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Ingredients
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Amt.
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Measure
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Ingredient
| | | | 3 | cups | flour unbleached (AP) | 1 1/2 | teaspoons | salt, table | 1/4 | teaspoon | yeast, instant | 1 | can or bottle (12 fl oz) | beer (dark or light, depending on your preferences |
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Steps
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Sequence
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Step
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| | 1 | Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and give a quick mix with a spoon or spatula. The measure of the flour does not have to be exact. I use a "scoop and shake" to get a cup. | | 2 | Slowly add the beer. It does not matter if it is cold or room temperature. I usually tip the bowl and push some of the dry mixture from one side and slowly poor the beer in the cleared area. It will foam, but that is fine. | | 3 | Stir the mixture until all ingrediants are incorporated. You should have a "shaggy", dry-ish ball when done. You will not need to mix more than a minute or so. | | 4 | You can leave the ball of dough you have created in the original mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Or, you can transfer to another bowl that you have applied a light coat of olive oil to. This will help in the next step when you remove the fermented, sticky dough from the bowl. I have done it both ways and found that using a spatula to release the dough from the original bowl is not very difficult, so I now save myself the extra bowl clean up. | | 5 | After covering with plastic wrap, just set on a counter and let sit. The time will vary according to environmental conditions (temperature, humidity), but generally 10-18 hours will be plenty of time. I have pushed it to 24 hours without a problem, but the house was fairly cool. There is an concern of "over-proofing", but I do not know exactly what that is or how you know when you have gotten there.
My routine has been to mix the dough in the evening, then sit the bowl on the counter. By the next morning it is expanded about twice its original size and bubbly on top (this means the fermentation process has proceeded as planned!). I then place the bowl in the refridgerator to slow the whole process down and hold the dough for when I get home. As I said above, I have also gotten away with just leaving it out until that following evening. | | 6 | There are several ways to proceed from here. I will describe the instructions from Jim Lahey''''''''s original recipe. Check the internet and YouTube for other variations. First, you turn out the dough to a lightly flowered surface (here''''''''s where I use the spatula or dough scraper to coax the dough out of the bowl). The dough will be quite sticky and stretchy. Very lightly dust the top with flour and coat your hands. Gently pat the dough out a bit, but do not press too much. Fold the dough over on itself 4 times, coming at it from a different direction each time, stretching it a bit each time to lengthen it for the fold (look up Lahey''s video on YouTube to see how he does it). Then, on a tea towel (do not use a terry cloth towel) you have pre-dusted (Lahey suggests flour, cornmeal, or bran - I always use cornmeal), lay the dough seam-side down. Dust again and either fold the towel over the top, or cover with plastic wrap. This can be left flat on the counter, although I like to place in a bowl that''''''''s a bit smaller than I mixed the dough in originally to help shape the ball. | | 7 | The dough will rise, untouched, for 1.5-2 hours. It will about double in size and be very resistant when slightly pressed with your finger (but don''t poke too hard, you don''t want to deflate what you just created!) about 1/2 hour before the rise is complete, place dutch oven (I use an enameled pot and gravitate towards my oval shaped one). Place the rack in a lower position, but I avoid the lowest. I vary from Lahey a bit here, as I preheat the oven at 500 degrees. Be sure to go the whole 1/2 hour with the dutch oven preheating. | | 8 | After the oven and dutch oven have preheated for 1/2 hour, carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven and place on a safe surface. Remove the lid. Gently lift the dough with the towel then, with the whole thing right next to the HOT dutch oven, flip/roll the dough into the pot so that the dough is now seam side up. If it didn''t land directly in the center (and it probably didn''t) it''s no problem. Using your pot holders, hold the handles of the dutch oven and gently shake the pot to center the dough. It should slide around rather easily. Replace the lid and place in the oven, turning the heat down to 425 degrees. | | 9 | Allow to bake, undisturbed, for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and let bake another 10-20 to brown and develop a crust (the variance is depending on your preference). When done internal temperature should be between 200-210 degrees), simply remove the dutch oven from the oven and flip the loaf out. Allow to cool on a rack for at least 1/2 hour before cutting into it. |
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