We've held 84 contests so far, but there have been no bread themes until now. It's time for all you bakers extraordinaire to show us your stuff. We're looking for bread with impressive loft and a great crust -- not to mention impeccable flavor. Oh, and we're sticking to savory versions this time around.
These are not your usual contests. We have a slightly nutty system but it works. Together, the Food52 community has created two cookbooks this way -- there’s no stopping us now. Read about it
Read about it »
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The poolish (or starter), which we made the night before: this helps create a crisper crust and more air pockets.
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Amanda digs into the bread flour. Like ChezSuzanne, we're partial to King Arthur.
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The dry ingredients go into the mixing bowl first: flour, yeast and salt.
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Word to the wise: malt syrup is incredibly sticky!
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This bread calls for a full 2 1/2 tablespoons of fragrant, chopped rosemary.
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In goes the poolish (or, as we like to call it, "the Blob").
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The stout looks kind of like chocolate.
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Make sure to keep the dough hook on fairly low speed, which simulates kneading by hand.
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When the dough has been worked enough, it will stretch pretty far without breaking.
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We formed the dough into a ball and let it rise in an oiled bowl.
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At hour-long intervals, ChezSuzanne has you gently fold the dough over on itself. This pushes out some of the air without deflating the dough completely.
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Once the dough has doubled, you separate it in two. We just guesstimated, as we were feeling too lazy to pull out the scales again.
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Amanda helps Merrill tuck an errant piece of dough underneath her boule.
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An easy way to flour your hands and the counter at the same time.
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These loaves remind us of Jack Sprat and his wife.
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Amanda can't resist copping a feel. The dough is SO soft!
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After slashing the bread with a razor, it gets a spritz of water and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt.
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Amanda waits for Merrill to get the bread into the oven, the ice cubes in her hands nearly giving her frostbite.
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The cubes create steam while the bread bakes, giving it a lovely crust.
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Proofing the yeast with water -- it should be about body temperature.
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Into the mixer, we added the buttermilk, oatmeal (we used McCann's quick-cooking), melted butter, salt, and ....
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Visit from the half-pint inspector.
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Yeast is looking good -- puffy and fluffy.
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Now it's time for the honey to go into the mixer, followed by flour, baking soda and the yeast mixture and then you let the machine do the mixing and kneading.
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Chatting up Merrill while the dough kneads.
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You add flour to the dough gradually so you don't add too much. At this stage, it still needs more.
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After the dough was kneaded, Merrill shaped it into a loose round and placed it into an oiled bowl.
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After the first rise, Merrill punched down the dough.
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She turned it and kneaded it lightly.
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And shaped it into another ball.
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This is what it looks like after it rises the second time.
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Amanda pulled out her bread razor (called a grignette) from her bread-baking days in Europe.
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Merrill skillfully inverted the loaf onto her palm, and then quickly and gently inverted it again onto the baking stone.
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Working quickly so you don't let all the heat out of the oven, you brush the loaf with oil.
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Then slash it three times with a razor or very sharp knife.
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It will look a little sad and sunken at this stage.
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But look what happens!
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