It was at Romeo's restaurant under chef, Michel Reulan, that I learnt to bake bread. It was the only daily bread-making I have done professionally. I think the main reason why bread-making in commercial kitchens is not more widespread is lack of a decent mixer. Without a good mixer, making bread is just time-consuming drudge - it requires, in total, about 30 minutes of kneading and shaping for every 3 or 4 kg of dough.
At Romeo's, we had a floor-stand Hobart mixer with a several horsepower, 3-phase motor. I have been lucky enough to have been given a magnificent bench-stand mixer to exercise my art. I calculate a payback period of about 2 years of bread baking rather than bread buying, and I think that's great value.
I have heard that sourdough bread-making has become quite a trendy thing to do during the pandemic. Like many fermentation arts, the sense of mystery, rather than being dispelled by this renewed popularity, seems to have ramped up. Let me start by saying that there is no mystery - yeast and lactic acid bacteria are everywhere. Leave a water and flour slurry out in the open for a couple of days and it will start to ferment.
Such a wild ferment can be a bit touch and go. We are lucky enough to have other sources, be that a friend with a long-lived sourdough culture, or a commercially prepared culture. I have ordered a freeze-dried culture from https://www.greenlivingaustralia.com.au/sourdough-culture - but I haven't tried it yet. I started mine by saving some dough from my first batch and inoculating it with some sauerkraut juice for some lactic acid bacteria.
Similarly, don't stress too much about keeping it alive. Of course, any microbial community has optimal conditions, but this is life, and life's goal is to survive. Once you make your first dough, just keep some aside, add a some extra liquid and keep it in the fridge. So long as you make another batch within a week or two, it should be fine. It will give off sour, yeasty, alcohol smells. It may even go slightly rank, but unless it is really stinky or there are obvious signs of mould, the culture should be fine.
We are also lucky enough to have access to freeze-dried yeast as a raising agent. This hasn't always been the case, in fact, the sourdough culture was the raising agent and the only method bakers in times gone by had for keeping their yeast fresh.
- 500g flour
- 150g wholemeal flour
- 350g strong plain flour - look for something >11% protein. If not available, use slightly less water
- 400g sourdough
- 300g water
- 10g salt
- 7g (about a teaspoon) freeze-dried yeast (yes, yeast - I want the sour culture for flavour, not for leavening. Besides, my culture is just too young)
- If you have a sourdough already, take it out of the fridge 12-24 hours before making your bread.
- Mix everything together
- Knead for 10 minutes
- Prove until doubled in size - about 30-45 minutes
- Knead for 10 minutes
- I often prove again for another 30-45 minutes, but this is optional
- Reserve 400g of dough for next sourdough
- Preheat oven to 200C
- Shape the bread gently - usually into a round. There is lots of advice on YouTube about this step, but you are aiming for a smoothly stretched top and a well-sealed bottom.
- Put the dough in/on the vessel you plan to cook it in. Dust the top of the loaf with flour, then slash open the bread with a sharp knife to a depth of about 2cm.
- Prove dough for 30-45 minutes - near, or on top of the oven is a good spot
- Now go back to your reserved dough - add 100 ml of water and mix in a bowl until it becomes a batter instead of a dough. Refrigerate this for next time.
- Turn the oven up to 250C. Add a small tray of water to the oven
- Use a spray bottle to mist the dough with water
- Bake the dough for 30 minutes - shorter if you are making baguettes or buns
- Cool quickly on a rack
Some people might call this a pre-ferment rather than a sourdough. I'm not going to engage in puritanical debate. I find this method a good compromise between flavour and effort.
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