Mini Baguettes and the Train around London

When I visited the UK last year, I toured around London with my son on the train system. It was definitely an experience! Not a bad one just a little hectic at times trying to make sure we were on the right line and knew which stop to take so we didn’t miss our next transfer. 

I decided it was best not to rent a car while I was over there because 1) I had never been to London; 2) I’m directionally challenged at the best of times; and 3) they drive on a different side of the road than we do in America. It was confusing enough just figuring out which way the cars would be coming at you when you wanted to cross the street. You can laugh all you want, but they actually have signs in a lot of areas that tell you which direction traffic is coming from. Good thing too.

We utilized the London transit system and as a result, were able to enjoy a totally different view of London. The train stations were so big, they reminded me of an airport.

In these stations, they had all sorts of shops and places to eat. This made things very convenient. While you were waiting to catch the train, you could shop and have lunch. Or bring your food to enjoy on the train ride. This might seem silly, but I’m used to MARTA, the Atlanta rapid transit system, and you don’t eat on those trains. Well some people do, but that’s another story.

I really liked the sandwiches over there. I love bread, but I’ve never been a big sandwich eater, mainly because I don’t like mayonnaise. I’ve also never been fond of the infamous BLT sandwich nor do I enjoy ketchup, but I like mustard. I also like PB&J sandwiches, egg salad, tuna salad and some ham and turkey sandwiches, but only if they are spread with mustard. Well it just so happens that they eat mustard over there. It’s a different mustard, but mustard just the same. I was okay with that!

While we were waiting on a train one day, we went in a place to eat and found these sandwiches made with mini baguettes (photo above). They had all different kinds, but I enjoyed the one filled with tuna.

I liked the sandwich so much I decided to recreate it when I got home. I finally got around to making some this past weekend.

These mini baguettes are very easy and can be made in about 4 hours, not including the overnight Pâte Fermentée. Since I made these with KAMUT all-purpose white flour, I had to adjust the hydration in the final dough. Instead of 70% hydration, these are about 84% hydration, but keep in mind that KAMUT flour is more absorbent than regular bread flour so if you use regular bread flour, you might want to reduce the hydration to 70-75%.

 

Mini Pâte Fermentée Baguettes with KAMUT

Adapted from: The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking by The French Culinary Institute

Yield: 4 Small Baguettes

Ingredient	Amount	Baker’s %
Pâte Fermentée*
All-purpose White KAMUT flour	25 grams	100%
Water	17 grams	68%
Kosher salt	pinch	2%
Instant yeast	pinch	2%
Final Dough:
All-purpose White KAMUT flour	385 grams	100%
Water	325 grams	84%
Kosher salt	7.5 grams	2%
Instant yeast	1 grams	.25%
Pâte Fermentée	42 grams	11%
Total	760.5 grams	197.25%

* The formulas for Pâte Fermentée seem to make way too much for one batch so I reduced the formula by 4.

 

Making the Pâte Fermentée: 

Combine the KAMUT flour, salt, yeast and water in a small bowl. Mix by hand until completely blended and knead a minute on the counter. It will be quite stiff. Place it back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest in the refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight.

The next day, remove the Pâte Fermentée from the refrigerator, cut it into several pieces, cover the pieces with plastic wrap, and let them warm up to room temperature before mixing into the dough.

 

Autolyse:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the KAMUT flour and water using a dough hook. Mix on low speed until the mixture is blended. Turn the mixer off and let the dough autolyse for 15 minutes.

Mix:

Add the salt, yeast and Pâte Fermentée and mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes.  Increase the speed and mix for about 5 minutes, or until the dough comes together but is still slightly sticky. 

Bulk Rise:

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it ferment at room temperature for 1 hour.

After an hour, uncover the dough and fold it.  Cover the dough again with plastic wrap and let it ferment for 1 hour.

 

Prepare the Oven:

An hour before you plan to bake the loaf, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. with a baking stone on the bottom rack and a steam pan or iron skillet on the top rack.

Divide and Bench Rest:

Lightly flour a work surface. Uncover the dough and divide it into four 6.50oz pieces. Shape the pieces into rough logs, cover with plastic wrap and let them bench rest for 15 minutes.

 

Shape and Final Proof:

Uncover the dough again and lightly flour surface again if necessary.  Gently press and shape the dough into a baguette.

Place each baguette seam-side down on a floured baker’s couche and bring up the folds of the couche to hold the shape of the loaves. Cover with plastic wrap and let them proof for 30 minutes.

 

Score and Bake:

Uncover the dough again and score them using a lame or razor. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the loaves before scoring so you don’t drag the lame.

Carefully transfer the loaves to the preheated baking stone. I used my pizza peel and one of the loaves got a little stuck so it ended up with curved shape.

 

Add several ice cubes to the steam pan or iron skillet and immediately close the oven door. Bake, with the steam, for 25 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown in color. The sides should be firm and the bottom should sound hollow when thumped.

Cool:

Remove the loaves to wire rack to cool.

 

I made tuna sandwiches with these loaves.  The photo of the sandwich didn’t turn our very well, but here is a picture of the crumb.

