Development Day Work with Nigel, 13th March 2012

  Development Day Work with Nigel, 13th March 2012

My friend Nigel came to meet me at Newcastle’s Central Station on Tuesday morning, early enough for us to get a full day of baking done.   I had arrived on the train, lugging a huge hold-all full of sourdoughs, leavens and various bits of baking kit, flour, etc.   Nigel had fired his oven the evening before, and a new  fire was roaring in it when we arrived at his house ready to start.

We reviewed my choice of recipes, looked over samples I had brought and then mixed these 2 doughs straightaway.   After that we talked through Nigel’s ideas and constructed recipes for him to work with.   Before he got started on these, we made a Ciabatta dough to turn into focaccia for our lunch.

The day progressed very well indeed.   We did all the preparation up in his kitchen using a 20 quart Hobart machine with the additional luxury of a 10 quart bowl being very useful to keep the mixing going.   All the doughs were given around 2 hours of bulk ferment before shaping and placing in bannetons.   By this time the sun had come out and the oven had been cleaned and shut down too.   This meant the sealed area around the oven was lovely and warm.   We took all the filled bannetons down on boards and set onto racks covered with a polythene sheet with a pan of water on a gas burner for steady moisture supply.   Everything was ready to bake in under 2 hours.   We managed to fit all the loaves into the oven on the one bake, with the temperature readings all sitting solidly around 250°C.

I had taken a Gilchesters’ Miche as a sample; this is photographed here.

For the development day I made more Gilchesters’ Miches plus some panned Moscow Rye.   So I had arrived at Nigel’s house with ripe wheat levain, plus the “sponge” constructed from rye sourdough and scald which is the basis of the Moscow Rye.

Details of Nigel’s bread choices are shown below.

Hastily we made contact with the Manager of Hexham Farmers’ Market.   We had to arrange to drop samples off with him ready for his Directors’ Meeting taking place this evening [Weds 14th March].   We wrapped up and labelled a selection of the best loaves, printed out the attached product information sheet and loaded them all into a nice, lined basket.   Nigel delivered the loaves.   Alison came to meet me after she finished work, and I drove us back home to Northumberland.

Well, this was great fun, and both of us were very happy at the quality of bread we produced.   So now we wait to see if our authentic Artisan Bread is wanted at Hexham Farmers’ Market; we shall see!

Details of all products shown below

Refreshment Details:

A] Rye Sourdough

B] Wheat Levain

 1.    Gilchesters’ Miche

Method:

• Combine Farmhouse Flour and water in a mixer until clear.   Autolyse for one hour.
• Add Levain and mix in speed one with the hook attachment for 8 minutes.   Add the salt and mix on first speed a further 7 minutes.   DDT 26°C.
• Bulk Proof Times 2½ hours.   S&F at 1 and 2 hours.
• Scale, divide and mould.   Rest 15 minutes.   Prepare Bannetons.   Re-mould.
• Final proof 2½ to 3 hours.
• Score tops and bake in wood-fired oven.
• Cool on wires.

 2.    Moscow Rye Bread

Method:

• Build the sourdough as described above.   Make the “scald” as follows:   combine the caraway and the red rye malt and dark rye flour.   Weigh the molasses into a pan, add water and bring to a rolling boil.   Tip this onto the flour mix, and add any extra boiling water if there is evaporation.   Stir well to ensure full gelatinisation.   Cover and cool.
• Once sufficiently cool, add the scald to the sour to make the sponge.   Cover and leave to ferment for 4 hours.
• For the final paste combine the sponge with remaining flour and the salt, mix with the paddle beater in an upright machine, 2 minutes on first speed and 2 minutes on second speed.   Add water if needed [Previously, I added 220g which is 11% on flour].   Scrape down the bowl to ensure thorough mixing.
• Bulk proof for 1 hour with DDT at 28°C.
• Shape into a large Pullman Pan, plus a large and small bread pan prepared with lining of butter and coating of rye flour.   Smooth off the top.
• Final proof for just 1 hour at 28°C, then bake.
• Bake with lids on the bread pans for 3 hours in the wood-fired oven.
• Cool on wires; wrap in linen and leave 24 hours before cutting into the bread.

 3.    Ciabatta Dough for Focaccia

Method:

• Make the Biga and ferment overnight.
• Combine Biga with all other ingredients for 2a.   Mix on first speed for 2 minutes and second speed for 6 minutes with a hook attachment.   Scrape down as needed.
• Add the remaining water, attach a paddle beater and let the dough down slowly.
• Ferment in bulk for 2½ hours with S&F each half hour; wet stage.
• Scale, divide and shape; dry stage.
• Final Proof
• Bake.
• Cool on wires

Nigel Wild and Andy Smith’s Artisan Bread Samples

For Hexham Farmers’ Market Directors

1.    Gilchesters’ Miche

A Miche means a large loaf, and this bread takes its inspiration from the famous French baker, Lionel Poilâne and his own signature Miche.

It is made with a natural levain using Organic white bread flour.   The rest of the flour used is Gilchesters’ Organic Farmhouse flour which is a high extraction flour, typical of the type used by M. Poilâne.

2.    Gilchesters’ Farmhouse

These boules are made in a similar style to the Miche described above.

3.    Gilchesters’ White

Made with a white levain using Organic unbleached flour plus Gilchesters’ Organic Pizza flour in the final dough.

4.    White Boules

Lovely crispy crust in a flavoursome loaf made with a natural levain and Organic unbleached flour.

5.    Rye Cob

Distinctly tangy loaf made with a wheat levain and using Gilchesters’ Organic Pizza and Farmhouse flours and our favourite Organic Dark Rye flour from Bacheldre Watermill in Wales.

6.    Moscow Rye

One of the GOST Standard loaves as laid down in Soviet times, alongside the more famous Borodinsky and Rossisky loaves.   It uses Rye Sourdough which is mixed with a “scald” of rye flour, rye malt, molasses and caraway seeds to form a “sponge”.   The 3 stage process is known today as the Auerman process, but is thought to have originally been invented by the chemist, Borodin.   This loaf uses only rye flour; it is “wheat-free”.

All flour used is Certified Organic.   All bread is leavened using wild yeast/bacterial cultures, with no added Bakers’ Yeast.   All bread baked in wood-fired brick ovens.   Gilchesters' Farm is only a few miles from Hexham; as local as it possibly can be.

And more photographs of me enoying working on the oven!

Happy Baking everyone!

Andy