Semolina w/fennel seeds, golden raisins and pine nuts,
alfanso-style.
Friends paid a visit last week from the other side of the peninsula. And I baked them some bread. Jim is the extraordinarily talented chef of his own small restaurant and does indeed like my bread, so I was pleased to provide him and Donna with two favorites. The remaining batards sent home with them.
In conversation, Donna expressed her enjoyment for one particular item from Amy’s Bread – Amy’s being one of the better known bakeries in NYC, that little burg from whence we all started. It was a 1992 creation of Amy’s – a semolina studded with raisins, fennel seeds and pine nuts. Donna suggested that I try my hand at it. She forwarded the above link to the formula to me. It employs a ~79% biga. And with a little searching I found Susan’s, of Wild Yeast, version of a similar, quite similar, bread using a levain. A semolina with fennel, currants and pine nuts. So it was time to investigate, and make one to send along with my wife to her Tuesday night taiko practice for all those hungry drummers who now well know my bread.
The levain is a two stage 100% white flour build. Mixed yesterday and baked this morning. This bread also asks for olive oil and IDY, two items I tend not to use in my own baking of levain breads, but so be it. And as usual, I had to, just had to, tinker with the formula to make it my own version of the Susan/Amy creations.
Using Susan’s formula as my template, I abided by her 1100g total dough weight as well as most of the other ingredient percentages. But went off the rails on a number of instances. Some of her formula ingredients are not completely stated. And here are the differences:
- The Levain build doesn’t specify what kind of flour to use, so I made the assumption that it was an AP, but instead I used Bread Flour. Also used for the Final Dough mix. I decided on Bread Flour over AP as I like to bolster my durum with the stronger white flour.
- The formula calls for “semolina” and while taking that at face value, I decided to use semola rimaccinata instead.
- While abiding by the white flour and semola percentages, I upped the water content from 64% to 65% while lowering the Olive Oil from 4% to 2% - plenty if you ask me. According to Mr. Hamelman, oils are considered to be part of the hydration, and therefore my take on this clocks in at 67% total hydration.
- Being a cautious chap, as well as deciding on a long overnight retard, I opted to just about halve the IDY down to 0.35%.
Now, as I mix just about everything with French Folds rather than by machine, I add the ingredients differently than the original, autolysing just the flour and water. Then pinch and fold each of the following separately – IDY, levain and finally the salt.
The dough rests for 5 minutes halfway through the French folds, and it was at that post-rest point that I returned the dough to the mixing bowl and incorporated the oil, turning a somewhat stiff dough into something luxuriously silky by the time the 2nd half of the French Folds completed.
Being that this was a hand mix, I added the fruit, spice and nuts during the first of two letter folds. The original calls for no folds during the bulk rise.
And then retarded the bulk dough in my usual way, removing it after x hours to divide, shape and then return to retard on a couche for the overnight nap.
Baked cold from retard and abided by Susan’s baking instructions.
Just for fun, I made two fat baguettes/long batards, each weighing in at ~550g. And as you can see, I provided ample space between scores. But that didn’t matter to the yeast. Their growth in the oven during steaming was explosive, and the batards blew right through most of my scoring.
And now with this behind me, I think that I’ll make one to bring to our gracious Thanksgiving hosts, along with a Vermont SD as companion.
This being the 10th anniversary of Susan posting the formula on her Wild Yeast website - happy birthday bread. And thank you Donna and Susan!
Coming off the couche, and scored awaiting the oven. You can see the ample spacing between scores.
Steam released and doughs rotated.
Fresh out of the oven. The oven spring was surprisingly BIG.
Sliced up and ready to ship off to taiko practice with the wife.
