April 29, 2010 - 1:49pm
Two videos and a question
Hi all,
these two videos were posted at a quite new Spanish forum about bread , and I thought you'd enjoy them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI70zl_V8tI
The woman in the first clip is Polish with Ukrainian ancestors, the second one is from Portugal.
I was surprised to see that both of the women mark a cross with their fingers on the dough before the bulk fermentation, despite belonging to such different and distant countries and traditions.
Now, the question for you expert wfo bakers: why do both women put some burning coals or wood in the oven opening?
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The burning coals in the opening of the oven prevents the cold outside air from displacing the warmer air at the bottom of the oven. They don't want the oven to cool down before the bread is baked. Same reason the second woman (I love her little dance as she embrasses the outer layer of the boule with flour) seals the oven door with surplus dough.
The level of sanitation displayed would suggest that it's not a commercial venture in the U.S. ;>)
I understand.
Re the Portuguese woman odd shaping method, it's a dough with a high proportion of corn flour, it would be very difficult to shape it like a wheat boule. But I love her little dance too :-)
"The level of sanitation displayed would suggest that it's not a commercial venture in the U.S. ;>)"
You don't want to know what is used to seal the oven door in some places not far from the second oven ;-)
I was also impressed with the boule method for the Portuguese video. It looked like the dough was more similar to a soda bread consistency and her method worked perfectly.
It would be great to go on a bread tour to see how these types of bread are made in person. Then you could try the bread with their traditional foods at the same time and learn a ton in the process.
Thanks for the post.
-Mark
Thanks, La masa, for the links. I was astounded to see the Portuguese oven was inside the home, what with the flames pouring out of the front.
I agree with Mark - a worldwide bread tour would sure be a terrific experience - and probably quite humbling.
Why did the Polish baker dampen the panned bread, but not the round?