July 23, 2010 - 6:02am
Royal Crown's Tortano
This spectacular bread is made with bread and a little wholewheat flours, potato and a little honey. If you haven't made it yet, you've got to try it. It's fabulous!
- Elizabeth
my take on the recipe: Tortano, based on Royal Crown's Tortano in 'Artisan Baking Across America' by Maggie Glezer
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Comments
David
I have Glezer's book, I'll take a look at the recipe. Question re: shaping: Did you use a couronne banneton to shape it? If so, where did you get your banneton? I've been searching for a couronne banneton for quite some time and haven't been able to find one that didn't cost a king's ransom.
Howard
my post didn't post..must be those late hours! Your shaping and crumb is beautiful and it does look and sound delicious. I feel the same as Howard about buying the couronne banneton plus storage is getting cramped...still debating! Everytime I see one I think of a sombrero :))
Sylvia
Elizabeth,
Every time I see a beautiful Couronne bread such as yours, I think I should buy a properly shaped basket. Thank you for sharing.
Eric
Thank you all!!
I didn't use a shaping basket (and probably wouldn't even if I had one). I'm terrified of doing the transfer from basket to peel. That flip of the bread....
To shape this bread, I shaped it into a ball and put it seam side down on a parchment covered peel. I then scraped the flour that was left on the board and scattered it in a little heap over the center of the ball. I used my hands to make a hole in the center. Glezer’s words are best to describe how to make the hole: Push your fingers into the center to make a hole, the rotate your hand around the hole to widen it, making a large 4 inch opening. The bread should have about 12 inch diameter.”
Hope that made sense.
But if you're determined to use a couronne banneton, I seem to remember reading about how to fashion your own out of a regular basket. (Where was it??! Either Beranbaum's book or the internet - Jane's aulevain.fr site? SteveB's breadcetera.com site? - or maybe it was even Glezer's book.) Anyway, it was essentially to put a small bowl upside down in the basket and cover it over - bowl and basket - with a clean tea towel. Flour the towel and put the shaped ring in the basket. Not quite sure how you'd remove the bread to the peel without the bowl shifting all over the place though.
-Elizabeth
Appreciate the information. Now that you mentioned it, I do remember seeing something on how to make a courrone banneton in one of the bread baking books.
Howard
Hi Howard, good to see you back. Susanfnp shows how to make a banneton for a Couronne Bordelaise on her Wild Yeast site, Jan.31 2008. Just a wide basket, a cereal dish and a well floured teatowel. Neat looking couronne as well. A.
Thank you Annie!! Of course, THAT'S where I saw it. Here's the link.
-Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth, glad to help - I have it bookmarked but I'm ashamed to say I haven't ever tried it. Even found a suitable basket at a thrift store. One of these days, A.
It's nice to be back. Thanks for letting us know about Susanfnp's banneton ideas. I knew I had seen a home made banneton or work-around someplace. Again, thanks for sharing.
Howard
Eric on www.breadtopia has a video/explanation on making a couronne with a DIY banneton (similar to ejm's and AnnieT's descriptions). He also shows how to make a fancy couronne with the inner "leaves" overlying the couronne.