long batards, 2 x 550g
| Semolina Bread with Fennel, Golden Raisins & Pine Nuts | |||||||||
| Susan, Wild-Yeast | |||||||||
| Total Flour | |||||||||
| Total Dough Weight (g) | 1100 | Prefermented | 18.00% | ||||||
| Total Formula | Levain | Final Dough | |||||||
| Ingredients | % | Grams | % | Grams | Ingredients | Grams | |||
| Total Flour | 100.00% | 537.6 | 100.00% | 96.8 | Final Flour | 440.9 | |||
| Bread Flour | 59.00% | 317.2 | 100% | 96.8 | Bread Flour | 220.4 | |||
| Durum | 41.00% | 220.4 | 0% | Durum | 220.4 | ||||
| Water | 65.00% | 349.5 | 100% | 96.8 | Water | 252.7 | |||
| Salt | 2.05% | 11.0 | Salt | 11.0 | |||||
| IDY | 0.35% | 1.9 | IDY | 1.9 | |||||
| Olive Oil | 2.00% | 10.8 | Olive Oil | 10.8 | |||||
| Whole Fennel Seeds | 1.70% | 9.1 | Fennel Seeds | 9.1 | |||||
| Golden Raisins, Hydrated | 20.50% | 110.2 | Golden Raisins | 110.2 | |||||
| Pine Nuts, Toasted | 13.00% | 69.9 | Pine Nuts | 69.9 | |||||
| Starter | 3.60% | 19.4 | 20% | 19.4 | |||||
| Levain | 193.5 | ||||||||
| Corn Meal Crust (opt.) | |||||||||
| Totals | 204.60% | 1100.0 | 220% | 212.9 | 1100.0 | ||||
| 2 stage liquid levain build | |||||||||
| Yield: 1100 g (4 short baguettes) | Stage 1 | ||||||||
| Mix: 15 minutes | Bread Flour | 48.4 | |||||||
| First fermentation: 1.5 hours | Water | 48.4 | |||||||
| Divide/rest/shape: 30 minutes | Starter | 19.4 | |||||||
| Proof: 1.25 hours | Stage 2 | ||||||||
| Bake: 35 minutes | Bread Flour | 48.4 | |||||||
| Water | 48.4 | ||||||||
| Total | 212.9 | ||||||||
Comments
it looks so very very good. it is just begging to be eaten!
The dough is not sweetened at all? just the sweetness that comes from the raisins? The dough would be nice to shape at that hydration too.
great bake alfanso
Leslie
Just the hydrated raisins do the trick. Aside from "being over" the hunt for a big open crumb, I'm also only modestly interested in high hydration doughs as well. When they come do around on the Roulette Wheel of what to bake next, then okay as far as that goes.
These high 60s to low 70% doughs are really easy to handle and shape. I can thank Mr. Hamelman for that as his breads frequently are in the upper 60% hydration range - at least those that I've tackled so far.
I'm uncertain whether the toasted pine nuts really add much other than some chew and their Houdini-like ability to slip out of a too-thinly sliced piece of the bread.
This might not be the type of bread a corner bakery would often do because of the cost of the pine nuts. Those costs have to be passed on to the consumer and between that and the raisins, makes this a high priced loaf in competition with the typical FWSY breads lining the remainder of the shelves. However, however however - for us little folks at home it is indeed a treat.
Thank you, alan
about the hydration. I think around 70% is ideal. I do however want to be able to handle a higher hydration dough comfortably. Hamelman's recipe's are as you say in this range and I am now understanding the reasoning behind some of his methods (taken me long enough, but hey I am getting there). Bread is one of my favourite books.
I will definitely try this recipe at some point.
Leslie
Semolina Bread with Fennel, Golden Raisins & Pine Nuts, By Susan, Wild-Yeast, Nov. 2007
Timing
Day 1 – mix levain – 15 minutes (overnight – 7-12 hours for stage 1)
Day 2 – Autolyse Mix, Ferment – 2.5-3 hours plus Divide & Shape – 30 minutes (overnight – 12-18 hours)
Day 3 – Bake – 1.5-2 hours
Formula on BBGA worksheet.
Method
This is a 2 stage levain build.
Day 1
Day 2
many thanks Alan
Leslie
What did your friends think of it? I think it would be delicious!
with one saying it was the most flavorful so far. Well, she came home empty handed, following my instructions to divest of all of it at her practice. That is, unless she dished a few remaining slices into the trash can so as not to enlist my wrath!
Had some as my morning toast. I've now dropped down 10 pounds, closing in on my fighting weight, in these past 6 weeks, and can start to slide a few slices here and there into my own gullet again.
BTW here's what your "local" taiko group looks like. Here's what my wife's former group looks like 1 2
thanks, alan
but a great tasting work of art that is healthy, hearty and just lovely. Perfect for Thanksgiving when sonething special is needed! Well dine and happy baking for eh Holidays DB.
of these big fat bags. So for Thanksgiving I'll be baking 4 at approximately the same size, ~550g for these and ~600g for the Vermonts. Likely only take 2 with us as my wife also baked a killer pumpkin cheesecake to take.
