Introduction to Pâtisserie - Bread!
But, it's not just ordinary Bread!
It's made-with-fancy-expensive-flour Rustic French Bread!
Campaillou seems to be a kind of country French bread with a light, open texture and a slightly malty flavour that comes from a mixture of white and rye flours. The miller Grands Moulins de Paris makes a wheat/rye blend campaillou-inspired flour called, inspiringly enough, Campaillou, which here we use in the starter or biga as it is called in Italian. The rest of our dough is made from strong bread flour and Grands Moulins de Paris' high protein, super-fine Gruau Rouge T45 wheat flour. AKA the Red Oatmeal.
The French T system of classification for flours is based on the amount of residue (ash) which remains after high-temperature incineration of the flour:
It's made-with-fancy-expensive-flour Rustic French Bread!
Campaillou seems to be a kind of country French bread with a light, open texture and a slightly malty flavour that comes from a mixture of white and rye flours. The miller Grands Moulins de Paris makes a wheat/rye blend campaillou-inspired flour called, inspiringly enough, Campaillou, which here we use in the starter or biga as it is called in Italian. The rest of our dough is made from strong bread flour and Grands Moulins de Paris' high protein, super-fine Gruau Rouge T45 wheat flour. AKA the Red Oatmeal.
The French T system of classification for flours is based on the amount of residue (ash) which remains after high-temperature incineration of the flour:
- Type 45 (T45) is the lowest and whitest flour with around 0.45% of the weight of original flour remaining after burning.
- Type 150 (T150) would be the highest most bran-filled wholemeal flour leaving a residue of around 1.50% of the original weight after burning. If there even is such a dense cement, er, flour available.
menu
Rustic Loaf
bread
Bakers often make cuts or slashes in their loaves, one or several, perhaps in the shape of a cross.
These are called grigne from the French for a grin and may sometimes be amusingly referred to as gringes by us gringos 🙂. These cuts help the bread to expand (or bloom) in the oven giving a more open crumb.
The sides of the cuts are known as the ears when they curl up and go crispy or blacken.
My own loaf, baked at home on maximum heat after refrigerating for three days, produced a good crunchy crust and tasted very good. But it didn't rise anything like as enthusiastically as the class loaves.
Aaron blamed my oven.
These are called grigne from the French for a grin and may sometimes be amusingly referred to as gringes by us gringos 🙂. These cuts help the bread to expand (or bloom) in the oven giving a more open crumb.
The sides of the cuts are known as the ears when they curl up and go crispy or blacken.
My own loaf, baked at home on maximum heat after refrigerating for three days, produced a good crunchy crust and tasted very good. But it didn't rise anything like as enthusiastically as the class loaves.
Aaron blamed my oven.
Makes 1 Large Loaf
Ingredients
For the Biga:- 340g cool water
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 177g T45 flour
- 53g campaillou flour
For the Dough:- the biga
- 12g table salt
- 270g strong flour
- 74g T45 flour an oddly specific weight!
To make the Biga:
Weigh your flours or measure them by gently spooning it into a cup then sweeping off any excess.
Mix the biga ingredients together and let rest at room temperature, covered, for 3-4 hours or overnight.
To make the Dough:
Mix the salt and the dough flours. Add them to the biga. Mix, slap and knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat its surface with oil.
Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1½-2 hours, until doubled in size.
Place a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, or into an ovenproof crock.
Cover and let rise for about 1 hour.
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 200°C
Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes, until it's a deep golden brown.
Remove it from the oven and place it on a rack to cool.
Cool completely before slicing.
Weigh your flours or measure them by gently spooning it into a cup then sweeping off any excess.
Mix the biga ingredients together and let rest at room temperature, covered, for 3-4 hours or overnight.
We just left ours for 20 mins for the class.
To make the Dough:
Mix the salt and the dough flours. Add them to the biga. Mix, slap and knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat its surface with oil.
Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1½-2 hours, until doubled in size.
According to Aaron's instructions what we should do for the rustic loaf is to keep the dough cold, in the fridge, for 2-3 days.
What I learned is that it's a good idea to oil the dough ball first, if you're ever to have any hope of separating the dough from the Tupperware container you're keeping it in.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface, and from into a ball.What I learned is that it's a good idea to oil the dough ball first, if you're ever to have any hope of separating the dough from the Tupperware container you're keeping it in.
Place a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, or into an ovenproof crock.
Cover and let rise for about 1 hour.
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 200°C
For the rustic loaf dough we made, and took home to chill, Aaron suggest pre-heating the oven to its maximum with an oven-proof dish on the shelf below where the bread is going.
Lightly oil a surface (or cling-film cover), turn out the dough from the fridge and gently spread the dough out a little, without knocking it back.
Leave it to prove at room temperature for 40-60 minutes, making a couple of deep slashes in the surface at some point. (Opinions differ on whether this should be done at the start or the end of the rising time.)
Lightly flour a sheet of parchment, transfer the dough to it, and flour the top of the dough.
Lay the parchment with its loaf onto a pizza stone or an upturned rimmed baking sheet, and when you slide it into the oven pour boiling water into the dish underneath then close the door. The steam will help to keep the outer skin of the rising loaf pliable and stretchy so the bread can expand to its full potential.
Bake for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden, even blackened in places depending on how you like it.
Remove and place on a rack to cool.
Ignore the general instructions below from the class printout...
Uncover the loaf, and gently but firmly slash it across the top Aaron's cuts were really deep,
then spritz it with water.Lightly oil a surface (or cling-film cover), turn out the dough from the fridge and gently spread the dough out a little, without knocking it back.
Leave it to prove at room temperature for 40-60 minutes, making a couple of deep slashes in the surface at some point. (Opinions differ on whether this should be done at the start or the end of the rising time.)
Lightly flour a sheet of parchment, transfer the dough to it, and flour the top of the dough.
Lay the parchment with its loaf onto a pizza stone or an upturned rimmed baking sheet, and when you slide it into the oven pour boiling water into the dish underneath then close the door. The steam will help to keep the outer skin of the rising loaf pliable and stretchy so the bread can expand to its full potential.
Bake for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden, even blackened in places depending on how you like it.
Remove and place on a rack to cool.
Ignore the general instructions below from the class printout...
Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes, until it's a deep golden brown.
Remove it from the oven and place it on a rack to cool.
Cool completely before slicing.
Delicious stuff - though the open crumb and giant holes will render it completely unsuitable for making sandwiches!
Even though you may be tempted, don't cut into it while it's even slightly hot or you'll kill this important rising and drying phase.
Just warm is OK though.
Even though you may be tempted, don't cut into it while it's even slightly hot or you'll kill this important rising and drying phase.
Just warm is OK though.