The Fresh Loaf

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Natural Biga,Scali w/overnight fermentation!

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Natural Biga,Scali w/overnight fermentation!

I wanted to have another go at this delicious loaf 'my new love Scali', this time I used a natural biga, mixed the dough, put it into a lightly oiled container and fermented it overnight.  I removed it from the refrigerator and let it warm for about an hour and then shaped one braided loaf...brushed it with one egg white mixed with one cup of water and spread on the sesame seeds heavily and baked it under my enameled turkey pan lid...giving the lid and oven a few spritz of water just before covering the loaf.  I don't know if I'm going to slice this loaf or freeze it..but I have a feeling the crumb is very nice and the flavor with be too and the crust is great on this bread, browning to a lovely mahogany!

This Scali Braided Loaf is a fairly simple and fun bread to make..use your favorite way of mixing.  The recipe is on http://www.kingarthurflour.com

We couldn't wait to cut into it!

Sylvia

 

 

Comments

Debra Wink's picture
Debra Wink

Can't wait for the crumb shot :-)

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Thank you, Debra!  These loaves are not to big to finish off in one day or 2 days!  The one in the freezer was the tiny one from yesterday..so we left it in the freezer and opted for this one!

Sylvia

Debra Wink's picture
Debra Wink

That looks good enough to eat ;-)

DonD's picture
DonD

Hi Sylvia,

Your loaf looks wonderful. Appetizing too...

Don

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Thank you, Don!  It went well with the cod tonight!

Sylvia

xaipete's picture
xaipete

Very attractive, Sylvia. You must be swimming in bread and seeds by now. I'm glad I don't have to sweep your floor!

--Pamela

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Hi, Thank you, Pamela!   The recipe makes a nice size loaf for two people.  I only have room in my small freezer for a couple of small loaves.  I don't know who eats all the bread around here! ; ) I have been putting the wash and seeds on just after forming the braid and give them a gentle pat..the seeds stay on great..only a few on the slicing board.  Anything that drops of the floor dissappears real quick with 3 dogs : )

Sylvia

xaipete's picture
xaipete

Well, I should be the one to talk about eating bread. It's just two of us and we go through a loaf every two days. No wonder you and I are always baking! I'll have to work on my dogs to be better sweepers!

--Pamela

Nomadcruiser53's picture
Nomadcruiser53

Looks fabulous. I'm not so sure about easy :) Dave

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Thank you, Dave!  I love making breads with different shapes!

Sylvia

jleung's picture
jleung

I especially love the colour of the crust.

- Jackie

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Thank you, Jackie!  This bread can be made with honey or sugar and I used King Arthurs Powdered milk...color seems to come easy on this crust!

Sylvia

Paddyscake's picture
Paddyscake

You did such a beautiful job of braiding and nicely tapered! I find it very difficult to come out with a symmetrically braided loaf.

Betty

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

You made this one with biga naturale, yes? I love the crumb. I bet it's chewier than the one made with yeasted biga.

<Sigh> I need to get a bigger scap of paper for my weekend baking list.

Daivd

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Hi, Thank you David! I think I had OCD Scali!  but I'm over it now...yes it's a biga naturale!  Your right on about it being a little chewier softer crumb.  It would be nice to double this recipe!

Sylvia

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Thank you, Betty!  Lot's of great braiding video's on YouTube..I'm not good at links but just type in..how to make braided bread..check out..boulangerhollandius..the first one he does is the braid on the Scali!  Now you can do it real easy!

Sylvia

RFMonaco's picture
RFMonaco
xaipete's picture
xaipete

Pretty funny about the kingarthur link. Thanks for correcting although I never doubted Sylvia intended place.

--Pamela

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Thank you for the correction..I've been there done that before ; )

Sylvia

joem6112's picture
joem6112

Recipe at King Arthur site is titled "Italian Bread 101" . Took me a while to find it

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Not the same recipe.  Click on 'yeast bread and rolls' type in the search box Scali..should come up with photo and read Scali.

Sylvia

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Hi, Sylvia.

Your bread looks so wonderful, I couldn't wait to try it.

Mine didn't turn out so wonderful, though. I mixed it to moderate gluten development then fermented it for an hour and retarded the dough overnight. It did double. This morning, the dough was extremely slack with little elasticity. So my ropes lengthened excessively when I moved them to put on the seeds and then back on the bench to braid. I was able to braid them, but the loaf expanded little during an hour proofing and had modest oven spring. I think I should have let it proof longer, but then I didn't get the kind of oven spring i would expect from an under-proofed loaf.

The slack dough resulted in a poorly shaped loaf. The crumb was somewhat dense and not feathery like yours. On the other hand, the flavor was delicious.

