The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work

INNOVATIONS in bread baking are rare. In fact, the 6,000-year-old process hasnt changed much since Pasteur made the commercial production of standardized yeast possible in 1859. The introduction of the gas stove, the electric mixer and the food processor made the process easier, faster and more reliable. From top: 1. When dough is bubbly, it is ready to be worked. 2. Fold dough once or twice; do not knead. 3. Shape it into a ball and let it rise. 4. Wheat bran flies as Jim Lahey lifts dough and drops it into a hot pot. 5. After baking, the crusty result. Im not counting sliced bread as a positive step, but Jim Laheys method may be the greatest thing since. This story began in late September when Mr. Lahey sent an e-mail message inviting me to attend a session of a class he was giving at Sullivan Street Bakery, which he owns, at 533 West 47th Street in Manhattan. His wording was irresistible: Ill be teaching a truly minimalist breadmaking technique that allows people to make excellent bread at home with very little effort. The method is surprisingly simple I think a 4-year-old could master it and the results are fantastic. I set up a time to visit Mr. Lahey, and we baked together, and the only bad news is that you cannot put your 4-year-old to work producing bread for you. The method is complicated enough that you would need a very ambitious 8-year-old. But the results are indeed fantastic. Mr. Laheys method is striking on several levels. It requires no kneading. (Repeat: none.) It uses no special ingredients, equipment or techniques. It takes very little effort. It accomplishes all of this by combining a number of unusual though not unheard of features. Most notable is that youll need about 24 hours to create a loaf; time does almost all the work. Mr. Laheys dough uses very little yeast, a quarter teaspoon (you almost never see a recipe with less than a teaspoon), and he compensates for this tiny amount by fermenting the dough very slowly. He mixes a very wet dough, about 42 percent water, which is at the extreme high end of the range that professional bakers use to create crisp crust and large, well-structured crumb, both of which are evident in this loaf. The dough is so sticky that you couldnt knead it if you wanted to. It is mixed in less than a minute, then sits in a covered bowl, undisturbed, for about 18 hours. It is then turned out onto a board for 15 minutes, quickly shaped (I mean in 30 seconds), and allowed to rise again, for a couple of hours. Then its baked. Thats it.

I asked Harold McGee, who is an amateur breadmaker and best known as the author of On Food and Cooking (Scribner, 2004), what he thought of this method. His response: It makes sense. The long, slow rise does over hours what intensive kneading does in minutes: it brings the gluten molecules into side-by-side alignment to maximize their opportunity to bind to each other and produce a strong, elastic network. The wetness of the dough is an important piece of this because the gluten molecules are more mobile in a high proportion of water, and so can move into alignment easier and faster than if the dough were stiff. Thats as technical an explanation as I care to have, enough to validate what I already knew: Mr. Laheys method is creative and smart. But until this point, its not revolutionary. Mr. McGee said he had been kneading less and less as the years have gone by, relying on time to do the work for him. Charles Van Over, author of the authoritative book on food-processor dough making, The Best Bread Ever (Broadway, 1997), long ago taught me to make a very wet dough (the food processor is great at this) and let it rise slowly. And, as Mr. Lahey himself notes, The Egyptians mixed their batches of dough with a hoe. What makes Mr. Laheys process revolutionary is the resulting combination of great crumb, lightness, incredible flavor long fermentation gives you that and an enviable, crackling crust, the feature of bread that most frequently separates the amateurs from the pros. My bread has often had thick, hard crusts, not at all bad, but not the kind that shatter when you bite into them. Producing those has been a bane of the amateur for years, because it requires getting moisture onto the bread as the crust develops. To get that kind of a crust, professionals use steam-injected ovens. At home I have tried brushing the dough with water (a hassle and ineffective); spraying it (almost as ineffective and requiring frequent attention); throwing ice cubes on the floor of the oven (not good for the oven, and not far from ineffective); and filling a pot with stones and preheating it, then pouring boiling water over the stones to create a wet sauna (quite effective but dangerous, physically challenging and space-consuming). I was discouraged from using La Cloche, a covered stoneware dish, by my long-standing disinclination to crowd my kitchen with inessential items that accomplish only one chore. I was discouraged from buying a $5,000 steam-injected oven by its price. It turns out theres no need for any of this. Mr. Lahey solves the problem by putting the dough in a preheated covered pot a common one, a heavy one, but nothing fancy. For one loaf he used an old Le Creuset enameled cast iron pot; for another, a heavy ceramic pot. (I have used cast iron with great success.) By starting this very wet dough in a hot, covered pot, Mr. Lahey lets the crust develop in a moist, enclosed environment. The pot is in effect the oven, and that oven has plenty of steam in it. Once uncovered, a half-hour later, the crust has time to harden and brown, still in the pot, and the bread is done. (Fear not. The dough does not stick to the pot any more than it would to a preheated bread stone.) The entire process is incredibly simple, and, in the three weeks Ive been using it, absolutely reliable. Though professional bakers work with consistent flour, water, yeast and temperatures, and measure by weight, we amateurs have mostly inconsistent ingredients

