Pain Au Levain Using ABM by brianjwood

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Pain Au Levain Using ABM
Submitted by brianjwood on May 21, 2005 at 4:44 am

DESCRIPTION
Pain au Levain Using ABM

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under sourdough

INSTRUCTIONS
I don't know how many of you bake bread with an ABM. For those who do and want to try sourdough, here is a great way to start.
Cheers, Brian
ps I'll post a bit on Starters if you are interested.

PAIN AU LEVAIN French Bread From a Starter
Dough Setting Makes two 14-inch baguettes, one 12-inch round loaf, or two 12-inch torpedoes
This simple bread is as basic as life and breath. Make it the first day using any starter then hold back a cup of the dough and use it the next day in another Pain au Levain. Use old dough 3 or 4 times and you'll see the flavour changes every time. Soon, you'll have a divine, sour torpedo with largish holes and a mouth-watering flour-dusted crust. The texture will be chewy, the crust crisp. You may also form the dough into
baguettes or one high round loaf And because you made the
dough with a starter, it will keep quite well up to 4 or 5 days.
You'll note we specify organic bread flour and spring water for this recipe. For best results with this or any starter-made bread always use these unadulterated ingredients.
Holding back a cup of dough, you'll still have plenty the first day to make two generous torpedoes or baguettes, or one high round loaf. If you wish to use all the dough the first day, make three torpedoes or baguettes or one 14-inch, high round loaf.
You can add roasted red and yellow onions, along with leeks, scallions, and pepper to baguettes, or pecans and raisins to torpedo- shaped flour-dusted loaves. We love rosemary and olives added to one big batard or sun-dried tomatoes and fresh Mediterranean herbs in a loaf we shape into a flattish
round. But unadulterated Pain au Levain is the most basic bread and the one with which your reputation can be made. It requires that you run the dough cycle twice, first to make a Poolish (sponge) with a starter and additional flour and water, and again with the addition of the final ingredients. Then,
add any extras you wish, shape the loaves, raise them, and bake on a stone, spritzing the oven with water. Don't blame us if after you've made this bread 5 or 6 times the people who eat at your table burst into tears. Beauty does that to some of us. We can't help it.
SPONGE
1 1/4 cups organic bread flour
1/2 cup warm spring water (around 95 F, not higher)
3/4 cup any sourdough starter ( the one you have bubbling)at room temperature
DOUGH
1 teaspoon bread machine yeast
1 cup warm spring water
3 cups organic bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg white whisked with 2 tablespoons water for glaze
Make the sponge by combining the flour, water, and starter in the bread machine pan. Process on the dough setting. Now, add the bread ingredients, except egg wash, to the pan. Process again on the dough setting. Once the second dough cycle is complete, you'll see that you have a wet, soft dough. That's what you want. Remove the dough to a work surface dusted
with flour. Cut off 1 cup of dough, place it in a jar, cover, and refrigerate for a Pain au Levain that you might make tomorrow or anytime during the next week or so. If you want a heightened sour taste, store the starter in a cool place, but not in the refrigerator. Divide the remaining dough in two pieces and form it into baguettes, a round loaf, or torpedo shapes . Place the shaped dough in a banneton to rise, or,
if you've made torpedoes or baguettes, place on parchment or in a baguette-shaped pan for the final rise. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise until nearly doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven with a stone in place on the middle rack to 450 F. for about 30 minutes. Just before baking, roll the loaves from the banneton onto a cornmeal-dusted peel. Slash the loaves diagonally with a razor or sharpknife 3 or 4 times. Slash a round loaf in a criss-cross pattern. Glaze the
loaves with the egg white wash, then quickly pop them onto the stone in the preheated oven. If you're using a baguette-shaped pan, you can place it directly on the middle rack of the oven instead. Spritz the oven 4 or 5 times with plain water during the first 10 minutes of baking.
Bake the loaves until done, about 30 minutes for torpedoes or round loaves, 20 minutes for baguettes. The crust will be a lovely caramel colour. Turn the bread out and cool on a rack.

To gild the lily,
you may make any of the following additions to the basic Pain au Levain
PAIN AU LEVAIN WITH ONIONS AND BACON
After the completion of the second dough cycle, remove the dough to a lightly floured board. Punch down, then form into a tight ball. Rest under the bread machine pan for 10 minutes or so, while you cook 3 pieces of bacon until crisp but not dry. Crumble the bacon into the dough and form the dough into an 8-inch round. Let the dough rise a final time, covered, on parchment or a cornmeal-covered peel. Cut an X in the middle of the raised loaf and insert half a large round peeled onion, cut side up. Now make 4 straight slashes around the edge of the top of the bread, forming a square. Finish with an egg white wash. Bake on a stone in a 450? F. oven until the crust is a deep mahogany colour and the bread is done through, about 30 minutes. Cool on a rack. Leave out the bacon if you wish, and saute about 3/4 cup onions - red, yellow, or green onions with tops, and fold into the bread dough instead.
PAIN AU LEVAIN WITH OLIVES AND ROSEMARY
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary needles
1/2 cup whole pitted Mediterranean black olives
After the second dough cycle is completed, remove the dough to a lightly floured surface, and knead in the rosemary and olives. Form the dough into a tight ball, turn the bread machine pan over it, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Now, shape into a batard and let it rise, covered, on parchment
until nearly doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes. Bake as directed above.

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