Peasant Bread (big boule)

 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mehXzl7yHA&t=606s

(Yes, Brian Lagerstrom again)

Time: 

(Afternoon & 1/2 next day)

10 minutes (night before making Poolish)

- wait overnight or 24 hours - 

Then 4 hours or so, but mostly waiting between rises.

Option for an early bake:

You can put the almost finished dough in the fridge the night before.

Then take it out and let it make that final rise over the course of 2+ hours or so.

Then bake it.

PREFERMENT (POOLISH)  

150g or ROUGHLY 1 C. AP FLOUR 

150g or ROUGHLY 2/3C. WATER (ROOM TEMP)

1 small pinch YEAST

- let the poolish ripen on counter 4-24 hours, preferably at least 16

DOUGH

250g Water (98F)

2g Yeast 

All of the Poolish

PL choice: 420g Bread flour + 10g Malt Powder - 60% hydration

(The lower hydration makes it easier to handle.)

(Original: 350g AP Flour + 50g Whole Wheat Flour - 70% hydration)

10g Salt (kosher is best)

+ Handful of Cornmeal or Semolina for Dutch Oven

Directions:

01. Mix all ingredients until roughly together

- Cover and wait 30 minutes

02. Fold dough 5 or 6 times into ball

- cover and wait 30 more minutes

03. Fold dough 5 or 6 times into ball

- Cover and wait 60 minutes

04. Shape the loaf:

(Prep bowl with towel and flour or use a dough basket)

- Dump smooth onto table

- Tuck into center

- Criss cross tuck from "four corners"

- Flip it, smooth side down, into proofing bowl

- Proof for 45 minutes or so

*TIP: Preheat the oven now, so it and the dutch oven get ripping hot

- Semolina on bottom of loaf & bottom of dutch oven

Option 01:

- Flip into hand, then dutch oven

Option 02:

- Flip into parchment paper and use parchment as sling & lower into dutch oven

BAKING TIMES/ TEMPS

A. Preheat Dutch Oven at 485-500 for 30-40 minutes

B. Bake at 485 covered for 18 minutes

C. Bake at 485 uncovered for additional 25-30

(Depending on oven and desired color - bread internal temp should be 190º)

*TIP: When putting the back in for the uncovered bake, put a cookie sheet underneath the Dutch oven to help prevent the bottom from burning.

SPECIALITY TYPES

Olives

Attempt 01:

(12-18-22)

1 cup Kalamata olives (1/2 whole, 1/2 cut in half or so)

Feedback:

Lisa & Steve B.: Very good

Peter: can use more olives more evenly

Attempt 02:

(12-24-23)

about a cup (just dumped a bunch) of whole olives into a Ken Forkish Country loaf

(very last minute idea)

 - Brought to Huntington Christmas (with pretzel nugs)

Feedback:

Erin Leary loved it

I thought the olives were too big and not evenly throughout the bread

Attempt 03:

(12-31-23)

200 g (1 heaping cup) Kalamata olives (2/3 cut into discs, 1/3 left whole)

- folding into the dough on the last fold before putting into proofing bowl

 - Brought to Kiely-Miller New Years (with pretzel nugs)

Feedback: