Harvest Bread with Poolish
Mix the poolish at 6pm, the dough at 8am, shape at 11am and bake at noon.
Poolish
- 250g white flour
- 250g lukewarm water
- 0.2g dried yeast (pinch)
Dough
- 200g white flour
- 50g wholewheat flour
- 140g warm water
- 10g fine salt
- 1.5g dried yeast
- 25g wheat germ
- 10g wheat bran
- Mix the poolish and cover overnight. It will triple 12-14 hours later and still be bubbling slightly.
- Mix the dry dough ingredients in a 12qt tub. Loosen the edges of the poolish with the warm water and pour into the tub.
- Mix with one wet hand, alternating pincering with folding once incorporated. Fold the dough (see tips) twice in the first hour.
- After 2-3 hours when over doubled in size shape into a medium-tight ball with floured hands and drop into a floured proofing basket. After one hour of proofing, test with a finger (see tips).
- Preheat the oven to 245C, with the dutch oven inside, 45 minutes before baking. Drop in the dough, score and bake while covered for 30 minutes. Then uncover for a further 20 minutes.
- Cool on a rack for at least half an hour before slicing.
tips
- To perform a "fold" reach under the dough with a moistened hand and pull a quarter of it out and up until you feel resistance, then fold it over to the other side of the dough. Repeat this four times working around the dough and then invert the dough so it is seam-side down.
- When proof-testing, push a finger 1/2 an inch in. It should not spring back immediately, it should not stay as it is. It should spring slowly and incompletely.
- Switch scoring for baking seam side up for an organic look.
- Check 5 minutes before finishing baking as it may be ready early.
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white flour 90%
wholewheat flour 10%
water 78%
salt 2%
dried yeast 0.34%
wheat germ 5%
wheat bran 2%
poolish **50%
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**: The poolish percentage shows the fraction of flour in it out of the total flour - its contents are included in the percentages above.