and measure by volume, which can make things unpredictable. Mr. Lahey thinks imprecision isnt much of a handicap and, indeed, his method seems to iron out the wrinkles: I encourage a somewhat careless approach, he says, and figure this may even be a disappointment to those who expect something more difficult. The proof is in the loaf. The loaf is incredible, a fine-bakery quality, European-style boule that is produced more easily than by any other technique Ive used, and will blow your mind. (It may yet change the industry. Mr. Lahey is experimenting with using it on a large scale, but although it requires far less electricity than conventional baking, it takes a lot of space and time.) It is best made with bread flour, but all-purpose flour works fine. (Ive played with whole-wheat and rye flours, too; the results are fantastic.) You or your 8-year-old may hit this perfectly on the first try, or you may not. Judgment is involved; with practice youll get it right every time. The baking itself is virtually foolproof, so the most important aspect is patience. Long, slow fermentation is critical. Mr. Lahey puts the time at 12 to 18 hours, but I have had much greater success at the longer time. If you are in a hurry, more yeast (three-eighths of a teaspoon) or a warmer room temperature may move things along, but really, once youre waiting 12 hours why not wait 18? Similarly, Mr. Laheys second rising can take as little as an hour, but two hours, or even a little longer, works better. Although even my failed loaves were as good as those from most bakeries, to make the loaf really sensational requires a bit of a commitment. But with just a little patience, you will be rewarded with the best no-work bread you have ever made. And thats no small thing

Honey Wheat Bread II

Ingredients

2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 2 cups whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon active dry yeast 1 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup honey 1/3 cup vegetable oil 5 cups all-purpose flour

Directions 1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add honey, and stir well. Mix in whole wheat flour, salt, and vegetable oil. Work all-purpose flour in gradually. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for at least 10 to 15 minutes. When dough is smooth and elastic, place it in a well oiled bowl. Turn it several times in the bowl to coat the surface of the dough, and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. 2. Punch down the dough. Shape into two loaves, and place into two well greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise until dough is 1 to 1 1/2 inches above pans. 3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes.

Honey White Bread

Bread made with honey has a fantastic flavor that can't be beat with any other natural sugar. This easy honey white bread recipe is great for bread baking beginners and it's a great bread to serve at any meal, any time of the day. Yield: 2 loaves
Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes Ingredients:

1-1/4 cup warm water, 95 to 110 degrees F 2-1/4 tsp or 1 pkg. (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast 1 cup milk, room temperature 2 Tbsp honey 2 tsp salt 3 Tbsp soft butter 6 cups bread flour, about

Preparation: 1. In large bowl, mix warm water and yeast. Add milk, honey, salt, and butter. Stir. Add 4 cups of flour and mix well. Add in enough remaining flour to make a dough that follows

the spoon around the bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed until the dough is firm and smooth to the touch. Place dough in medium greased bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so that the top is also lightly greased. Cover with clean cloth and let rise in warm, draft-free place for 1 hour. 2. Punch down dough. Turn dough out onto lightly floured board and knead for 5 minutes or until the bubbles are out of the bread. Divide dough into 2 equal parts. Shape each dough half into a loaf. Place each loaf in greased, 9 X 5-inch bread pan. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. 3. Bake bread at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes or until bread top is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when the top is tapped. Remove breads from pans and let cool on rack.

PAN DE MUERTO
Ingredientes Para la siembra 40 grs. levadura fresca de panadera 2 cdas. azcar 1/2 taza azcar 2 cdas. harina Para el pan 6 tazas harina 1 pizca de sal 3 1/2 barras de mantequilla 6 yemas 6 huevos 1 lata de leche condensada 1/4 taza agua de azahar 1/4 taza agua de ans Para adornar 1 clara 5 cdas. azcar 5 cdas. agua Manera de hacer la masa Desbarata la levadura hasta que quede hecha polvo, puedes ayudarte con un tenedor. En tanto,

