I'll let the video speak for itself. Only one thing to add that is not clear in the video... the final proofing is done in the fridge. Lovely recipe, enjoyable to do and great oven spring. Crumb shot to follow. Make sure your starter is mature and ready for the two Levain builds (described as first and second dough). Enjoy!
Can't wait to see the crumb. Well baked sir!
It's cooling and I'm sitting on my hands till I can cut into it. Will be tomorrow if my willpower can hold out.
For the crumb shot and taste report
I'm afraid that 10 hours of final rise at AZ kitchen temperatures would be way way too much based on that double levain build and two folds. It would be fine to dot he final proof in the fridge though Yours turned out great in the cooler UK temps. Well done and happy baking Abe
In the video she misses out an important piece of information which was discussion in the comment section. The final proofing is to be done in the fridge. That would be too long even for UK temperatures if done at room temperature. I wonder how the double levain build will affect the taste...
Nice bread! Well done. Good video too.
I was thinking about timing though. Feeding the starter the night before, mix early in the morning (say 8am), three hours to double for second dough (say 11am), and then three more hours (say 2pm) for final dough mix and then ten more hours (say midnight) to then back.. That's too late. So what did you do?
I think I'd feed my starter at 8am, make the first dough around 4pm, second at 7pm and final dough at 10pm to overnight in the fridge and bake at 8am the next morning.. sound fair? Liked her rolling/shaping method - hadn't seen that before.. as to flour, did you use unbleached white and fine ground semolina?
As to cafone - the literal translation is 'boor'.. the literal translation for peasant is contadino.. either way.. i'm sure it tastes great! Looking forward to a crumb shot! Well done!
Thank you. It rose very well so I'm hoping for a nice crumb. I also wonder how the levain builds affect the taste. Will see tonight.
I used durum flour - semola rimacinata. If you can't find any then fine semolina will do but you might need more water. It isn't an overly hydrated dough in the first place and semolina needs more water than semola rimacinata.
As for the wheat flour I used bread flour. Our plain flour is too weak for an AP flour so I used a bread flour which was about 12-13% protein (I'm not sure how much of that is gluten so might even be the equivalent of an AP flour). We have plain flour which is only good for cake and bread flour but no in-between. If planned better then I supposed I could have mixed them 50:50 to make my own AP flour. In the UK one cannot get bleached flour. It is banned. Our white flour is more off-white.
My planning was off. So I had to improvise. I decided on this recipe too late to start prepping and allowing for the full 10 hours in the fridge. So what I did was two levain builds. The first levain was turning mine into a 50% hydration starter but instead of 3 hours to mature I allowed it to sit overnight. I treated this as the first dough. Then I went onto the second dough and back on track with the 3 hour timing. So where you will prep your starter before going onto the recipe I used the prepping as the first step but left it to completely mature.
I also couldn't fit in the full 10 hour fridge time so I did 4-5 hours then 2 hours at room temperature.
Interesting! Boor for peasant seems harsh.
Thanks for the information! Looking forward to hearing how it turned out!
See below
I thought the holes would be bigger due to great oven spring but it is a close crumb bread. Still soft and not dense though. Could that be due to two Levain builds, very little bulk ferment time and a longer final proof? Would it have been different if I'd left it the full 10 hours in the fridge? The taste is wonderful! Very happy with the flavour. Not tangy but rather almost sweet. With an intense flavoursome crust. If you aren't fussed about huge holes (perhaps it's lacking due to my skill or lack of rather) then this bread really is a keeper taste wise.
She used AP flour and I used bread flour plus it is quite low hydration which all could have added to the crumb.
Edit... Now I can put my finger on that taste. It's like a Biga bread but more flavoursome! More intense.
Nice crumb, great colour and crust thickness.. looks like a great bread all around. Well done!
Looking forward to hearing how yours turns out. I really did enjoy this recipe.
I am about to try this loaf and was wondering if you covered the dough during S&F rest periods? The video implies that it was left uncovered. Thanks...
As I thought, like you, that the video implies it wasn't. There are two folds only 20 minutes apart with a second 20 minutes rest after the second fold. So its not left uncovered for too long. However I can only see benefit if you wish to cover with a damp tea towel. Best of luck. It is a lovely tasting bread.
a lovely loaf nevertheless.
"I thought the holes would be bigger due to great oven spring". Yes, I've experienced that surprise a handful of times too!
And the interpretation is not just boor as Brad notes above, but a few other descriptions of lesser virtue too. Or perhaps best left as "country bread".
Congrats.
I'm wondering where the oven spring came from without gaping holes. Probably more air bubbles but less gaping hence the still soft crumb.
This has also given me ideas on how to treat durum flour breads in general. Very impressed with the taste even though the durum flour is quite high and I usually find durum flour breads quite plain. Ideas I can incorporate in other durum flour recipes.
Yes, lets leave it as country bread.
FYI, cafone is a common derogatory slang word amongst Italian Americans that basically refers to a "boorish" (cafonaggine) Italian American; one who is uneducated and loutish. Think "Jersey Shore."
In Napolitano usage, it is used to refer to something considered "rustic" or unrefined (but in a good way), which is why it is often confused with paesano (peasant), but when used as an adjective, it also carries a bit of a raffish or "lad-ish" connotation. Think "Jack the Lad."