I’ve mentioned recently that I got hired at a bakery here in Minneapolis that focuses on artisan bread and pastry. This is my first position in the food service industry in general and the baking sector specifically.

From what I can tell from various accounts of life in food, the atmosphere of a bakery is very much different than that of a restaurant kitchen. Nowhere to be found are the sordid affairs of nefarious line cooks. The people here are squeaky clean. I can’t even light up a cigarette in my own car for the trip back home without feeling dirty, like the lone guy in the porno section of the video store. Bakery people are happy people, enlightened people, seemingly above the fray of the alcohol and the partying that I’ve been drawn to. In other words, these people are the adults that I’m afraid of becoming, and I feel like they can smell it on me. I don’t smell of cigarette smoke to my coworkers, but instead of immaturity.

I spend my days slaving away at the mixer because my skills in shaping dough were abysmal going into this job, and, while I was given a chance on the bench, these skills did not improve fast enough to warrant any consideration. So I mix together very specific combinations of flour, water, salt and yeast to make the dough that eventually turns to bread at the hands of those with more finesse than possess. This is a very difficult job because the temperature and hydration of the dough must be kept within a very tight range in order to make bread with the best flavor and texture possible. Though I keep copious notes on each day’s different doughs that include the amount of water used, the room temperature, the water temperature and the final temperature of the dough, I still find that at times, my product leaves something to be desired. In these times, I get the pleasure of discussing my shortcomings with the rather gruff head baker. She is a stocky, shorts-wearing woman with a tight pony-tail and a low voice that conveys disappointment better than any other emotion. She rarely smiles–in fact, she rarely looks more than pissed off. All of that aside, she is incredibly good at what she does, and the bakery likely wouldn’t function without her. She has earned the right to act however she pleases.

I have read accounts of apprentice sushi chefs in Japan that spend years learning the nuances of cooking rice. Until they have mastered rice, they are not allowed to move on to anything else. In my present situation, I find myself feeling a sort of brotherhood with these apprentices. I am already sick, after only one month, of the monotony of simply mixing dough every day. I wonder how they get through the daily regimen of rice cookery. Is it the knowledge that these are the dues one must pay in order to move onto better things? Is it some sort of built-in, cultural patience–a Zen that comes from being raised in a society that praises hard work more than anything save family? Whatever it is, I want to find it, to tap into it and finally become satisfied in my work, satisfied to seek the subtle perfections and nuances of mixing until it is determined that I no longer need to pay these dues.

And yet, after much adieu, we’re back… and with good news. I have been hired on at a bakery here in the Twin Cities focusing on artisan bread and delicious pastries. I was lucky enough to find some amazing bakers that are willing to teach me the ways of production baking. I know that the learning curve may be steep, and the expectations will be high, but I have to say, I’m extremely excited to start work this coming week. I have finally accomplished exactly what my goal was at the beginning of this very blog–to learn enough about the science and technique of baking to have someone take a chance and hire me.

So, my mind is back on this beautiful art, and that means that you will be seeing more of me in the near future. Perhaps I will go more in the direction of pastry, an area where I am still extremely green. I hope you will bear will me, as this blog is my blank slate and my classroom. I will continue to post recipes and techniques, and so I hope that you will be able to learn and grow with me.

Let me give you a small taste of what I have planned for the future of this blog: My first plans are to create a comprehensive guide to all of the methods of kneading dough for the home baker. I have noticed that a good deal of you find you way here by typing some version of “how to knead dough” into a search engine, and I would like to have that information here for those that need it. I will also do some holiday posts, especially for Easter. I would like to incorporate some bakery reviews and anecdotes, focusing on artisan bakeshops in and around the Twin Cities.

I hope you check back in a few days for the dough kneading guide and more!

