Traditional Whole Grain Miche Recipes

ARTISAN WHOLE GRAIN SOURDOUGH

Steps:

• Evening of Day 1:
• Mix all ingredients together
• Ferment (let sit out at room temperature covered loosely with plastic) at 69F for 12 hours.
• Morning of Day 2:
• Add day 2 to day 1 ingredients
• Knead, place in plastic covered bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Morning of Day 3:
• Form a boule (round loaf) and ferment (let sit out on counter) 5 hours at 69F.
• Bake at 485F for 40-45 minutes.

BEETROOT SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Mixing
• Combine a portion of the water in the recipe with the beetroot and puree until smooth in a blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender.
• Using a mortar and pestle or a mallet and a plastic bag, crush the vitamin C tablet(s) and add the powder to the beetroot puree, mixing thoroughly to dissolve.
• Combine all of the ingredients except the 65g reserved water into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add some or all of the reserved water based on your preferred dough hydration.
• Gluten Development
• Over the next two hours, stretch and fold or coil fold the dough with about a half-hour rest in between each session. If possible make one of the later gluten development sessions be lamination. The dough is likely wet enough that you won't need water on your counter. Here are videos of the various gluten development techniques.
• At about the three hour mark, refrigerate the dough overnight (or 8-12 hours) in order to develop even more strength. You can also skip this step and simply continue the bulk fermentation until the dough has expanded by 50-75%.
• Pre-Shape, Bench Rest & Shaping
• In the morning, preshape the cold dough and let it rest uncovered on your counter for 20-30 minutes.
• Prep your you banneton liner/tea towel with plenty of flour.
• Shape your dough into the loaf type you prefer. Here's are a variety of different shaping videos.
• Flour the top of the shaped dough, flip it into your banneton, and cover.
• Final Proof & Baking
• Let the dough final proof for about two hours at room temperature, possibly longer if your kitchen temperature is under 70F and shorter if you didn't do the overnight refrigeration (cool dough).
• Preheat your oven to 500F for 30 minutes with your baking vessel inside.
• When the preheat is complete, flip the dough onto a piece of parchment paper, score it, and load it into the baking vessel.
• If using a clay baker, bake the bread:
• 20 minutes covered at 500F
• 10 minutes covered at 450F
• 5-10 minutes uncovered at 450F
• If using a cast iron vessel, add a sheet of foil under the parchment and bake the bread:
• 20 minutes covered at 500F, then add a baking sheet directly under the vessel
• 10 minutes covered at 450F
• 5-10 minutes uncovered at 450F
• Let the bread cool for about 2 hours before slicing.

SOURDOUGH PRETZELS

Steps:

• Baking Soda Bake
• Preheat your oven to 250°F.
• Spread the baking soda on an aluminum pie pan or on a small baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.
• Bake the baking soda for 1 hour, then allow it to cool.
• The baked baking soda can be stored indefinitely in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Dough Mixing and Bulk Fermentation
• Put the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with a paddle attachment on low speed until the dough comes together.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl, switch to a dough hook, and mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes.
• If you hand-mix the dough, after you incorporate the ingredients in a bowl, knead the dough for about 5 to 10 minutes on a floured countertop.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled, clean bowl, cover, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• Lift the entire dough out of the bowl with both hands, stretch it until it is long (without tearing it), and roll it up into a ball. Then turn it 90° in your hands and repeat this stretching and rolling. Return the dough to the bowl and cover.
• Let the dough continue to rise until it has close to doubled in size, about 4 to 8 hours from the initial mixing.
• Pre-Shape and Bench Rest
• Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and de-gas it, pressing out all air pockets. Divide the dough into 10 pieces, about 108 grams each. (The total dough weight is 1,082 grams.)
• Pre-shape the dough into 10 small tubes (about 6 inches long).
• Lightly dampen a tea towel and use it to cover the dough as it rests for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Shaping
• Prepare two baking sheets with lightly oiled parchment paper.
• Roll a dough tube under your palms until it is about 24 inches long. Add flour to your countertop only if the dough is very sticky. If the dough resists rolling and stretching, let it rest longer.
• Hold the ends of your long dough tube and lay the middle of the dough in an inverted U-shape on your baking sheet. Twist the ends twice, then flip the ends and the twists back toward the U, and press the ends into the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions on the U.
• Repeat with the other 9 tubes.
• Final Proof and Baking Soda Water Prep
• Cover the baking trays with a damp flour sack towel or tea towel, or place the sheets inside large plastic bags. Let the dough proof 1 to 2 hours, until it grows by about 50%.
• Toward the end of the final proof, uncover the pretzel dough to help the pretzels develop a skin while you do the following steps.
• Boil 2-3 quarts of water in a 4-quart or larger stainless steel pot. Avoid aluminum, copper, and nonstick surfaces that may react with the extra-alkaline baking soda.
• Add the baked baking soda and stir until it dissolves. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
• Preheat your oven to 475°F (or 450°F if you have convection).
• Pretzel Dipping
• Use a large slotted spoon or spatula to gently lower the pretzels in the baking soda solution. Simmer two at a time for 20 seconds, flipping at the halfway mark.
• Remove the pretzels from the liquid, letting the liquid drain off a bit, and then return the pretzels to the baking sheets.
• Leave about an inch in between each pretzel. Repeat until all the pretzels have been boiled.
• Topping and Baking
• If you want a glossy finish, brush the tops of the pretzels with an egg wash before baking.
• Use a lame to score the bottom of the U, and top the pretzels with salt.
• Bake for 8 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time if needed. Expect to need the longer end of this time range for a no-convection bake.
• Transfer the pretzels to a rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
• Wrap each pretzel in plastic wrap for storage.

