Semolina Porridge Bread

This recipe is for those of you who are experimenting with adding porridges to your dough. You can substitute most any grain into the porridge with good results. The recipe follows the now standard Robertson/Forkish formula for closed vessel baking. The result is a nice, moist and chewy crumb with a solid crust.

Semolina Porridge Bread

Makes 2 loaves of about 1 Kg each

Refresh natural starter at 100% hydration to yield at least 200 gm ( I use 100 gm flour, 100 gm slightly warm water and 30 gm starter)

While the starter is refreshing add 200 gm coarse semolina to 700 gm boiling water. Keep the water boiling. Add the semolina slowly in a fine stream so it does not clump. Once the semolina is fully added, turn off the heat and put a lid on the pot. Let the semolina mixture cool. 

When starter is fully refreshed place your mixing bowl on a scale and set the tare to zero. Add all of the semolina mixture to the mixing bowl and check the weight. Add sufficient cool water to bring the total weight back to the original 900 grams (200 gm semolina plus 700 grams water). Then add:

 200 gm starter. Wisk to incorporate.  Add 800 gm KA or equivalent AP flour.

Using your hands, mix into a dough .  Let dough autolyse for 30 minutes. 

While dough is autolsying, mix 22 gm salt with 50 gm boiling water and let cool.

When cool add the salt water to the autolysed dough and fully incorporate it into the dough. When incorporated do several stretch and folds in the bowl. Let rest for 30 minutes and do another set of stretch and folds. Repeat rest and stretch and folds two more times over the next hour. Then let dough rest lightly oiled and covered in warm room temps until doubled … maybe 3-4 hrs. 

Divide dough in half, roughly shape into rounds and let rest about 15 minutes. Shape into final form  and place into banneton's .  Proof about 1 hr 30 minutes or until risen about 50-75 % .  Turn out onto semolina or cornmeal dusted surface, score and place in two preheated (to 500F) dutch ovens, Romertopfs or such. Put lids on.    Place into  500F oven, immediately reduce temp to 475F,  bake 25 minutes covered at 475F and 25 minutes uncovered at 450F.