—Ryan

Luckily, I found a new technique for those bakers that are attempting to knead dough in their KitchenAid mixers over at the fabulous blog Bread Cetera. It is called the “double flour addition method,” and it is used to better aerate bread dough when using the KitchenAid stand mixer. This is what Steve B from Bread Cetera had to say about the method:

With this as a backdrop, it became logical to infer that the more small bubbles there were to act as nucleation sites, the greater was the potential for the formation of the wide open crumb structure for which artisan bakers strive. Increasing the small bubble population was attempted using a two-step flour incorporation technique. Using this double flour addition technique, just enough flour is first added to a water and levain slurry to achieve a loose batter consistency. This batter is then mixed using a tabletop stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, until the mixture becomes aerated. Finally, the remainder of the flour is added and the dough is mixed with a regular dough hook (or spiral hook, if your mixer comes equipped with one), just until all the flour is incorporated. After a brief autolyse period, the mixing is completed as usual. This procedure resulted in a soft, smooth and silky dough with a wonderful elasticity/extensibility profile.

Using this method as a backdrop, I decided to whip up a batch of baguettes for tomorrow. Currently, they are rising on the counter, ready to be shaped and cold retarded over night. I’ll have pictures and analyses of the technique up tomorrow, hopefully, but I can’t promise anything. I’ll just say they’ll be up soon.

Over Night Retardation Baguettes Using Double Flour Addition (recipe adapted from Peter Reinhart and Steve B.)

10 oz. bread flour
10 oz. unbleached AP flour
1 Tsp. instant yeast
1 1/2 Tsp. salt
13-14 oz. lukewarm water

1. Combine both flours together and stir until completely mixed.

2. Put all water in the bowl of KA mixer. Add the yeast and enough flour to create a thick batter. On speed setting 3, beat this batter with the beater attachment for approximately 3 minutes. Add the remaining flour and mix with bread hook on speed 2 until all flour in incorporated. Cover and let autolyse for 30 minutes.

4. Add salt. On speed 3 or 4, knead the dough until it will pass the window pane test. Place dough in an oiled container and let rise for 2 hours, or until it has approximately doubled.

5. Carefully transfer the dough onto a well-floured counter. Divide into 3 pieces and shape into batards. Let these rest for 5 minutes, then finish shaping into baguettes. Carefully transfer the baguettes to a couche or baguette pans. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

6. Remove the baguettes from the refrigerator, and let them proof for 1 hour, or until they are approximately 1 1/2 times the original size. While proofing, preheat oven to 500 degrees, making sure your baking stone and steam pan are in place.

7. Carefully transfer the baguettes to a peel, or leave them in your baguette pans. Transfer baguettes to the baking stone. Place 1 cup of ice in the steam pan. Bake at 500°F for 10 minutes. Turn baguettes 180° if necessary, and turn down the oven to 475°F. Bake for an addition 10 minutes, or until the baguettes have reached approximately 205°F in the center. Remove baguettes from the oven, remove them from the baguette pans if necessary, and let cool for 1 hour on a wire rack.

I brought to the table two loaves that I’m very familiar with and comfortable baking (and the two you’ve seen here), the Pugliese and the panmarino. However, beyond those, I strayed outside of my comfort zone a bit and dipped into my brand new sourdough starter, creating two fabulous breads: A walnut and blue cheese sourdough, and a potato, cheddar and chive torpedo spiked with commercial yeast from Peter Reinhart’s Bread Baker’s Apprentice. If I seem to turn to that book a lot, it’s because I do. It’s my favorite baking book that I own, and I find that the recipes within always tend to turn out great.

The party was a great success, complete with wine and merriment for all. And I’ve left the best part for last: I got a commission from one of the neighbors to cater bread for an office party that is being hosted at her house! This will be the first time I have ever baked bread for anything more than a personal capacity. I’m really excited to branch out and dip my toes into the business side of this venture.

I’ll have a new recipe up for you tomorrow, but until then, here’s a photo of me kneading my first loaf of sourdough bread:

I forgot about the biga! I was all set to make rye bread, I had dragged out the rye flour and molasses when Kristin said to me, “What about the dough in the fridge?” The dough in the fridge? What dough in the fridge? I went to check, and, lo and behold, there sat the biga in its little bowl, covered and waiting. Was it too late? I thought back to when I had made it– exactly three days ago! It was still good! So I weighed it, and then I flipped through some of my books to see what I could make with it.

The recipe that stuck out to me was Peter Reinhart’s Pugliese from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. I had exactly the right amount of biga remaining to use in this recipe. Plus, I’d been wanting to try working with some wetter dough, just to get my hands dirty. So, Pugliese it was.

