Pass the Pugliese Please!
This is Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pugliese recipe from her book 'the bread bible'. I hand mixed this recipe. I made them once before ' photos are posted on my blog' http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/11681/pugliese-loaves and in a little lighter roast. This time I did a little darker roast...simply because I loved the aroma! The flavor starts with a great aroma and is delicious, creamy, nutty, buttery with a nice little chew. Just what you expect from Duram flour! I made these with a 17 hour biga that was kept cool and unrefrigerated for the ultimate full flavor. They are made with Duram flour..this recipe is not suited to the semolina pasta grind..it will not work with this recipe. I triple the recipe and it makes two nice sized loaves.
Sylvia
Comments
I can feel the cool crumb in my mouth just looking at your photo.
David
Sylvia
These are certainly photogenic loaves. The way they make me smile is amazing!
Would you be able to make rolls of this mix or is it too slack?
Eric
This recipe is much the same as a ciabatta except the holes will be smaller and I love the flavor the with duram flour added, it's a tad over 80% hydration. I have thought about making some rolls and they would be nice to serve. I don't see why you couldn't do them the same as you would making small ciabatta rolls. Lay the dough out on a well floured surface and with your dough blade slice it into strips and then slice into little square rolls, lay them onto parchment lined pan bottoms. I would slide the whole parchment sheet of rolls off onto a hot stone and steam. The less you fuss with this dough the better when shaping. Just pour it out for loaves, I sliced it in half, quickly fold it into a ballish shape and drop it into a rice and regular floured linen towel in a bowl/banneton and pinch the top seams. Cover with oiled plastic wrap. I invert them onto a parchment lined pizza paddle.
Sylvia
Beautiful big puffy loaves! I have to get that book!
Summer
The ones pictured on the cover must be pretty small. I three times the recipe for these two. After gathering the ingredients I did hand mixing with stretch and folds.
Sylvia
Really nice Sylvia. I made these after you first posted them. A winner for sure.
Just a note about semolina/durum. Yesterday I made 2 loaves using 180g grainy semolina, 180g durum flour and 240g Gold Medal Better for Bread, salt/water. I let the dough set overnight at about 55ºF. The finished bread showed no signs of the grainy semolina and lots more flavor than the last loaves I posted. The long fermentation softens the grain.
I don't know if I'd add semolina to the pugliese because it's so perfect as it is but I'm just mentioning that semolina works good in bread. It's more yellow too.
Great job with your beautiful loaves.
weavershouse
I love the flavor and color of the semolina grind just a much as the duram flour. I have some country loaves I like with the pasta grade semolina. I don't know why but she mentions in the recipe that the semolina grind 'pasta or farina' will not work in this recipe..so I thought I should mention that in the post.
Sylvia
Looks delicious, Sylvia.
Susan from San Diego
Hello and Thank You, Susan!
Sylvia
A few months ago I was in Milan at a local market being at total awe with a huge loaf of Pugliese bread which I bought. I had at that moment realized how passionate I was in the quest to not only reproduce this wonderful loaf but the whole artisan bread making science. I haven't still accomplished the reproduction to my satisfaction, but it seems from the photos you've sent you sure seem to have done so. BRAVO (I am so jealous lol)
MONTREAL CANADA, ROBERTO
for the nice compliment! How great to have been in Milan enjoying the local breads! This is a nice recipe in RLB book. You'll get there just keep at it and keep notes.
Lovely Sylvia!
I have dabbled in Pane Puglese but my crumb has never been that lovely. Outstanding.
I do bake it harder though to get an almost walnut crust so don't be afraid to try pushing it even harder in the oven!
Bravo!
Jay
Looks like your having fun baking in that great looking wfo oven, Jay!
Sylvia
Hi Sylvia!
How could you guess? :o)
In San Antonio the oven tends to be a September through May activity. I don't often do bread in the WFO for it needs about 15 pounds to get enough humidity to make a great crust. But I think the high heat of the WFO has pushed me to baking crusts harder and darker than I would have probably arrived at in a conventional oven.
I really like the crumb you got on those loaves. Pugliese without the slashes is IMO visually striking for the random flour swirls that form as it expands. Baking it to a darker finish really accentuates the swirls. It is a trick to poke it down the right amount to offset the expansion and yield loaves that aren't balloonish in profile.
I got started on Publiese to help an Italian restaurant get more flavor in their bread after the owner tasted my sourdough. I did some research and made some great, airy loaves, but they wanted it denser because their main use was bruschetta and they didn't want the toppings falling or leaking through. So I spent a couple of weeks learning to make "dense" Pugliese. It makes me really like your crumb!
Bake On!
Jay
Amazing crumb! WOW!
Betty
Betty!
I've bee eyeing this recipe, but all I've found so far is semolina. I know it's too coarse for this bread.
Did you have to mail order from KA, or is there another brand out there I can see if they sell locally. Looks like Bob's Red Mill (very popular around here) doesn't carry it.
I do not have duram flour locally. I order it from kaflours when they offer free shipping and it's always very nice and fresh so I stock up.
My durum flour is from Bob's Red Mill - you may have to ask your store to add it to the BRM selection, A.
Sylvia, your loaves are always such works of art! I've made Rose's pugliese too, but nothing so pretty as this - often I end up with all the crumb's air distributed in one big bubble at the top of the loaf. How did you get yours so perfect! This looks heavenly!
Erzsebet
Hello and thank you, Erzebet! I think maybe the final shaping might have something to with the large bubble on top of your loaf. When your dough is sectioned off and sitting on a well floured board. The loaves will be one loose, slack dough '80% hydration'. I gently and quickly fold the bottom floured part of dough sides upward onto the unfloured tacky top of the dough forming it into as tight a ball 'blob' as I can without doing much handling 'velvet glove iron fist' giving it a few quick firm pinches 'with floured fingers,palms' at the top while lifting it into a seasoned flour and rice floured linen towel lined bowl and then pinch again any loose looking seams. Seam side up. Cover with oil sprayed plastic wrap.
Sylvia
I agree with Eric - these are absolutely photogenic loaves!
Shiao-Ping
and Thank You, Shiao-Ping!
Sylvia
Thanks to your post on this bread. I went back to the book and gave it a try. Well it turned out great. My Dad was born in Apuglia so he's in my thoughts as I make it. I've doubled the recipe, and next time will go a tad larger. Looking for two 500 gr balls. Anyway thanks for the inspiration.
Marty
I'm glad my post was of help. Your Dad must have enjoyed many of these loaves and what a lovely memory for you.
I don't care for small loaves and I think 3X the recipe makes it just perfect for 2 nice size loaves.
After the holidays I plan on making several with a 'Biga Naturale' in my wood fired oven.
Sylvia