Beard on Bread (8 page)

In a bowl of at least 6-quart capacity or, better yet, in a stainless steel pan with straight sides and flat bottom, combine 2½ cups of flour (including any of the flours listed under “variations” below) with wheat germ, powdered milk, and salt. Stir well with a fork. When the yeast mixture has doubled in bulk and been deflated at least two times, add it to the dry ingredients in the large bowl along with the potato slurry. Stir 1 or 2 minutes with wooden spoon, until all the ingredients are blended. Cover with a cloth and set this second sponge aside in a warm, draft-free place to double in bulk, about 1½ to 1¾ hours.

Take 1 cup of flour and spread it into a 14-inch circle on a board at least 16 by 18 inches. Spoon out the bread dough onto the flour, then wash the bowl or pan the dough was in, and butter it liberally. Set bowl aside.

Take the last cup of flour, sprinkle some of it over the dough on the board, and begin to knead the dough, scooping it up from below and turning it over frequently to incorporate the flour. Add the remaining flour and knead vigorously until the dough is smooth and elastic. (The total kneading time will be 10 to 12 minutes.) Roll the ball of dough in the well-buttered bowl or pan to coat evenly. Cover with a cloth and set aside in a warm, draft-free place to double in bulk, about 1 to 1½ hours. Butter hands lightly, punch the dough down, divide in half, and form into 2 loaves. Place each in a buttered 9 × 5 × 3-inch baking pan. Cover with cloths and set aside in a warm, draft-free place to double in bulk, about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.

Arrange the pans on a single rack in the center of a preheated 450° oven. Reduce the heat immediately to 400° and bake for 40 minutes, or until the loaves are dark brown and rapping on top produces a hollow sound.

Turn the loaves out onto a wire rack to cool.

• Substitute for 1 cup of white flour any of the following: 1 cup stone-ground flour, 1 cup rye flour, 1 cup whole-wheat flour, or ½ cup rye and ½ cup whole-wheat.

Mr. Gohs twists the dough after it has been formed into a loaf, stretching it between his two hands and turning it clockwise several times at one end while turning counterclockwise at the other, in the way in which you would gently wring dut a towel. He then fits it into the pan. You will find that this gives an interesting and unusual texture to the bread.

French bread, as we all know, has been praised and prized above all other breads in the world for its distinctive crumb, crisp crust, and superb flavor. However, the carefully controlled preparation of it in commercial bakeries is difficult to duplicate in one’s own kitchen. If you are ready for the challenge, you should search out a recipe that is as complete as the one developed by Julia Child and Simone Beck for Volume 2 of
Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Their method seems tremendously complex but it is great fun to follow through to the final goal (and once mastered, not difficult to do again); the loaves are startlingly good and genuinely French.

The bread I am giving here is not truly French, and for that reason it is called “French-style.” Actually it could be called “Continental,” because it is very much like the bread one finds in Italy, Spain, and Portugal. It has also been known for many years as “Cuban bread.” It is a casual, easy-to-make bread that can be played with in several ways. If made according to the basic recipe below it produces a good loaf ready for eating almost the minute it comes from the oven. It will not hold for more than half a day but, of course,
can be frozen
.

[2 long loaves]

Combine the yeast with sugar and warm water in a large bowl and allow to proof. Mix the salt with the flour and add to the yeast mixture, a cup at a time, until you have a stiff dough. Remove to a lightly floured board and knead until no longer sticky, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary. Place in a buttered bowl and turn to coat the surface
with butter. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1½ to 2 hours.

Punch down the dough. Turn out on a floured board and shape into two long, French bread-style loaves. Place on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with the cornmeal but not buttered. Slash the tops of the loaves diagonally in two or three places, and brush with the egg wash. Place in a cold oven, set the temperature at 400°, and bake 35 minutes, or until well browned and hollow sounding when the tops are rapped.

• For a wheaten loaf, use half white flour and half whole-wheat flour.

• Substitute equal parts of whole-wheat flour and cracked wheat for half of the white flour.

• For a more involved, more tightly textured loaf: Use either the original recipe or the whole-wheat variation. After the first rising, remove from the bowl, punch down, and knead again for 5 to 10 minutes. Return to the buttered bowl for a second rising. When it has doubled in bulk, form into two loaves and place on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Slash with a sharp razor or knife, brush with slightly beaten egg white or water, and place in a cold oven set for 375° or 400°. Bake until nicely browned and hollow sounding when tapped with the knuckles.

• 
Line the oven rack with tiles
, preheat the oven to 400°, and slide your bread loaves from the baking sheet directly onto the tiles, which have been sprinkled with cornmeal.

• Add to the liquid in the first step 4 to 5 tablespoons olive oil and then proceed with either the original recipe or the whole-wheat variation. You may need to use a small additional amount of flour.

• Use ⅓ white flour, ⅓ whole-wheat, and ⅓ cracked-wheat. This will give a very nice coarse, nutlike texture to the bread. With this mixture I would advise adding olive oil in the beginning to give tenderness.

This is the white bread frequently used for sandwiches, a four-square loaf that has delicate texture, a fine crumb, and good flavor. It is made in a special pan with a sliding lid at the top that keeps the bread in shape as it bakes. If you do not have this type of pan, you can bake it in an ordinary pan, covered with tinfoil and lightly weighted with tiles or similar weights. However, the tins are easily available in restaurant and baking supply houses and are not expensive. This is a beautiful toasting bread, and if correctly made, it can be sliced paper thin. In addition to its excellence for sandwiches and toast, it is useful for croutons, crumbs, rolled sandwiches, little canapés, and hors d’oeuvres.

[1 large loaf]

Dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of the warm water with the sugar, and let it proof. Combine 6 cups of the flour with the salt in a large bowl. Using two knives, cut the butter into the flour and salt, being careful not to overwork it. (Or using your hands, squeeze pieces of the butter into the flour very carefully.) Place the yeast mixture in a large mixing bowl and add ½ cup warm water. Then add the flour-and-butter mixture, incorporating it with one hand only and using the remaining water to create a stiff, sticky dough. Turn the dough out on a floured board and work it hard for a good 10 minutes: slap it, beat it, punch it, and give it a thorough kneading. When finally smooth, let rest for a few minutes, then shape into a ball. Place in a well-buttered bowl, turn to coat the surface, cover, and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 1½ hours.

Punch the dough down and let rise for 3 to 4 minutes, then knead again vigorously for 3 or 4 minutes. Shape into a ball and put back in the
buttered bowl to rise again, from 45 minutes to 1 hour. Punch the dough down and let rest another 3 or 4 minutes. Knead a third time and then shape carefully into a loaf to fit a well-buttered 13½ × 4 × 3¾-inch pan. Let rise until almost doubled in bulk, approximately 1 hour. Butter the inside of the lid, if you are using a pullman tin, or butter a piece of foil, cover (weight if using foil), and place in a preheated 400° oven. Turn the heat down immediately to 375°. After 30 minutes turn the tin on one side for 5 minutes and then on the other side for 5 minutes. Set it upright again, and remove the lid; the bread should have risen to the top of the pan. (If using foil and weights, remove both at this point.)

Continue to bake until it is a golden brown, which will take about 12 to 15 minutes more. Turn the loaf out of the pan and put it directly on the rack of the oven to bake for a few minutes longer, until the bread is a beautiful color and sounds hollow when tapped with the knuckles. Let it cool thoroughly on a rack before slicing.