 

I’m submitting these baguettes to Bread Baking Day #66, Ultimate Baguettes hosted by Karin from Food for Angels and Devils. 

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Fougasse and Dinner for 8

Fougasse with Olives is another one of the Mellow Bakers’ November breads.  It is a dense, crusty French loaf with an unusual shape and a pronounced flavor. I made the leaf version for my Dinner for 8 group this past weekend. We get together every month for dinner at someone’s house or a restaurant. This month, Sue hosted the dinner. She has a gorgeous house full of antiques.We thoroughly enjoyed going from room to room viewing all of her lovely collectibles and playing a fun game after dinner. 

Originally, I was going to make rolls for the dinner, but I woke up early on Saturday and realized I had time to make the Fougasse. I thought it would make a lovely and festive addition to the table. It did!  Everyone thought the shape was really unique and they kept asking me what it was called. 

Everyone say it with me “fougasse!” 

I like the shape and cuts of the Fougasse in the photo above, but I rolled the dough out too thin so it got a wee bit too crispy in places. I didn’t share this loaf with the dinner group. I’ve been enjoying it with a salad for lunch the past few days.

The loaf in the photo above is the one that came with me to the party. It looks a little pale in this photo, but it looked lovely on Sue’s counter before we ate it.

 

Recipe for Fougasse (without Olives)

Makes: Two loaves

Adapted from Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman

I omitted the olives and included some Herbes de Provence instead. I used a mixture of all-purpose and bread flour and a little bit of Kamut. It turned out to be a very light-colored bread. Next time, I’ll try it with bread flour and whole wheat flour to see the difference.

Ingredients:

Pâte Fermentée:

• 2.15 oz (1/2 cup) bread flour
• 2.15 oz (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
• 2.8 oz (3/8 cup) water
• .09 oz (1/2 tsp) salt
• .002 oz, instant dry yeast (a small pinch)

Final Dough:

• 5.65 oz (2 1/8 cups) bread flour
• 5.65 oz (2 1/8 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1.7 oz (3/8 cup) Kamut (or whole wheat) flour
• 9 oz (1 1/8 cups) water
• .4 oz (2 tsp) salt (I didn’t add olives, so I increased the salt by 1 tsp)
• .05 oz (1/2 tsp) instant dry yeast
• 3 tsp Herbes de Provence
• .9 oz (2 T) extra-virgin olive oil
• Pâte Fermentée all of the above (7.2 oz)

 

Directions:

Making the Pâte Fermentée

Disperse the yeast in the water, add the flours and salt and stir until everything comes together and makes a coarse ball. Adjust the flour or water as necessary to ensure the dough is neither too sticky nor too stiff. 

Transfer the dough to a counter sprinkled with flour.Knead the dough until it is soft and pliable, tacky but not sticky. About 4 to 6 minutes by hand or 4 minutes using the stand mixer.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and roll it around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it ferment at room temperature for two hours. You can use the preferment at this time or place it in the refrigerator for up to three days.

 

Mixing the Dough

Cut the Pâte Fermentée into about 10 small pieces with a pastry scraper.

Add all of the ingredients, except for the Pâte Fermentée and the olive oil, in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer.  Using a spiral mixer, mix on first speed for 3 minutes in order to incorporate the ingredients.  Add the Pâte Fermentée in chunks.

Adjust the hydration of the dough as necessary by adding additional flour or water. The dough should be medium consistency at this point. Drizzle in the olive oil.  Mix on second speed for an additional 5 to 6 minutes until the dough has moderate gluten development. The desired dough temperature is 76 degrees F.

 

Bulk Fermentation

Let the dough ferment for 2 hours and fold the dough after 1 hour of bulk fermentation.

• To learn how to fold the dough, refer to the French Bread bloopers post.
• Or, use the Tartine Method of turning the dough in the bowl. I used the Tartine method for this dough.

 

Dividing and Shaping the Loaves

Divide the dough into 1-pound pieces.  My pieces were slightly less than 1 pound since I didn’t include the 1/4 cup of olives.

 

Round the loaves lightly and place on a floured bench with the seams down.  Cover with plastic and let them rest for about 20 minutes. 

 

Final Fermentation

When the balls have relaxed sufficiently, use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into an oval shape.

 

Cover the ovals with plastic and let them proof for about an hour at 76 degrees F.

 

After the dough has risen, begin the final shaping. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with a baking stone on the middle shelf and a steam pan underneath.

Shaping the Fougasse Leaves

Pick up the dough and stretch it gently so that it is about half again as long as it was.   Now, shape it into a long triangle with a base about half the length of the height. Using a pizza wheel or a paring knife, cut several diagonal slices into the dough. Stretch the dough some more, so the cuts are open. I tried doing this on the counter, but it lost its shape when I moved it so I put the ovals on parchment paper, then made the slices and it worked much better.

