Photo Gallery: Benefits of hand mixing bread

MODERN-BAKING

Mar. 17, 2011

bread-6

6. Bake in a deck oven at 450ﾰF with two seconds of steam for 30 to 35 minutes.
bread-1

1. Combine the flour, water, salt, toasted wheat germ and liquid levain by squeezing with fingers to remove lumps. Gather into a ball and cover. Bulk ferment for three hours.
Click the next image in the sequence for the next step in this design.
bread-2

2. Flatten the dough roughly into a rectangle. Fold one-third of the dough toward the center, then fold the other side over the center.
Click the next image in the sequence for the next step in this design.
bread-3

3. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat the folding method to finish the fold. Let the dough rest for 45-minute intervals while completing two more folds. Rest dough for another 45 minutes before dividing into 500-g boules. Cover with plastic and rest 20 to 30 minutes.
Click the next image in the sequence for the next step in this design.
bread-4

4. Shape the dough into a batard. Place the relaxed boule seam side up on the table and lightly degas. Fold over the top one-third of the dough and fold in the corners. Continue folding the dough downwards. Using the heel of the hand, seal the seam of the batard.
Click the next image in the sequence for the next step in this design.
bread-5

5. Proof seam side up for about two hours at 78ﾰF.
Click the next image in the sequence for the next step in this design.