© 2022 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

© 2022 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

© 2022 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

© 2022 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

An exceptional bread, made with sourdough, with a fresh, smooth and tender crumb and cracking crispy crust. Using old bread to make new bread is certainly nothing new. The practice of adding an “old bread soaker” to dough has been used in Europe, especially Germany, for hundreds of years.
A soaker is when an ingredient soaks in water for a period of time. The process lasts anywhere between 2 and 20 hours before adding to the dough. It enhances the flavour of the ingredients, prevents dry ingredients from soaking up water in the dough, and allows large grains to be used for making bread. Typical ingredients that are soaked include grains (cracked, whole, flour and flakes), seeds and many more. Here I am using old bread that has been diced and toasted. It’s a great use for leftovers from previous bread and also gives a depth of flavour to the new breads with a moist crumb and helps the water absorption of the dough and thus, improve the shelf-life of the bread.
An autolyse(oh-toe-lease), aka autolyze, autolysis, or dough autolysis, is the gentle mixing of the flour and water in a bread recipe, followed by a 20 to 60 minute rest period before adding other ingredients. This hydrates the flour, which encourages enzymes to begin gluten development. Salt can be added at autolyse, along with your sourdough starter. Autolyse hydrates the flour, which encourages enzymes to begin gluten development, which makes the dough less sticky and more workable. Besides that, the bread using autholyse will look nicer, taste beter and keep longer.

1. Cube the old bread and place in a single layer on a baking tray. Bake in a 150C/300F oven for 30 minutes until dried and toasted.
2. Pour the boiling water over the diced and toasted stale bread and leave to soak for 4 - 12 hours. Puree the soft stale bread cubes with a stick blender to a mushy doughy mass. Stir the starter into the old bread puree and set aside for 12 - 16 hours at room temperature.
3. To autolyse the main dough, mix the starter with the splet flour and water. Mix on the lowest setting for about 5 minutes and leave to rest, covered, for 30-60 minutes.
4. After the autolyse, add in the remaining ingredients and knead the dough again on a higher speed for about 7-9 minutes to a rather soft, homogeneous, slightly sticky dough.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased pan. Cover the dough and let it rise for 75 minutes. Stretch and fold the dough after 25 minutes and after 50 minutes (with wet hands pull the dough up from the edge all around and fold it to the middle).
6. Turn the dough out onto the floured work surface and divide into three even pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball and let it rest, covered, for 15 minutes.
7. Flatten each dough ball on three sides with a rolling pin and roll these three "wings" slightly outwards. Fold the first "wing" upwards onto the bread, top with the second one, and finish with the third to form a triangle.
8. Place it on a baking tray lined with a parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining two dough balls. Dust the loaves with wheat flour and let them rise, covered, for 1 hour.
9. Preheat the oven to 250C/480F with a baking stone and a tray at the bottome of the oven for the steam.
10. Cut the breads parallel to each side and place them on the baking stone and pour a cup of water in the tray. Close the oven door immediately. Bake the bread for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 220C/430F. Open the oven door, so that the steam can escape. Bake for another 30minutes until they are golden brown and crisp. Remove the loaves and leave to cool on a wire rack.

© 2022 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

© 2022 | http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

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