Sunday, August 15, 2010

Nancy Silverton's La Brea Bakery Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

This bread uses a white starter. If you already maintain a sourdough starter, use it here. If you don't have one, you'll have to start one to make this bread. You can do research online for how to make a sourdough starter if you'd like to begin one. Feel free to half the recipe and make just one loaf.


Two-Day Bread--First day:

MAKES TWO APPROX. 1 POUND 11 OZ. BOULES

--1 pound plus 2 oz. (about 2 1/4 cups) cool water, 70 degrees F
--12.5 oz (about 1 1/3 cups) White Starter
--2 pounds plus 2 oz. (about 7 cups)unbleached white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
--1/2 cup raw wheat germ
--3.5 tsp. sea salt
--1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
--4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
--Vegetable oil

Place water, white starter, flour, and wheat germ in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed for 4 min. The dough should be sticky and pliable. You may also mix the dough by hand, if you choose. Cover the dough with a proofing cloth and allow to rest in mixing bowl for 20 min.

Add salt and continue mixing for 4 min. on medium speed, scraping the dough down the sides of the bowl as necessary with a rubber spatula. Add rosemary and olive oil and mix on medium speed until the ingredients are incorporated and the dough reaches an internal temperature of 78 degrees F, about 5 minutes more. Remove dough from mixing bowl. It should feel soft and resilient. Knead the dough for a few minutes by hand on a lightly floured surface. Lightly coat a large bowl with vegetable oil. Place the dough in the oiled bowl, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and let it ferment at room temperature until it doubles in volume, about 3-4 hours.

Uncover the dough and turn it out on a lightly floured surface. Using a dough cutter, cut the dough into two equal pieces. Slap each piece against the work surface a few times to deflate. Tuck under the edges of each piece, cover the dough with a cloth, and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Uncover the dough and round each piece into a boule. Place the boules smooth side down into floured proofing baskets. Cover each basket with a cloth and let the dough proof at room temperature until it begins to show signs of movement (it should rise about 1 inch), 1.5 to 2 hours.

Remove the cloth and sprinkle surface of dough with flour. Wrap each basket tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.


Second day:

Remove the boules from the fridge, take off plastic and cover baskets with cloths. Let dough continue proofing at room temp. until internal dough temp. is 58 degrees F, about 2 to 2.5 hours.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees 1 hour before baking.

Remove the cloth and lightly dust the boules with flour. Carefully run your hand around one boule to loosen it and gently invert it onto a lightly floured baker's peel. Score a tic-tac-toe pattern on top of the boule. Open the oven door, spritz heavily with hot water from a spray bottle, and quickly close the door. Open the oven door again, slide the boule onto the baking tiles, and quickly close the door. Do the same with the second boule.

Reduce oven temp. to 450 degrees. Spritz oven two more times during the next 5 minutes. Refrain from opening the oven door for the next 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, check the boules and rotate them if necessary to ensure even baking. Continue baking for 15 to 20 more minutes, for a total of 40 to 45 minutes.

Remove boules to a cooling rack. The finished boules will have a rich brown color.

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