Broken Nose Bread

.............Am I a coward?

Who calls me “villain”? Breaks my pate across?

Plucks off my beard and blows it in my face?

Tweaks me by the nose? Gives me the lie i' th' throat

As deep as to the lungs? Who does me this?   Ha!

Shakespeare, Hamlet II,2.

Broken Nose Bread

And so it came to pass that I was having a quiet morning at the office when I got a call from The Husband.  "I've just come out of A&E" says he.  "That's nice," say I.  Possibly not the right answer.

"I fell running and broke my nose, have two stitches in my lip and generally look like I've been glassed in a bar fight," says he.

"Cool!!" I respond.  Possibly not the right answer.

He did look rather a mess when I got home.  For a treat, I took him for lunch the next day and got to the restaurant after he did - when they asked me if I had a reservation, I said I was having lunch with the man with the broken face.  "Ah yes," says the nice front of house man, "I'll take you straight to him."  Anyway, this little setback didn't deter him, and he was out training again the day after so I got to bake bread!!!

Lo and behold, in what I called a "moment of solidarity", I baked him a delicious bread which looked just like he does, managing to botch the transfer from the banneton in such a way that part of dough needed some "picking up and folding over" before making its way into the DO.  This is based on PiP's 50/50 Spelt bread, given how much I love spelt.

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/25724/micropost-%E2%80%93-spelt-experiment-i-50

A few small changes, but overall in keeping with his formula:

Levain 200g (100%H Rye, used at 9hrs)

Bread flour  227

Spelt  227

Water 340

Salt 11

1. Autolyse for 45 mins,using 300g water.

2. Mix in 40g water with salt dissolved and the levain.

3. Bulk ferment - did S&F 4 times at 30min intervals. Total BF for 3hrs.

4. Preshape and bench rest for 20min.

5. Shape and proof for 1h30.

6. Bake.  Transfer from banneton to DO, make a mess, have a glass of wine, put in the oven at 250C for 20min, then lower to 230C and take lid off after 30min, leave another ca.15-20min for crust to brown.  Turn off and leave oven door ajar for 10min. Have another glass of wine.

This bread had an amazing spring given what happened.....but, I think I probably should have given it better development during the BF, which is why it wobbled everywhere when I transferred it to the parchment.  The flavour is a keeper, the spelt has such a subtle nutty taste and there is a warmth to the chew on this one.  It was, admittedly, a little hard for The Husband to eat the crust, but washing it down with some burgundy always helps!!  We did our usual testing, cheese, ham, pate, butter and a real wow made into a bruschetta with avocado and fresh tomatoes and olive oil.  Will be making this one again, although I wouldn't mind getting it right and having a pretty loaf to show for it.  Thanks PiPs, this was delicious!!

'Swounds, I should take it, for it cannot be

But I am pigeon-livered and lack gall

To make oppression bitter, or ere this

I should have fatted all the region kites

With this slave’s offal.

Shakespeare, Hamlet II,2.