6 March 2010

The key is to remember 6/3/3/13,  which I've halved it.  Here's the recipe:

3 cups of water

11/2 tbsp of salt

1 1/2 tbsp of instant yeast

6 cups of water

Ad the water, salt and yeast.  Stir,  there's no need to dissolve the yeast.  I added flour 1 cup at a time. Stir till it's well mixed.  It's all mushy.  The recipe calls for letting it rise for 1 1/2 hours to let it rise and fall.  I left it overnight about 12 hours.  The dough spilled all out of the container.  Got to find a bigger and taller container.

I took 300 grams out of the box.  As for the rest, I'm suppose to be able to use up to 2 weeks.  My mistake was not to refrigerate all,  as the dough was too soft to be handled.  Anyway,  I folded the rest a few times before I fridge them.

For the 300 grams of dough. I folded about 30 times,  and let it rise for 1 hour in the oven at 50 degrees celsius.  

After 1 hour,  I wet my hands so that I can handle the dough better.  It was quite impossible to shape the dough.  I had to throw some flour on the working table and that made it easier.  I used my scraper to stretch and fold the dough once. With the flour around the dough, I was able to roll the dough long.

Very very gently,  I put the dough into a homemade couches,  with my used cling wrap box,  which is the perfect shape and length,  throw my towel over and that's it.  I let it proof for another hour.  It rose very nicely.

In the meantime,  I heat up for the oven at 250 degrees celsius. 5 minutes before the oven is ready,  I put in a cup of boiling water into the bottom pan to steam the oven.

Again, very very gently,  I put a piece of baking paper over the proofed dough,  and flip the dough over.  I tried to score the dough,  but there's just no slashes appear.  Anyway,  the dough is still very very soft to be handled.

The hardest was the trying to put the dough into the oven.  I didn't have a bread peel,  I had to improvise again.  One hand on 1 end, the other hand holding my scraper and quickly move the bread into the oven.  

I had to bake for about 45 minutes.

The result was quite satisfying. Large holes,  crunchy crust,  and when I press down,  it bounces back.  The taste is quite interesting,  even though I didn't put much salt,  it is quite salty on the crust.