I started out by scaling the water for my poolish and adding the IDY, something I've done before. The summertime indoor temperature in Casa de PG is usually about 78F so I knew that wouldn't take long to develop. The WWW was used because I was at the end of the bag and had a recently purchased bag from Hodgson Mill, waiting for use in the fridge downstairs. After only five hours I could see that the poolish had grown, there gas bubbles visible but the top wasn't full of bubbles as I usually see when using AP flour. Nevertheless, I persisted.
So I added the poolish to my big ol' Pyrex mixing bowl, added the rest of the water, let the next bit of IDY hydrate in that, and mixed in the main dough flour combination. After letting the dough rest for twenty minutes, I finally added the salt, mixed the dough by hand to make sure everything was well acquainted, and waited to see if the dough would be off to the races.
Yes indeed, the dough was active. After two hours and a couple of stretch and folds, it was ready for shaping. I shaped the dough, put it in the pan, and promptly put that covered dough in my upstairs fridge for an overnight stay. Some twelve or so hours later when I pulled the pan out of the fridge, it had already crowned to about 3/4 inches above the rim. I let the dough rest on the counter for about an hour, then baked, and left it on a wire rack to cool while I went to the gym in hopes that I could burn some calories before I got into the loaf.
That didn't work out as planned because I had forgotten to account for Mrs PG finding the now finished loaf irresistible. That's why I don't have a complete loaf in the picture. However, the bread does taste good and is a bit on the soft side, probably due to the fact that I added some AP flour for the main dough.All it takes to deal with that is a seriously sharp slicing knife and a good eye to make sure the slices are thick enough. Using the WWW in the poolish once again works because unless someone watches the preparation, they won't notice the slight difference in the color of the crumb. Hydrating the IDY in both stages worked as well because I found that I could use a minimal amount of yeast and need a minimal amount of hands on time as long as I kept one eye on the dough.
Poolish
55 g white whole wheat flour
55 g water at 95F
1/8 tsp instant dry yeast
Main Dough
200 g bread flour
130 g unbleached all purpose flour
220 g water at 95F
9 g kosher salt
1/2 tsp instant dry yeast
Like many other residents here on the Middle Coast, I'm find myself oftentimes in a conflict between what I should be doing outside and what can be done. The unusual amount of rainfall has made the usual time frames useless. The Johnson County KS extension agent recently used one of his columns in the KC Star newspaper to remind gardeners to consider adding extra fertilizer for their heavy feeding plants because their initial and subsequent feedings were probably washed away or too diluted to contribute. The rainfall may also lead to problems with blights or fungal diseases as well.
My garden finally kicked the lettuce into production levels almost overnight and I know we won't be able to finish it all before the plantings begin to bolt. Usually I can brag about ripe tomatoes by the 4th of July celebration but this doesn't look like it will be one of those years. I guess my sweet pepper plant, which has a few fruit worth picking, will have to do. The garlic looks like it has another week until I can start digging it up.
Outside my window here, our bird feeder has a new visitor in the form of a catbird. It's a rather dull looking bird in that its feathers are mostly shades of brown. It doesn't seem to sing at all but it does have a voice that seems to cry out like a distressed or bored cat, hence the name.
During the rest of this summer, I'll occasionally be working a focaccia recipe using KAF "00" flour mixed in with some AP. I tried it out this past week in a batch big enough to divide into two nine inch cake pans and I think what it needs is some chopped rosemary for a topping. I'll just have to discipline or tease the rosemary plant in my garden into cooperation for that.
Comments, humor, and questions are welcome.