I've had overnight retarded doughs get pretty slack often, but I've never had to braid a loaf with slack dough. Your loaf is so perfect, I wonder if it's difference in flour (I used Giusto Baker's Choice), in starter or .... I don't know.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

David

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Your crumb looks great.  I used KAAP flour. I sent you late message about my mixing, gluten stage of development etc...sorry was gone all day and most of that evening for Fourth of July celebration!

Sylvia

 

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Scali with an overnight biga naturale dough and Scali with a biga naturale same day loaf.  I wanted to see the difference in the dough's extensibility and elasticity as David inspired me to find out by using the same formula.  Both the doughs handled and appeared very much the same...Photos show better than I can explain!  One loaf I refrigerated the mixed dough overnight and the other was baked the same day. 

Both doughs handled very close and appeared the same in shaping the braid.

Both had very similar crumbs!

The flavor was more intense and very nice in the overnight Scali.

The color was very creamy in the overnight Scali loaf...both had about the same crust!

Everything was about the same except flavor and the oven spring in the same day loaf was very nice....I slightly underproofed the same day loaf.  The loaf needed to be fully proofed to make a nice braid appearance.

My 'next' Scali Biga Naturale loaf will be 'pre-shaped' and given an overnight in the refrigerator and fully proofed and baked.  I'm anticipating this to be the best Scali loaf!

This is the first loaf.  Ropes for the braid on the overnight Scali dough..these ropes do not have the plumped center with the pointed ends...like the second loaf...I like the plumped center braid better!  So this loaf was about 2 inches longer.   

 

Crumb on Overnight dough/ Scali loaf.

Now Look, before it gets eaten...smaller but it sure tasted good! What a difference in looks between the two loaves!   The one on the left was baked the mixed and baked the same day..the one on right the dough was refrigerated overnight.

I think by pre-shaping and then refrigerating the loaf overnight the results would be a much nicer fuller loaf with added flavor boost of the overnight fermentation.

This loaf was delicious, the crumb was slightly chewey with nice crust..it went very well with the home made Fig Jam and Ricotta Cheese!

Sylvia 

 

 

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Thanks for your experiment. I obviously must make this bread again. Since both my wife and I loved my first attempt, this is no great hardship.

Your loaves sure set a high bar, Sylvia, but I'm going for it!

David

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Thank you, David,  I was in shock when I saw how big the second loaf sprang up...I knew I rushed it by about 10 min. proofing...but I wanted to get the loaf in the oven as soon as the chicken came out...so we could eat in peace!

You've really got me converted to Biga Naturale!!  Thank You!

Sylvia

weavershouse's picture
weavershouse

Sylvia, this is my third Scali thanks to you. I'm very happy with this bread. Yesterday I made a double batch and made 7 rolls and one braid. I didn't take a photo of the braid but the rolls are shown below. They were delicious with that stretchy pull apart crumb that I like in Italian breads. To make yesterdays batch I made the starter as given in the KAF recipe very early in the morning, let it sit 7 hours, mixed the dough, let it rise 90 min., deflated it and put it in the fridge overnight. In the morning it was risen about half way, I divided it, let it rest for an hour then shaped, let rise and baked. The flavor was delicious in the rolls and like I said a nice stretchy holey crumb. I didn't taste the braid, it was a gift. I did not make the strips 24" long like the recipe called for. I only made them about 17". The loaf was much higher and I liked it that way.

 

Last night I made up another starter and today made the recipe as written but made batons instead of the braid and used poppy seeds because I had used up all my sesame seeds. It probably can't be called a Scali anymore :o)  I was surprised with the high rise of todays loaves. They were a good 3 1/2"-3 3/4". Todays bread tastes very good but not as delicious as yesterdays and I'm wondering if it's because today I used the dry milk called for instead of using the whole milk I used yesterday or because the dough for the rolls was retarded overnight. Still very good but not quite up to the other. Todays crumb is not as open either.

 

Anyway, thanks again for introducing us to this KAF recipe. It's become a favorite. Wish I had some of that cherry jam! A friend gave me 5 lbs of the huge dark sweet cherries. I couldn't get out to her place to get them right away so she froze them for me. Do you think I could still make cherry jam with them?

 

weavershouse

The rolls shown below were made with the Scali dough

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

All beautiful, weavershouse!

If you can't call the loaves with poppy seeds "Scali," since it's your inovation, you get naming rights.

David

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

These are gorgeous loaves! Weaverhouse...glad you are enjoying them as much as we do...I posted more in your blog...just noticed this one!  Some Scali I have seen doesn't use the seeds for the rolls.  Rolls stuffed with lobster...yummm

Sylvia