Some loaves from "Local Breads"
After several busy weekends when there wasn't much time for bread baking, I had a nice leisurely weekend when I could experiment with baking some loaves from Daniel Leader's Local Breads. The two small loaves on the left are Meteils au Bleu (Little Bue Cheese Rye Loaves), a very mild and moist rye (made with a white starter) chock full of a regional blue cheese called bleu d'Auvergne. The volcanic looking boulder in the back is Pane Casareccio di Genzano that Zolablue and Bwraith both discussed a few weeks back, a very large open crumb pagnotta style bread. The seeded rye in the front is Chleba, Light Silesian Rye, and the boule on the right is Pain de Campagne, one of my favorite breads. A lovely weekend it was, baking my way through France, Italy and Poland.
Comments
I'm especially interested in the Meteils au Bleu, would you share the recipe?
I cannot think of a better way to spend a weekend. I have several loaves of Alpine Baguettes sitting on my cutting board, and Pain au Levain that is still too warm to cut. The verdict on the baguettes is that they are very good--the small amount of rye makes a big flavor difference. So next weekend, Germany?
SOL
Paddyscake:
The Meteils au bleu are wonderful little mild rye loaves, filled with the region's local blue cheese, called bleu d'Auvergne, which I was able to find at my local Whole Foods. It is a particularly creamy, strongly flavored blue cheese, but Leader says that Roquefort or Stilton are good substitutes. The blue cheese taste is quite dominant, so it is only for those who really enjoy such cheese. It would pair excellently with a salad or a vegetable based soup. And perfect with a glass of red wine!
Here is the recipe:
Leain Starter:
45 g stiff dough levain (about 60% hydration)
50 g water, tepid
95 g high gluten bread bread flour (I used KA Sir Lancelot)
5 g whole wheat flour
Mix up the levain and knead for 1-2 minutes. Let levain ferment at room temperature for 8 to 12 hrs.
Mix the dough:
250 g tepid water
275 g high gluten flour
225 g fine or medium rye flour
125 g levain starter
10 g sea salt
150 g Blue cheese cut into 1/4" chunks
Add water to mixing bowl, add bread and rye flours and stir. Cover and autolyze for 20 min.
Add the levain (use 125 g from the levain with the remainder to keep for storage starter) and salt. Knead by hand for 10-12 min or by machine for 8 - 9 minutes. Dough should be smooth and elastic.
Ferment the dough at room temperature for 1 hr. Then do a stretch and fold, cover and continue fermenting for 2-3 hours. It should double in size and dome up on top.
Divide and shape loaves into four small loaf pans (2.5" by 5" by 2"). Each mini loaf should weigh ~284 g. Flour your hands and flatten each piece into a 4 inch square. Arrange chilled pieces of blue cheese over the dough, reserving 2 to 3 pieces for the top of each loaf. Roll up the dough tightly to avoid big gaps around the cheese. Place in pans seam side down. With a single edged razor or serrated knife, cut a slit down the length of each loaf, about 1/4" deep, and slip in the reserved cheese. Cover loaves with plastic and proof for 1 to 1-1/2 hrs. They should slook slightly inflated and your fingerprint should spring back slowly when you press into one. These loaves do not rise dramatically.
Prepare the oven for steaming. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Slide loaves onto middle rack of oven. Steam using your preferred method. Bake loaves until they are an even, ruddy borwn on top and the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 25 to 35 minutes. Weighted down by the cheese, these loaves will bake low in the pan.
Cool completely, about 1 hr, then serve in thin slices. It's normal for little air pockets to surround the cheese.
Hope you enjoy!
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Staff of Life: I am glad to hear that you are enjoying Leader's book as well. Haven't tried the Alpine Baguettes, but have made the Pain au Levain several times, including once with spelt. I am thinking of trying the multigrain version next weekend, as I love "seedy" breads. And perhaps I will be bold enough to venture into Roggen-bauernbrot next weekend!
Merci beaucoup..I can't wait to try these. We LOVE bleu cheese. No bake time next weekend, our Anniversary, we are off to Cannon Beach (I've never been there and am so excited, another Betty meets Oregon adventure!) Again, TY..when I make them I will post results!
Looking forward to seeing your Meteils au Bleu. I just had some slices with an asparagus bisque.
I googled Cannon Beach to see where you are headed on your anniversary. Absolutely magnificent! Somewhat reminscent of Big Sur. Oregon is such a lovely state. Happy Anniversary!
for your kind wishes!!!
All the breads look perfect. If you were a bakery I wouldn't be able to make a choice. I'd want them all. Great job. weavershouse
I have the book on hold at the library, it's all I can do not to just go out and buy it now!
I am so ready to make that bleu cheese bread, Liz. They're all lovely, but those little guys look positively seductive. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Weaverhouse, been thinking of you lately--this year's (very shabby) foliage season finds me in Chester almost every day.
Wow, Liz, that's my kind of weekend! Those Meteils au Bleu particularly caught my eye as well. Beautiful baking.
Susanfnp
http://www.wildyeastblog.com
Fleur - those are magnificent! Don't you love that book! All those loaves are beautiful and inspiring. I love bleu cheese but again, like olives, those are two of the very few things hubby doesn't like. So I've not made olive bread or bleu cheese bread. I want to make both. Maybe I should make them both on the same day and sit down with a nice bottle of vino and treat myself. (hehe) And I don't know why I have not tried rye breads yet. I keep threatening to but I just don't do it. I bet those are wonderful. And the Pane de Campagne is now possibly my top favorite bread.
The Meteils au Bleu are really wonderful little loaves and a fun specialty bread to bake. I was thinking it might make a nice gift at the holidays for those who are blue cheese fans.
ZB: Do treat yourself to Thom Leonard's Olive Bread and this blue cheese bread. They are both delicious and worth it! The blue cheese bread smells terrific when baking -- perhaps your husband would be a convert!
Thanks!
Amsterdam and Mini:
I just checked Leader's recipe and 350g of water is correct. I apologize for the typo. Hope you enjoy these little gems.
Liz