 

 

Baking the Loaves

Place the loaves (on the parchment paper) on the hot baking stone using a baker’s peel or the back of a baking sheet. Fill the steam pan with hot water and close the door of the oven.  Spray the walls of the oven with a spray bottle filled with water about 3 times during the first few minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.  Let the loaves bake for about 20 minutes until the loaves richly colored and crusty, but still have some give when squeezed.  I didn’t bake my loaves quite that long because they were starting to burn in places.  I took them out while they still had some “give” so they ended up being lighter in color.

 

By the time I transported the loaf to the dinner party, it had cooled off so it was a little chewy, not crispy, but the flavor was really good and I thought it went really well with the rest of the meal. 

 

You might also enjoy rustic ladder-shaped fougasse.

 

Mellow Bakers was started by Paul at Yumarama. We’re baking breads from Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Sprouted KAMUT Bread

The grain of the month for June is KAMUT®. KAMUT® is the name of the brand and not the wheat. The wheat is “khorasan” wheat.

To assure the quality of the organic, heirloom grain, khorasan, the wheat was trademarked KAMUT®. The word “kamut” comes from the ancient Egyptian word for “wheat.”  Isn’t that cool!

Khorasan is related to Durum. Both grains descended from Emmer. Khorasan is high in protein, with a sweet aroma and a chewy texture. The kernels are amber in color and almost translucent. 

 

 

I got some KAMUT® grains from the farmers market and ground them into flour.  As you can see from the photo below, KAMUT® grains (on the left) are much bigger (about 2 to 3 times) than white winter wheat berries (on the right).

 

 

KAMUT® Brand khorasan flour is beautiful and creamy-looking.  It reminds me of semolina, but it’s not as coarse or grainy.

 

 

This is what the white winter wheat looks like ground into flour.

 

 

Sprouted KAMUT Bread Recipe

Adapted from The Pleasure of Whole-Grain Breads by Beth Hensperger

Makes: 1 loaf

The notes in the book suggest using 7/8 cup of KAMUT® Brand khorasan flour to 1 cup of whole wheat flour in breads.  For this particular recipe, I substituted 1/2 cup of KAMUT® flour for 1/2 cup of whole wheat and an additional 1 cup of KAMUT® flour for 1 cup of bread flour for a total of 1 1/2 cups of KAMUT® flour.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup warm water
• 3/4 tablespoons active dry yeast
• Pinch of sugar
• Pinch of ginger
• 1 1/2 cups KAMUT® Brand khorasan flour
• 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/8 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sprouted KAMUT® berries, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups bread flour
• Wheat germ, for sprinkling (optional)
• Melted butter, for brushing

 

Directions:

Step 1: Sprouting the KAMUT® Berries

Duration: 2 to 3 days

Makes: 1 cup

1/4 cup raw KAMUT® berries

Place the KAMUT® berries in a bowl and add tepid water to cover by 1 inch.  Let stand at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours.

 

 

Drain the KAMUT® berries and rinse with fresh water.  Place in a 1-quart jar.  Cover with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band. 

Place the jar on its side in a warm, dark place. Twice a day, rinse and drain the berries with tepid water poured through the cheesecloth. 

 

 

After 2 to 3 days, the berries will sprout.  Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 3 days. Since it summer, I only had to sprout the berries for about a day, then I dried them on a towel and refrigerated them for a couple of days until I was ready to bake the bread.

When you’re ready to bake the bread, grind the berries in a food processor or blender. Be careful not to over process; the berries should be chunky.

 

Step 2: Making the Bread

Pour 1/2 cup warm water into a small bowl.  Sprinkle the yeast, sugar, and ginger over the water. Stir to dissolve and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl using a whisk or in the bowl of your mixer, combine the KAMUT® flour, milk powder, and salt.

Add the warm water, honey, and 4 tablespoons butter. Mix or beat for 1 minute.

Add the yeast mixture and beat 1 minute longer. Add all the KAMUT® berries and the bread flour, 1/2 cup a a time, beating on low speed until a soft dough that just clears the sides of the bowl forms, switching to a wooden spoon when necessary if making by hand.  I mixed the dough by hand using a Danish dough whisk.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and spongy, 1 to 2 minutes for a machine mixed dough and 3 to 4 minutes for a hand-mixed dough, dusting with flour only 1 tablespoon at a time, just enough as needed to prevent sticking.

Place in a lightly greased deep container, turn once to coat the top with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

 

Grease a 8-by-4-inch loaf pan and sprinkle the bottom and sides with wheat germ.  Turn the dough out onto the work surface and shape it into a loaf.

Flatten each piece out on the counter and pat each portion into a rectangle and roll- into a loaf shape.

Press the seam closed with your fingers and place, seam side down, into the prepared pan.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until level with the rims of the pans, about 1 hour.

About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and position a rack in the center of the oven. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until crusty and golden. Remove the loaf from the pan to cool on a rack and brush the top with melted butter. 

Let the loaf cool, then slice and enjoy. 

 

I like this bread, it is a little bit chewy and it taste great toasted with butter and/or spread with jam.  However, I couldn’t quite distinguish the KAMUT® flavor.  It just tasted like wheat to me (which is not a bad thing because I happen to like wheat).

This bread has been YeastSpotted. Please visit Wild Yeast to view all of the lovely breads in the roundup.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy