European Bread
Joe Ortiz
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French Mixed-Grain Bread

"The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight..."
- M.F.K. Fisher, The Art of Eating

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French Mixed-Grain Bread
How to Bake: The Complete Guide to Perfect Cakes, Cookies,
Pies, Tarts, Breads, Pizzas, Muffins, Sweet and Savory
by Nick Malgieri, 1995, HarperCollins

Sponge

1/4 cup warm tap water (about 110 degrees [F] )
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Dough
1 1/2 cups warm tap water (110 degrees [F] )
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1/3 cup medium or whole-grain rye flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
All the sponge, above

Two small cookie sheets or a large jelly-roll pan dusted with cornmeal

Three hefty baguettes or two large round or ring-shaped loaves

“This is an adaptation of a bread called ‘pain à l’ancienne’ (old-fashioned bread) from the book ‘Pains Spéciaux et Décorés’ (Special and Decorated Breads)
(Éditions St.-Honoré) by Alain Couet and Erich Kayser.

1. To make the sponge, place the water in a mixing bowl and whisk in the yeast. Stir in the flour smoothly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the sponge to rise at room temperature for about 8 hours, or overnight, until tripled in volume. If the temperature is warm, allow the sponge to rise until triples, then refrigerate for the remainder of the 8 hours.
2. To mix the dough, combine the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir in the sponge. Knead by hand to form a smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky dough, about 5 minutes.
To mix the dough in a food processor, place the remaining ingredients and sponge in a work bowl fitted with the metal blade. Pulse repeatedly until the dough forms a ball. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then let the machine run continuously for 20 seconds.
To mix the dough in a heavy-duty mixer, place the remaining ingredients and sponge in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed to form a smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky dough, about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl (you may need the help of a scraper) and turn the dough over so the top is oiled. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise at room temperature until the dough is doubled, about 1 hour.
4. To shape the loaves, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press the dough to deflate. Divide it into 3 pieces and shape one at a time. Press a piece of dough into a square, then roll it up tightly. Rotate the cylinder of dough 90 degrees and roll up again from the short end.
Arrange the dough, seam side down, and cover with plastic or a towel to rest for 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
5. Elongate each piece of dough by rolling the middle of the loaf outward under the palms of your hands. Point the ends slightly. Place the loaves on pans (two on one pan and one loaf n the other), seam side down, and dust each loaf lightly with flour. Use a tablespoon at the most per loaf. Cover with plastic or a towel and allow to rise until doubled.
6. About 30 minutes before you intend to bake the loaves, set racks at middle and lowest levels of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees [F]. Set a pan on the lowest rack to absorb some of the excess bottom heat and keep the bottoms of the loaves from burning.
7. Use a razor blade or the point of a very sharp knife to make 3 to 4 diagonal slashes across each loaf. Immediately place the loaves in the oven and lower the temperature to 450 degrees [F].
8. After the loaves have baked for 20 minutes and are completely risen, lower the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes longer, until the bread is well risen and a dark golden color. It should reach
an internal temperature of about 210 degrees [F].
9. Remove the loaves from the oven and cool on a rack.

Serving:  Slice the bread about 1/2 inch thick with a sharp serrated knife.

Storage:  On the day it is baked, keep the bread loosely covered at room
temperature. For longer storage, wrap in plastic and freeze for up to 1 month.

  
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