Ellen Chang-Richardson
By now, you’d think the whole “work-from-home” thing would be easy routine. But what about for us A-type personalities, who find the slower pace of “work-from-home” a bit boring? Bake some bread, I say. And maybe make a fresh pasta salad for lunch.
The Full-Day Affair: “The Saturday White Bread” but on a Tuesday
This recipe is straight out of Ken Forkish’s Flour Water Salt Yeast, with a few small tweaks from me. If you’re a budding home baker and have yet to pick up a copy of this book, I highly recommend it. Pick it up at your local independent.
Bulk Fermentation Time: About 5 hours
Proof Time: About 1¼ hours
Ingredients:
- flour – 500 grams (I use a combination of white flour (400g) and spelt flour (100g))
- water – 360 grams (32° to 35°C)
- fine sea salt – 11 grams
- instant dried yeast – 2 grams
Combine your flour and water in a large round tub or similar container. Mix by hand until just incorporated. Cover and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
Sprinkle the salt and yeast evenly over the top of the dough. Mix by hand, wetting your working hand before mixing so the dough doesn’t stick (it’s fine to rewet your hands three or four times while you mix). Using the pincer method, full integrate the salt and yeast into the dough. Let it rest, then mix again to tighten it up. This whole process should take about 5 minutes. Target dough temp at the end of the mix is 25° to 26°C. Cover and let it rise.
Fold once at 10 minutes in. Fold again at 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let rest for 4 more hours until your dough is approximately triple its original volume. When it’s nearly proofed, dust a proofing basket with a 50-50 rice flour/white flour mix.
Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a medium-tight ball. Place dough ball seam-side down in its proofing basket. Lightly flour the top of the loaf and cover with a kitchen towel, or place in a nonperforated plastic bag.
Plan to bake about 1¼ hours after the loaf is shaped. If your kitchen is warmer, you may only need 1 hr. Use the finger-dent test to determine when your loaf is perfectly proofed. You do not want it to collapse.
At least 45 minutes prior to baking, put a rack in the middle of the oven and put an oven-proof Dutch oven on the rack with its lid on. Preheat to 475°F (245°C) with the Dutch oven inside.
For the next step, please be careful not to let your hands, fingers or forearms touch the extremely hot Dutch oven. Invert the proofed loaf onto a lightly floured countertop. Use oven mitts to remove the preheated Dutch oven from the oven. Remove the lid. Carefully place the loaf in the hot Dutch oven seam side up. Using mitts again, replace the lid and then put the Dutch oven back in the oven. Maintain the oven temperature at 475°F (245°C), or a bit under that if your oven runs hot.
Bake for 30 minutes, then carefully remove the lid with mitts on and bake for about 10-15 minutes more, uncovered. Check it while baking uncovered and pull it out when the loaf hits a medium to dark golden-brown colour.
Using oven mitts, remove the Dutch oven and carefully tilt it to turn out the loaf. Let it cool on a rack or set the loaf on its side so air can circulate around it. Rest it for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
A Midday Break: Caprese Pasta Salad
Alright readers, this one’s straight from the recipe bank inside my head. Take your favourite dried pasta (or the pasta you happen to have in your kitchen pantry) and toss it with some fresh ingredients to make a pasta salad based upon that simple Italian gold standard, caprese.
(2 servings)
- 2 cups dried pasta – cooked per instructions (I use penne zita rigate from Delverde)
- 1-1½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (I use Basso)
- 2 fresh basil leaves
- ½ ball soft fresh mozzarella, sliced (I use Santa Lucia)
- 1 small tomato, sliced (I use Kumato tomatoes)
- 1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar (I use Fig Balsamic Vinegar from Rustichella)
- salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Cook your pasta as per its instructions in liberally salted water. Once cooked, drain in a colander and toss under cold water to cool. You can use ice cubes in addition to the cold water or place the still-warm pasta in the fridge if you desire.
Once cooled, toss your pasta with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sliced mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, salt and pepper. Top with fresh basil leaves and serve.
Ellen is sitting in for Pearl Pirie for this month.