Hamelman's Swiss Farmhouse Bread

Hi all. Been a while since i've last been on The Fresh Loaf. I have been looking in from time to time though. Just thought i'd say hello to everyone and what better way then to post one of my favourite recipes which happened to be my most recent bake. Most of you are familiar with it and love it. It's been done as a Community Bake before but i'll detail the whole recipe here again. Hope you've all been keeping well. 

Before you begin you need to make a fruit yeast water. Any fruit will do but must be organic with no preservatives. Raisins are popular and what is called for in this recipe. It's much easier and less time consuming than making a sourdough starter. I'll leave you with a YouTube video by Peaceful Cuisine on how to make one...

 Once your yeast water is ready then onto the first build...

OVERALL FORMULA:

• Bread Flour 360g [90%]
• Whole Wheat Flour 40g [10%]
• Raisin Juice 42g [10.5%]
• Water 238g [59.5%]
• Salt 8g [2%]
• Walnuts 88g [22%] (Not called for in the recipe but extra nice when toasted.)
• Raisins 60g [15%]

FIRST BUILD:

• Bread Flour 67g
• Raisin Liquid 42g

SECOND BUILD:

• Bread Flour 84g
• Whole Wheat Flour 40g
• Water 78g
• First Build 109g

FINAL DOUGH:

• Bread Flour 209g
• Water 160g
• Salt 8g
• Walnuts 88g
• Raisins 60g
• Second Build 311g

METHOD:

1: First Build: Drain the raisins, collecting the juice. Discard the spent raisins. Scale the required amount of juice, add the flour, and mix to incorporate. Cover and leave at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, until well risen.

[The yeast water may be refrigerated and kept going like a starter. Will keep very well for a few weeks. No need to discard the raisins as they'll be food for the yeast. When the yeast water has run low or it's been more than a few weeks then time for a refreshment. You can now discard all the raisins and yeast water save for 1 tablespoon. Add in more raisins, top back up with fresh water and leave at room temperature until ready. All the raisins should be floating and the mixture fizzing within 12-24 hours. Either use or store back in the fridge].

2: Second Build: Add the second build water to the first build and lightly break up the contents of the first build. Add the second build flours and mix until incorporated. Cover and leave to ripen for 12 to 14 hours, until fully domed. During warm and humid months, the vigorous yeast population in the second build might ripen things too quickly. In that case, try refrigerating it for an hour or two once mixed, in order to slow down the pace of ripening. Then remove from refrigeration and allow it to mature at room temperature. Alternatively, one can make the second build, leave it out for a few hours, and refrigerate it overnight. Needless to say, the next day be sure to take into account the temperature of the cold second build when computing the water temperature for the final dough. As always, the goal is for the preferment to be domed and fully risen at the time of final mixing; make whatever adjustments give that result and all will be well.

3: Mixing: Add all the ingredients to the mixing bowl except the walnuts and raisins. In a spiral mixer, mix on first speed for 3 minutes in order to incorporate the ingredients. If necessary, correct the hydration by adding water or flour in small amounts. Finish mixing on second speed for 3 minutes, to moderate gluten development. Mix the walnuts and raisins together and add to the dough. Mix on first speed only until they are evenly incorporated. Desired dough temperature: 76°F

4: Bulk Fermentation: 2½ to 3 hours.

5: Folding: Fold the dough halfway through the bulk fermentation.

6: Shaping: Pre-shape into a round. When sufficiently relaxed, shape into round or an oval loaf, or place into a loaf pan. Cover to prevent a crust from forming during the final fermentation.

7: Final Fermentation: 1½ to 2 hours at 76°F.

8. Baking: Place the risen loaf on the loading conveyor or peel. Slash as desired. Pre-steam the oven, load the bread, and steam again. Bake in a 450°F oven. After 15 minutes, lower the oven to 430°F to avoid excess darkening due to the raisins. Loaves scaled at 1.5 pounds will bake in approximately 36 minutes.

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