Happy and safe holiday, alan
So nice to see you roaming off the reservation with this one. Looks like it was nice and tasty. I'm surprised that you count the oil as part of the hydration. I've always read the exact opposite and personally I've never felt oil did affect the hydration.
Happy Baking and have a great Turkey Day!
Ian
with occasional exceptions, but don't get your hopes too high, this is an exception and not the rule going forward ;-( .
As far as the oil counting toward the overall hydration: I wouldn't know better - ain't hip enough or smart enough still about this stuff. So I went to the expert. And right there in plain print Mr. Hamelman states:
"Natural oils, such as olive, soy and canola, are liquid at room temperature. When used in bread doughs, these oils are liquefiers, and as such their weight is included with that of the water when computing dough hydration."
I didn't know it before, but I do now. And so the dude abides! Thanks, alan
Well he certainly knows more than me. I wonder if anyone has actually done any scientific studies on the matter. Anyway, have a great Thanksgiving. I'm about to put some cherry, cranberry, pecan porridge rolls in the oven. It's always a challenge to bake when away from home. Hopefully these will turn out as expected.
Regards,
Ian
as NOT liquids (and they aren't from where I sit) so go figure. Anyway, he is certainly one large voice in a field of large voices. Maybe there is no right or wrong answer, but if I have to place a stick in the sand about whether or not, then it is not a bad voice to listen to.
Good luck in someone else's oven. Indeed, may always be dicey. If it fails, just place it in bowls and call it a sophisticated bread pudding! And Happy Thanksgiving.
alan
Wow, looks fantastic.
for a first time using these types of ingredients and baking at a lower than typical temperature. And of course the positive feedback sure was nice.
BTW, If I have it right, you are in Vancouver, BC. When we first moved to PDX i13 years ago, before my wife was a member of that taiko group, we saw Vancouver Taiko play as guests in our new city. They were incredibly talented, so if you have never seen them, it would be worth a look-see. Of course this was in early 2004, so the constituency of the group may be quite different now.
Thanks, alan
Yeah, we are in Vancouver BC now after 20 years in Portland.
We saw an all female taiko group at an event in Vancouver this summer. They were good. I'm not sure if that is the same group or not though.
Surprised that there are about 10 groups in the immediate neighborhood near you. Didn't have a clue. Just checked and this is the one if you have a hankering - http://www.uzume.com . A small group led by Bonnie Soon, Boyd Grealy and Jason Overy.
So nice to see you roaming off the reservation with this one. Looks like it was nice and tasty. I'm surprised that you count the oil as part of the hydration. I've always read the exact opposite and personally I've never felt oil did affect the hydration.
Happy Baking and have a great Turkey Day!
Ian
so much bread envy right now! When I saw this, I had just finished mixing a semolina dough with fennel and sunflower seeds. Now I wish I'd seen this first. Bookmarked!
come out of your oven, you shouldn't have much envy. Your creations are noteworthy.
thanks, alan
Despite having zero baguette experience. (Ok, I think I tried making some baguettes when I first started baking. I forgot to score them and they looked like breadsticks.) Pretty happy considering I had no idea what I was doing. Thanks for the recipe!
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I thought the recipe made 4 so I got mini-baguettes instead of fat ones.
is noteworthy. You've already conquered the shaping, something that gives many beginning baguetteers fits, including myself in the earliest of efforts.
Scoring is another beast to figure out, and with the exception of "cruel hoaxers" as our super talented Benito regularly demonstrates, it is process that takes some time although you are already well on your way. There's a certain feel and movement involved that is typically a learned experience that comes (and sometimes goes) with time and practice. There are plenty of videos out there showing technique, but it is the personal mechanical that is more relevant than the learn-by-watching.
Alan
I tried to avoid being bitten by the baguette bug, since I know it’s a long process to competence and I like other breads more. But I know I won’t be able to escape it forever…
Dessert bread! I'm late to the party, but this was fun to make. I baked it as a boule and subbed in figs bc, well, bc I wanted something vaguely golden and didn't have raisins. Thx!
Rob
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This is the type of bread that is perfect not just for ourselves but for guests, and has received superb feedback over time. The downside is that pine nuts are fairly expensive this past year or two, so it is a relatively expensive bread to make. But the taste justifies the cost by all means. The fennel seeds add that extra something to the flavor profile.
Bravo, and especially for picking up on it years later.
Alan