Recipe for Dough Setting Please

Both of these recipes make three two-pound loaves, but you may cut them as you see fit.  I do not have a bread making machine, but I do know that many people do use them for the mixing cycle.  I also have recipes for sourdough sandwich bread.  I usually make the sourdough bread.

 For the poolish

3 cup (12.8 oz.) King Arthur Bread Flour

1/4 tspn. dry active yeast

3 cup (24.9 oz.) chlorine-free water

Poolish hydration: 188%.  Note: for half a cup of the bread flour you may substitute half a cup of whole-wheat flour to modify the taste and texture.

 In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in a little of the water, then add the rest of the water and flour and mix enough to wet all of the flour.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let ferment for 8 to 18 hours at room temperature.  If desired, the poolish may be refrigerated after 4 hours of fermentation.

 For the dough

All of the poolish

2 1/8 cup (17.6 oz.) warm scalded milk (or skim ©)

1 tspn. dry active yeast

10 1/4 cup (43.6 oz.) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour

1/4 cup (2 oz.) melted butter (or corn oil ©)

1 1/2 Tbs. (1 oz.) salt

1/4 cup (2 oz.) of melted butter (or corn oil ©) for greasing pans and brushing the loaves

water in a sprayer

(Dough hydration: 69%.)

 Into the bowl containing the poolish, beat in the milk, the yeast, and about 6 cups of the flour, or as much as can be readily mixed by hand.  Cover and let stand for half an hour or an hour (autolyse).

Mix in the 2 ounces melted butter, the salt, and as much of the rest of the flour as convenient.  Scrape the dough on to a surface dusted with bread flour and thoroughly knead the dough, adding flour from the measured amount as necessary until the dough is smooth.  For a more open structure, minimize the amount of flour.  For a more dense structure, add additional flour.  Allow the dough to rest for about ten minutes and then knead some more.  This dough will be elastic and smooth.  Place the dough into a greased bowl (about a teaspoon of corn oil) and cover to rise to double the volume, about an hour.  Gently degas the dough by folding it on itself.

With melted butter, thoroughly brush three loaf pans (2 qt size, 9 5/8" x 5 1/2" x 2 3/4").  Divide the dough into three equal pieces (about 32 to 34 oz. each).  Shape each piece to fit the bottom of each pan, puncturing the large bubbles.  Place the loaves in the pans, seam side down.  Brush the top of the loaves with melted butter.  Cover the loaves with plastic wrap and let rise until the domes are about 2 inches above the tops of the pans.  Bread benefits from retardation.  (Place in the refrigerator when dough just reaches the top of the pan and remove next day and allow to come to room temperature.)

Preheat oven to 450°F with a pan of boiling water on the bottom shelf, with the middle shelf being reserved for the bread pans.  A large broiler pan works well.  When the dough has risen above the tops of the pans (about an hour), spray them with water, and immediately place them into the oven.  Spray the loaves 2 additional times at 1 minute intervals to permit additional rising.  After 15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.  Bake until the interior loaf temperature reaches 195°F, an additional 45 minutes (about one hour total).  The loaves should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.  Turn out on to a cooling rack, brush with melted butter, and cover with a damp paper towel until cooled.  Bread may then be packaged and frozen.

 For the poolish

5 cups (21.3 oz.) whole-wheat flour

3 cups (24.9 oz.) water

1/4 tspn active dry yeast

Poolish hydration: 114%  Note: We like Arrowhead Mills stone ground brand whole-wheat flour because of the texture it gives to the bread.  However, a finer milled whole wheat flour (e. g. King Arthur) is also good and gives a lighter loaf. See also the sourdough recipe Chapter 09.1 and the sourdough whole grain recipe Chapter 09.2

 In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in a little of the water, then add the rest of the water and whole-wheat flour and mix enough to wet all of the flour.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let ferment for 8 to 18 hours at room temperature.

 For the dough

All of the poolish

2 1/8 cups (18 oz.) warm scalded milk (skim ©)

1/3 cup (3.8 oz.) honey, or brown sugar, or corn syrup

2 tspn. dry active yeast (remainder of the package used in the poolish)

8 1/4 cup (35.1 oz.) King Arthur unbleached bread flour

1 1/2 Tbs. (1 oz.) salt

1/4 cup (2 oz.) butter (or corn oil ©)

1/4 cup (2 oz.) melted butter (or corn oil ©) for greasing pans. brushing dough, and brushing bread

(Dough hydration: 75%)

 Into the bowl containing the poolish, beat in the honey, the milk, the yeast, and about 5 cups of the flour, or as much as can be readily mixed by hand.  Cover and let stand for half an hour or an hour (autolyse).

Mix in the 2 ounces melted butter, the salt, and as much of the rest of the measured flour as convenient.  Scrape the dough on to a surface dusted with bread flour and thoroughly knead the dough, adding flour from the measured amount as necessary until the dough is smooth.  Allow the dough to rest for about ten minutes and then knead some more.  This dough will be elastic, not as elastic as the dough of the white bread.  Place the dough into a greased bowl (about a teaspoon of corn oil) and cover to rise to double the volume, about an hour.  Gently degas the dough by folding it on itself.

With melted butter thoroughly brush three loaf pans (2 qt size, 9 5/8" x 5 1/2" x 2 3/4").  Divide the dough into three equal pieces (about 34 oz. each).  Shape each piece to fit the bottom of each pan, puncturing the large bubbles.  Place the loaves in the pans, seam side down.  Brush the top of the loaves with melted butter.  Cover the loaves with plastic wrap and let rise until the domes are about 2 inches above the tops of the pans.

Preheat oven to 450°F with a pan of boiling water on the bottom shelf, with the middle shelf being reserved for the bread pans.  A large broiler pan works well.  When the dough has risen above the tops of the pans (about an hour), spray them with water, and immediately place them into the oven.  Spray the loaves 2 additional times at 2 minute intervals to permit additional rising.  After 15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.  Bake until the interior loaf temperature reaches 195°F, an additional 45 minutes (about one hour total).  The loaves should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.  Turn out on to a cooling rack, brush with melted butter, and cover with a damp paper towel until cooled.  Bread may then be packaged and frozen.

Ford