en otro trasto diluye el azcar en media taza de agua. Agrega la levadura en la harina con cuatro cucharadas de agua de azcar y revuelve enrgicamente. El resultado deber ser una pasta ligera, suave y tersa. Una vez que lo consigas, djala reposar, hasta que en su superficie se formen burbujas. Para ello se requieren unos 35 40 minutos. Manera de hacer la masa de PAN Mientras esperas a que se formen las burbujas en la pasta, cierne la harina con la sal. Haz un hueco en el centro, y ah agrega la mantequilla blanda, la lata de leche, el agua de azcar y el agua de ans. Mezcla con ritmo una y otra vez, hasta no sentir grumos. El ritmo es importante para evitar el cansancio y para que el cocinar sea una accin placentera. Cuando sientas que ya no hay ningn grumo, amsala con la siembra -que para ese entonces, tendr tantas burbujas como una fuente-. Y otra vez, a amasar con ritmo y enjundia. Amasar, amasar, amasar hasta que el preparado no se pegue ni en tu mesa ni en tus dedos. Terminada esta labor, haz dos bolas con la masa y colcalas en un traste tibio, previamente engrasado con mantequilla, con la punta del cuchillo marca en la masa una cruz de dos centmetros de profundidad. Tapa la masa con un trapo hmedo y djala reposar unas dos horas hasta que aumente su volumen. No comas ansias, recuerda que esta receta requiere tiempo y paciencia. Una vez que hayan pasado las dos horas, notars que casi se borr la cruz. No te preocupes, es normal, en realidad slo es parte del adorno. Ahora golpea la masa tantas veces como puedas con todas tus fuerzas, por unos dos o tres minutos. Ahora, separa una pequea porcin de masa para formar los huesos y las lagrimitas de los fieles difuntos. Coloca todo en un comal de barro colorado y embadurna los futuros panes con la clara de huevo, luego, djalos reposar en un lugar tibio durante 40 minutos. Cuando veas que aumentaron su tamao, colcalos en el horno previamente calentado a 200 C. Djalos ah de 35 a 40 minutos; scalos y dales unos brochazos con el azcar disuelta en agua. Finalmente, espolvorea azcar.

PAN FOCACCIA

- 500 gr de Harina 000 (Acuerdense, 000 es para Panaderia y 0000 para Pasteleria) - 25 gr de Levadura (1/2 del Cubo regular de levadura) (Eviten usar las bolsitas de 5g que son c@gad@) - 15 gr Sal

- 300 - 350 Ml de Agua Tibia - Aceite de Oliva (C/N) (Se puede usar el vegetal, pero el aceite de oliva le da el verdadero sabor de la focaccia) - Pimienta (C/N) - Romero Fresco (C/N) (Pueden usar tambien el seco, pero siempre es mejor el fresco)

Opcionales - 1 - 2 Cebollas (Cortadas en Laminas Finas) - Alcaparras - Aceitunas Negras

Manera de hacer la masa

1) En un bol colocamos la harina, y hacemos un volcan en el centro. Ponemos la levadura en una jarrita toda desmenuzada y le ponemos agua tibia (no fria ni muy caliente) (el agua es aparte de los 350 que necesitamos) y llenamos hasta donde llegaba la levadura. A eso le incorporamos 1 cucharadita de azucar y 1 cucharadita de harina. Le ponemos un platito que no sea transparente y dejamos levar. Al cabo de 5 min, con la cucharita batimos un poco y dejamos unos 2-3 min levando mas hasta que este espumosa la preparacion. 2) Ahora dentro del volcan incoporamos la lavadura y en el centro aceite de oliva (tampoco se zarpen, 2 - 3 cdas son suficientes) y mezclamos con las manos hasta que se unan la harina, la levadura y el aceite. 3) Ahi de a poco a poco le vamos a incorporar el agua y v hasta tener toda una masa unida. (Si ven que les sobra un poco de agua, ni la usen, la masa les tiene que quedar unida, no humeda ni demaciado seca, unida nada mas.) 4) Ya cuando tenemos la masa, empezamos a unirla y realizar el amasado. La masa se tiene que trabajar por lo menos 15 - 20 minutos hasta tener una masa lisa como la que esta en la foto.

5) Cuando la tenemos lisa y homogenea (casi celulitica), la enharinamos y la ponemos donde hicimos la masa anteriormente (en el bowl posiblemente limpio) y la cubrimos con un papel film o un repasador humedor.

