Bread from our “cottage” 12 October 2005

Cottage Bread
Makes: 4 loaves of bread

Inspired by Jamie Oliver, who in turn gets his inspiration from Gennaro Contaldo. Just try it, don’t worry too much if you are doing it right or wrong because there is actually a lot of leeway for mistakes. Besides, it’s so much fun. Yeng is the self-proclaimed panadero of the family, but it’s doubly fun when we do it all together. Even Dui has gotten the hang of kneading.

Plus the reward: freshly baked, delicious bread! And you know there’s no bromate or any of that bad stuff.

This is a basic recipe to which many variations can be done. It’s a rather heavy bread and crusty. Keeps longer than usual (about a week). A huge difference from the airy commercial bread we buy at French Baker.

Best stored in the freezer if you’re not going to eat soon. Reheat in the oven/oven toaster/ – comes out nice and crusty, as if just baked. Try to avoid the microwave, the bread gets soggy.

Health notes: Try using whole wheat flour or 00 flour: it’s much healthier than white bleached stuff because it has it has bran and wheat germ, and hence more Vitamin E, and no bleaches or chemicals. (If you prefer white flour, look for unbleached.) Look for stone ground varieties (e.g. Bob’s Red Mill, Arrow Mills) as the usual white flour is ground using steel grinders heat up so much you just get rid of the Vit. E!

Ingredients:
4 cups whole wheat/00 flour
4 cups semolina flour or or 00 flour
3/4 oz active dry yeast
2 tbsp. honey or sugar
2 cups water
1 tbsp. salt

Directions:
Mix your two flours together. Pour flour on your working surface or you can use a mixing bowl if you like. Form a mound of the flour. Sprinkle salt on flour.

Dissolve active dry yeast in a cup of water. Put honey/sugar in a cup of water.

While creating a well in the middle of your flour mound, slowly pour in the dissolved yeast mixture. Do the same with the remaining 1 cup water. Mix thoroughly with one hand. The flour will stick on your hand at the start, but continue mixing and the stickiness disappears. Knead the dough. To remove any dough stuck to your hand, sprinkle flour and continue kneading.

Slice your dough into four to allow it to breathe.

Let stand for 40-50 minutes. Avoid letting drafts getting to your dough by covering with a clean cloth. When the alarm goes off, check if the dough has risen; it should about double in size. If risen, sprinkle some flour on your work surface, and knead and punch about for another 5 minutes to remove any air in the dough. Divide into 4. Form your dough into your desired shape. Slit on top with sharp knife.

Let the dough rise for another 40 minutes. Now is the best time to preheat your oven – 425F or no. 6 gas mark.

Put in oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes. How to know it’s done: it should sound hollow when you tap it. Let rest for another hour before devouring alone, with a favorite topping, or with your favorite meal.

Bon appetit!