Bread Machine (76 page)

1
¹
/
₂
-OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES

1
¹
/
₂
cups water

3
¹
/
₄
cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons gluten with vitamin C

1
³
/
₄
teaspoons salt

2
¹
/
₂
teaspoons SAF yeast or 1 tablespoon bread machine yeast

Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the Dough cycle; press Start. The dough ball will be sticky. Do not add any more flour at this point.

Grease two baguette trays. When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine. Immediately remove the bread pan from the machine and turn the wet dough out onto a floured work surface using a dough card. Knead a few times with your dough card (the dough will be too sticky to knead with your hands) to incorporate just enough flour (no more than
¹
/
₄
cup) so that the dough is not in a puddle and you can shape the loaves. You want this dough to stay as wet as possible. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.

Flatten each portion into a thin 10-by-6-inch rectangle with the palm of your hand. Starting with a long side, roll one up, using your thumbs to help roll tightly. With the side of your hand, define a depression lengthwise down the center of the dough. Repeatedly fold the dough over in thirds the long way to make a tight log and pinch the seams to seal. Stretch the log by rolling it back and forth on the table with your palms a few times until about 15 inches long. Gently transfer to the prepared pan seam side down. Stretch the log to fit the 18-inch pan. No dough will hang over the ends of the pan. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Cover loosely with a clean tea towel and let dough rise at room temperature until two and a half times its size in bulk, about 1 hour.

With a small, sharp knife, slash the surface of the baguettes 3 or 4 times on the diagonal, no more than 1
¹
/
₄
inch deep. This must be done gently, as the delicate dough will deflate slightly. Cover again.

Place a baking stone or tiles on the center rack and preheat the oven to 450°F.

Lightly brush the tops of the loaves with cold water. Place the pans directly on the stone and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the surfaces of the loaves are a deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped with your finger. Immediately remove the bread from the pans and place them on a rack. Eat hot or within 2 hours.

Bread Machine Baker’s Hint: Gluten with Vitamin C

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is sometimes added to dough as a volume enhancer. You will see that some of my country bread recipes call for gluten that has had some vitamin C added. This product is available in grocery stores and by mail order from Hodgson’s Mill (see
Resources
). You can also make your own: Crush a vitamin C tablet and add just a pinch to the amount of gluten called for in the recipe.

FRENCH WHOLE WHEAT BREAD          
Makes 1 long loaf

T
he French like 100 percent whole wheat breads, too, but their version looks a lot different than American loaves. I like to call this loaf, known as
pain complet,
a torpedo, since it is elongated and pointed at the ends, dense and crusty. It is made just like a classic baguette, but with a richer dough, and ends up with a moist, tight crumb. This loaf is a favorite with French bakers, who sometimes add nuts, raisins, currants, or chopped dried apricots (my favorite) to make a good fruit bread for breakfast. The dried fruit adds a tart sweet flavor to the unsweetened dough. Made with nuts, it is especially nice with cheese and salads. As with all French breads, eat this within a few hours of baking to savor its inherent appeal.

1
¹
/
₂
-OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES

1
¹
/
₄
cups plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk

¹
/
₂
cup water

2
¹
/
₂
cups whole wheat flour

¹
/
₂
cup whole grain spelt flour or additional
¹
/
₂
cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon gluten with vitamin C

1
¹
/
₂
teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon SAF yeast or 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the Dough cycle; press Start. The dough ball will be sticky, but very springy when you press your finger into the dough. Do not add any more flour at this point. The dough will smooth out during the kneading.

When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine. Open the lid and use your fingers to deflate the dough. Close the lid, set a kitchen timer for 30 minutes, and let the dough rise in the machine. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.