1 y 1/2 de levado

3 Hrs despues. Listo para la fuente -Mi recomendacionPara que realmente salga excelente la masa, la tienen que dejar levar por lo menos 3 hrs. (No es 6) Despues de haber levado 3 hrs, aceitamos una fuente y con las manos (no con rodillo porque si no la masa no crece dentro del horno) la vamos acomodando. Cuando ya la tenemos acomodada, con los dedos la vamos marcando haciendo orificios no muy profundos y rociamos con mas aceite de oliva (esto es clave en la focaccia) y arriba colocamos el romero. -OpcionalAparte pueden cocinar la cebollas en una cazuela con manteca y aceite por unos minutos (hasta que quede transparente) y se las pueden poner arriba de la focaccia para darle mucho mas sabor (antes de ponerla en el horno, claro) Y las aceitunas las pueden cortar en rodajas y ponerlas por arriba. 7) Listo para mandar al horno a 180 (En horno electrico) o a Fuego Medio (En horno a Gas) por 30 - 40 Mins. Resultado Final Acompaar con un buen queso (Provolone,Queso Roquefort o Parmesano), un buen vino y unos amigos!! Tambien lo pueden acompaar con un buen mendicream y unos ahumados de salmon, trucha,

Prefermentos: Poolish
El poolish es una masa madre de las denominadas blandas. El trmino poolish viene dado por los franceses en honor a los panaderos polacos que les ensearon a realizar esta tcnica para mejorar el pan hace siglos.

El poolish se hace a partir de una mezcla de harina y agua, a veces en las mismas proporciones y otras veces con mayor cantidad de agua, a la que no se le agrega sal. Hay quien considera a este prefermento como un intermedio entre la masa madre natural y la que incorpora levadura, dado que su proporcin en levadura con respecto a la harina es bastante reducida, incluso inferior a la biga, un 0,25% de levadura fresca o un 0,27% de levadura instantnea. Al no contener sal y ser una esponja pastosa o blanda, la levadura lo tiene muy fcil para fermentar (convirtiendo los azcares en dixido de carbono y etanol). El poolish puede ser utilizado tras un reposo de unas cuatro horas a temperatura ambiente, ya ha fermentado y creado burbujas, aunque siempre mejorar si se deja toda una noche, unas doce horas, as otorgar mayor sabor y mejor desarrollo del pan. Tambin puede prepararse hasta tres das antes y conservarse en el frigorfico, pero deber estar a temperatura ambiente al menos una hora antes de su uso. Con el poolish se puede hacer pan de dos formas, con ms adicin de levadura o sin aadir ms que la harina, el agua, la sal y los ingredientes necesarios para cada tipo de pan. Es por eso muchas veces el prefermento escogido por quienes desean limitar el uso de levaduras. La frmula que nos dicta el maestro panadero es de 100% de harina, 107% de agua y 0,25% o 0,27% de levadura, dependiendo de la que se utilice. Luego hay variantes, se puede sustituir el agua por leche, por ejemplo, si deseamos hacer chapata, o sustituir la harina de trigo por la harina de centeno e incluso mezclarla. Para elaborar el poolish que os mostramos en la foto utilizamos 320 gramos de harina sin blanquear, 360 mililitros de agua a temperatura ambiente y 8 gramos de levadura fresca. Mezclamos todos los ingredientes hasta que la harina quede bien hidratada, obtendremos una masa blanda y pegajosa. Tapamos con film transparente y dejamos fermentar entre 4 y 12 horas. Si no la vas a utilizar en este periodo de tiempo, consrvala en el frigorfico y recuerda retirarla una hora antes de su uso.

Pan Casero estilo Italiano en Mquina de Pan

Ingredientes
Rinde: 2 panes de 500 grs cada uno

4 tazas de harina comn 1 cucharada de azcar negra 1 1/3 tazas de agua templada

1 1/2 cucharadita de sal 1 1/2 cucharadita de aceite de oliva 7 gr de levadura seca 1 huevo 1 cucharada de agua 2 cucharadas de harina de maz

Modo de preparacin
Preparacin: 20 minuto/s | Tiempo de coccin: 35 minuto/s | Tiempo extra: 3 hora/s, levando 1. Colocar el harina, el azcar negra, el agua caliente, sal, aceite de oliva y levadura dentro del recipiente de la mquina de pan, en el orden recomendado por el manual. Seleccionar el programa de masa y pulsar comenzar. 2. Retirar la masa del recipiente, desgasificarla y ponerla sobre una superficie levemente enharinada. Dividir la masa en dos. Poner los panes sobre una tabla de madera y dejarlos levar tapados con un repasador hmedo, hasta que haya duplicado el volmen, ms o menos 40 minutos. Mientras tanto, precalentar el horno a 190 C (moderado). 3. En un bowl chico, batir el huevo junto con una cucharada de agua. Pintar los panes con esta mezcla. Hacer un corte solo, limpio y largo en el centro del pan con un cuchillo bien afilado. Con cuidado mueva la tabla para asegurarse que los panes no estn pegados a la tabla. Si se pegan, usar una esptula o cuchillo para despegarlos. Poner los panes en una placa para horno. Cocinar en el horno por 30 a 35 minutos, o hasta que al golpear la superficie del pan ste suene hueco.