Pane Siciliano

The pate fermentee mixed to a smooth dough...
One-hour room temperature ferment...
Doubled in size...Placed in fridge overnight...
Next morning - pate fermentee cut into small pieces & let at room temperature for one hour to take off the chill...
'Mise en place' - kind of...
The yellow semolina flour, yeast & bread flour...
Added the pate fermentee & wet ingredients...
Another glob of goo...
After 8 minutes of machine mixing - at the desired 81'degree temperature...
Smooth & glossy...
Two-hour room temperature ferment...

Doubled in size...
Set on floured counter & divided into three pieces...

Formed into a batard (torpedo) first...then allowed to rest for a few minutes...
Then stretched to a 24" length...
& then spiraled from the ends toward the center...
Loaves misted with water & then prinkled with sesame seeds...Covered with plastic wrap & placed into the fridge overnight...
The next morning...removed from the fridge & allowed to proof about 2 hour longer...
Loaves are ready to be baked when pressed with your finger & the dough stays dimpled...
Baked at 500' degrees for one minutes & then temperature reduced to 450' degrees for an additional 25 minutes - oven prepped for hearth style baking with a steam pan of water in place...Pictured above are the loaves after 15 minutes - rotated around in the oven to ensure even baking & color...
Beautiful!
Shiny & glossy!
So pretty! Definitely a hearth style bread!
The ends of each became a bit too dark...
Wonderful crumb...
& one large, irregular air hole similar to French or Italian bread...
Great with marmalade & jam...
& even better as crostini - pesto, sun-dried tomatos, black olives & fresh cherry tomatos...

The three day process was worthwhile...The crust of the bread was much different than other previously made...a more crispy, crunchy crust - yet think & chewy... I will definitely be making this wonderful bread again!

Pain de Campagne

Pate fermentee made the day before, proofed overnight in the fridge & pictured above in small pieces & setting at room temperature to take off the chill...
Just a few ingredients...use dark rye flour along with regular bread flour...
Mixing the wet & dry ingredients...
A big glob of goo...
After 6 minutes of machine mixing - at the desired 80'degrees...
Smooth end product...
Two-hour room temperature ferment & the dough more than doubled in size...
Divided into two pieces of equal weight...
Shaping into a fendu (split bread)...

The other piece was shaped into a small boule with scissor cuts...
The other half piece was braided & then rolled into a knot...
Cuts with the super-sharp matfer...& the proofed at room temperature for one hour...
Baked at 500'degrees for a about a minuted & then reduced temperate to 450'degrees for an additional 20 minutes - Hearth style baking with a steam pan in place...
Beautiful!
The cuts & designs turned out just gorgeous...
The bread was light & airy...
& smelled so wonderful that my in-house food taster just had to have a nibble...
Fantastic with pesto & balsamic...a wonderful bread! Very fun to shape & turned out so attractive...

Pain a l'Ancienne

A few simple ingredients: bread flour, salt, yeast, ice water & cornmeal for dusting...
Ingredients combined & mixed by machine for 6 minutes on medium speed...I was expecting a much more wet dough as the book suggests...but the end result was sticky - yet dense & firm...Into the fridge to retard overnight...
The next morning - taken out of the fridge to dechill for a few hours...
Three hours later...
Ready to shape...
Lots of flour...
Rectangle...
Cut in half...
Then one of the halves cut into three...scored & into a 550'degree oven with steam pan in place for hearth style baking...
The result: beautiful!
Golden & light...
Crisp & airy...
I had to bend one of the bagettes because it was falling off the side of the pan...
The inside was moist & the outside very crunchy...
A wonderful bread to "mop up" flavors of sauce from pasta or just plain olive oil & balsamic & olives...
I decided to use the other half of the dough for foccacia...carmelizing onions...
Golden brown...
Prepping the pan...
Toppings of olives, carmelized onions, goat cheese, provolone cheese & garlic olive oil...Then proofed at room temperature for only 30 minutes...the book states to proof for 2-3 hours...but I just wanted to see what happened...if it became more like pizza or a flatbread...or actually foccacia...
Beautiful! Baked at 500'degrees for a couple minutes & then turned down to 475'degrees for an additional 15 minutes...
The crust was unbelievable! So golden & crisp!
YUM~!
Here is a slice from the inner pan - the bottom crust was light & the dough very airy & held the toppings well...I would say it turned out most like a deep dish pizza crust with a softer foccacia-style bread in the middle...

I will definitely be making this bread again...it was wonderful...the actual flavor of the bread was a bit lacking...but I think the texture & crumb made up for it...