ruth--there are a couple of rye bread recipes in the bread bible, and more if you count pumpernickel.

Ruth Malone
03/27/2008 12:53 PM

Rose, When I was on WWW.temporarychef.com I came across your forum and wonder if you bake Ryebread? Ilove it and bake it all the time but have trouble getting it to rise good. Love your Blog.-------Ruth

Brian
03/21/2008 10:36 AM

For the Bread Bible, I think it's the 3rd printing of the 1st edition that is the newest. I ordered mine from the publisher last year and they were helpful when I called to let me know the latest printing and to send that to me. Here is the website

http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/fall03/005794.htm

Jo-Ann
03/19/2008 09:46 AM

Hi Rose..
Love your informative site and just read that edition 3 is hot off the press.
I clicked on the link to Amazon to purchase your book, and when you scroll down to read more info, it states that it's the 1st edition.
Where would I go to purchase the 3rd edition?
thanks and keep up the great work
jo-ann

Beth
03/18/2008 09:06 PM

Hector, could you share the math with us? Thanks, Beth

Actually I made the French country loaf (BB) with active sourdough starter and I may have gotten a similar result, but I'd love to have your new recipe anyway.

I haven't made the torpedo yet, as I don't have either semolina or durum flour.

Hector
03/18/2008 03:44 PM

LOVE this torpedo!!! and the sesame seeds makes me think of my roots: I am biologically Chinese!

I have evolved away from Basic Sourdough Bread to Basic Heart Bread, both from TBB. Luca did the math to adapt the Basic Heart Bread using stiff starter and omit the honey, it turns very similar if not the same to Basic Sourdough Bread!

My super high protein 25lb sack of PF Mills flour is almost depleted, which I am happy. The flour is so heavy that risings take long time, plus the oven spring is low.

marie wolf
03/15/2008 06:18 PM

How gorgeous! When I see your picture, I remember how delicious this bread is, and I must make it again!

Matthew
03/15/2008 05:14 PM

Patrincia, I think that is a table with a wire top.

Patrincia
03/15/2008 04:22 PM

Rose - when you have time... how is the rack suspended in the photo above? It's clearly not sitting on a solid surface (unless the surface is glass). I've noticed this in some of your other photos as well.

Have a good vacation!

Patrincia
03/15/2008 04:19 PM

She's a beauty!

On Vacation

Perfectly Grilled Steak without a Grill

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Welcome to Real Baking with Rose, the personal blog of author Rose Levy Beranbaum.

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My New Best Bread Friend