SOURDOUGH BREAD: POILâNE-STYLE MICHE

Steps:

• The day before making the bread, make the firm starter. In a 4-quart mixing bowl, use a large metal spoon to mix together the barm, flour, and enough water to form a firm ball. Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 3 minutes, or until all the flour is hydrated and the ingredients are evenly distributed. Lightly oil a bowl, place the ball of dough in the bowl, and roll it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• Ferment at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours, or until the dough doubles in size. Refrigerate overnight.
• Remove the starter from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough. Cut the starter into about 12 small pieces with a serrated knife or pastry scraper. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour to take off the chill.
• This dough is too large for home mixers (except for the Magic Mill), so knead it by hand. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sifted whole-wheat flour, salt, and starter pieces. Stirring with a large metal spoon, add at least 2 1/4 cups of the water, or enough to bring together all of the ingredients into a soft ball. Adjust the flour and water as you mix as needed.
• Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead the dough for 12 to 15 minutes, continuing to adjust the flour and water to form a supple, tacky but not sticky dough. All of the ingredients should be evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test (page 58) and register 77° to 81°F. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• Ferment at room temperature for approximately 4 hours, or until the dough nearly doubles in size.
• Transfer the dough to the counter and gently form it into a large boule, as shown on page 72. Proof the dough in a banneton or prepare a proofing bowl large enough to hold the dough when it rises to nearly double in size. Place the dough, seam side up, in the banneton or bowl and mist the exposed part of the dough with spray oil. Cover with a cloth or plastic wrap.
• Proof at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, or until the dough grows 1 1/2 times in size, or retard overnight in the refrigerator. If you are retarding the dough, remove the dough from the refrigerator 4 hours before you plan to bake it.
• Prepare the oven for hearth baking as described on pages 91-94, making sure to have an empty steam pan in place. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Carefully remove the top layer of cloth or plastic wrap from the dough 10 minutes before baking.
• Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal. Gently turn out the dough onto the peel or pan, carefully removing the cloth liner off the dough, if using. Score the dough with a large pound sign, as shown below. Slide the dough onto the baking stone (or bake directly on the sheet pan). Pour 2 cups hot water into the steam pan and close the door. Immediately lower the oven setting to 450°F. After 25 minutes, rotate the loaf 180 degrees and lower the oven setting to 425°F. Continue to bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, until the dough registers 200°F in the center. The bread should be deeply browned. If the bottom seems to be getting too dark before the loaf reaches the desired temperature, place an inverted sheet pan under the bread to protect the bottom. Likewise, if the top gets too dark, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the loaf to shield it from the heat.
• Transfer the bread to a rack and let cool for at least 2 hours before slicing or serving. Store the bread in a brown paper bag. It should be good for 5 to 7 days.
• Lean, standard dough; indirect method; wild yeast
• Day 1: 4 to 6 hours firm starter Day 2: 1 hour to de-chill starter; 15 minutes mixing; 6 to 7 hours fermentation, shaping, and proofing; 55 to 65 minutes baking
• You can sift medium-grain whole-wheat flour to approximate the high-extraction whole-wheat flour of the Poilâne miche. Choose a flour, preferably hard spring or winter wheat, or one with a bread flour gluten specification of 11.5 to 13 percent. Pass it through a sieve or sifter. It is better not to use regular or fine-grind whole-wheat flour, as most of the bran passes right through the sieve. With the medium-grind, the smaller particles of bran and germ will sift through, but the largest pieces will remain in the sieve. These bran particles can be used for multigrain breads or as add-ins to country breads made from white flour. Another option is to blend half whole-wheat flour and half bread flour wherever the instructions call for sifted whole-wheat flour.
• Poilâne insists on using gray Normandy sea salt in his bread-he feels it makes a crucial difference. If you can get a hold of such salt, try it, but if not, proceed with any salt. Remember, the coarser the salt, the less it will weigh per teaspoon, so 1 teaspoon of table salt is equal to almost 2 teaspoons of coarse sea salt or kosher salt.
• Many of the people who tested this formula commented that the full-size miche was too heavy to handle easily. Feel free to divide this dough into 2 or even 3 smaller loaves-perhaps we should call them petits pains Poilâne-and reduce the baking time but not the temperature.
• According to M. Poilâne, this bread tastes best on the second or third day after it's baked. I prefer it about 3 hours after it comes out of the oven. Such is taste...
• Poilâne-Style Miche %
• (FIRM STARTER)
• Barm: 77.8%
• Whole-wheat flour: 100%
• Water (approx.): 44.4%
• Total: 222.2%
• (FINAL DOUGH)
• Firm starter: 62.5%
• Whole-wheat flour: 100%
• Salt: 2.5%
• Water (approx.): 62.5%
• Total: 227.5%