A Pugliese bread is typically made with some part durum flour, but since neither I nor the local market had any of it, I decided I would experiment. In my cupboard sat some whole wheat flour that was going to go bad soon (you shouldn’t keep whole wheat flour around for much longer than a few months, or else it will start to acquire a bitter taste), so I figured, “What’s the harm? I’ll throw some of this in instead.”

What I’ve created, I’m sure, is not a traditional pugliese by any means. In fact, I almost don’t want to call it pugliese, but I’m not sure what else I’d call it– I suppose it’s just a whole wheat rustic loaf– but for the sake of simplicity and because the original recipe was for pugliese, I figured I’d just use that name. It doesn’t have a lot of meaning here in America anyways, as it seems that any rustic Italian bread can be dubbed pugliese.

Anyways, nomenclature aside, the bread that came out of my oven tastes delicious! It has a wonderfully light texture, and it is wonderful to eat with just butter or a slice of cheese on top. This would make a great table bread for a fancy Italian dinner, or, heck, just for spaghetti night. And the whole wheat flour gives it an added nutritional value that is always a plus.

Whole Wheat Pugliese (adapted from Peter Reinhart’s Bread Baker’s Apprentice)

Ingredients
10.8 ounces biga
4 ounces whole wheat flour
6 ounces bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 ounces mashed potatoes
8 to 9 ounces water, lukewarm

Preparation:
1. Remove the biga from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough. Cut it into about 10 small pieces with a pastry scraper or a serrated knife. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour to take off the chill.

2. Stir together the flour, salt, and yeast in a 4-quart mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the biga pieces, mashed potatoes and 1 cup of water. Using a large metal spoon (or on low speed with the paddle attachment), mix until the ingredients form a wet, sticky ball. If there is still some loose flour, add the additional water as needed and continue to mix.

3. If you are mixing by hand, repeatedly dip one of your hands or the metal spoon into cold water and use it, much like a dough hook, to work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass while rotating the bowl in a circular motion with the other hand. Reverse the circular motion a few times to develop the gluten further. Do this for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are evenly distributed. If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes, or for as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is still very sticky against the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in a little more flour (either type) until it clears the sides. Don’t be alarmed if the dough seems very sticky. The wetter it is, the better the final bread will be.

4. Sprinkle enough bread flour on the counter to make a bed about 8 inches square. Using a scraper or spatula dipped in water, transfer the dough to the bed of flour. Sprinkle flour liberally on the top of the dough, patting it into a rectangle. One end at a time, stretch the dough to twice it’s length, folding it back over itself to return it to a rectangle shape. Mist the top of the dough with spray oil, again dust with flour, and loosely cover with plastic wrap or a food grade plastic bag.

5. Let rest for 30 minutes. Repeat the stretch and fold method and again mist with spray oil, dust with flour, and cover. (Each time you repeat this process, the dough will become stronger, more elastic, and less sticky.)

6. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl. For the third time, repeat the stretch and fold technique. With a spatula dipped in water, transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment the dough at room temperature for 2 hours, undisturbed.

7. Generously dust the counter with flour. Remove the plastic wrap and, with hands and a bowl scraper dipped in flour, transfer the dough to the counter, taking care not to degas the dough any more than necessary. With a metal pastry scraper that has been dipped into flour, or a serrated knife dusted with flour, divide the dough into two pieces. Again dipping your hands into flour, gently shape the dough pieces into 2 boules. Let them relax, seam-side down, on the counter for a few minutes while you prepare the proofing bowls.

8. Prepare 2 proofing bowls by lining then with cloth, making sure to coat with spray oil and generously dust the entire surface of the cloth with flour. Gently transfer the dough, seam side up, into each of the bowls. If the seam opens up, pinch it closed. Mist the top of the dough with spray oil and cover the bowls with the flaps of the cloth.

9. Proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the dough has expanded to about 1 1/2 times its original size. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Be sure to have an empty steam pan in place and your baking stone, should you have one.

10. Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal, and gently transfer the dough to the peel or pan by carefully turning each bowl over onto the peel, lifting off each bowl, and then carefully peeling off the cloth. The dough will spread out on the peel or pan. With a sharp razor blade or French lame, score the loaves with a pound (#) sign. Transfer the dough to the baking stone (or bake on the sheet pan). Place about 1/2 cup of ice into the empty steam pan. Let the bread bake for 5 minutes, then turn the oven down to 450. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate 180 degrees if necessary for even baking. Bake for an addition 5 to 15 minutes, or until the breads are a deep, golden brown and register about 205 degrees F in the center.

11. Remove the loaves from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack. The crusts will soften somewhat as they cool. Allow the loaves to cool for at least 40 minutes before slicing or serving.

I do not have any pictures of the ragout, unfortunately, as it always gets eaten too fast to get any shots off. You’ll just have to use your imagination until you make it yourself.

Chickpea Ragout (thanks to wolfie from Hipinion for this recipe!)

Ingredients:

1 (16oz) can chickpeas, drained
3 large tomatoes, large dice
1 large onion, diced
1 bunch scallions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat olive oil in a large sautee pan over medium heat. Add onion, and scallions, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook until soft.
2. Add garlic, tomatoes and chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper as desired. cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
3. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Serve with grated parmesean cheese.

Today’s entry and recipe are brought to you by: Leftover mashed potatoes.  No, I am not kidding.  The reason that I decided to bake this recipe is because we had some leftover potatoes sitting in the fridge from last night’s dinner party (the same dinner party where we did end up serving the ghostly baguettes), and mashed potatoes are an integral part of this bread.  So, along with a ragout made from leftover chicken and porkchops, today we have practically managed to clean out the fridge of old food.

Now, about the bread.  This is a great loaf to make for a side for soups or stews (or ragouts), or heck, for munching alone.  It is bursting with the flavor of the rosemary, and the crumb, softened by the potatoes, is perfect for dipping.  The attractive orange crust makes the bread a great addition to any plate.

Potato Rosemary Bread (Peter Reinhart, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (7 oz.) biga
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons (14 oz.) unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons (.38 oz) salt
1/4 teaspoon (.03 oz) black pepper, coarsely ground (optional)
1 1/4 teaspoons (.14 oz) instant yeast
1 cup (6 oz.) mashed potatoes
1 tablespoon (.5 oz.) olive oil
2 tablespoons (.25 oz.) coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons to 1 cup (7 to 8 oz.) water, at room temperature (or warm if the potatoes are cold)[Hold back a little bit of the water unless absolutely needed. The potatoes add a lot of moisture to the dough. ---Ryan]
4 tablespoons (1 oz.) coarsely chopped roasted garlic (optional)
Semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting
Olive oil for brushing on

Preparation:

1. Remove the biga from the refrigerator 1 hour before you plan to make the bread. Cut it into about 10 small pieces with a pastry scraper or serrated knife. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour to take off the chill.

2. Stir together the flour, salt, black pepper, and yeast into a 4-quart mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the biga pieces, mashed potatoes, oil, rosemary, and 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water. Stir with a large spoon (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) for 1 minute, or until the ingredients form a ball. Add more water, if necessary, or more flour, if the dough is too sticky.

3. Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin to knead (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook). Knead for approximately 10 minutes (or 6 minutes by machine), adding more flour if needed, until the dough is soft and supple, tacky but not sticky. It should pass the windowpane test and register 77° to 81°F. Flatten the dough and spread the roasted garlic over the top. Gather the dough into a ball and knead it by hand for 1 minute (you will probably have to dust it with flour first to absorb the moisture from the garlic.) Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

4. Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

5. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 2 equal pieces for loaves, or 18 equal pieces (about 2 oz. each) for dinner rolls. Shape each of the larger pieces into a boule, or shape the smaller pieces into rolls. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment (use 2 pans for rolls) and dust lightly with semolina flour or cornmeal. Place the dough on the parchment, separating the pieces so that they will not touch, even after they rise. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.

6. Proof at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours (depending on the size of the pieces), or until the dough doubles in size.

7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Remove the plastic from the dough and lightly brush the breads or rolls with olive oil you do not need to score these breads, but you can if you prefer.

8. Place the pan(s) in the oven. Bake the loaves for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180° for even baking. The loaves will take 35 to 45 minutes total to bake. Bake the rolls for 10 minutes, rotate the pans, and then bake for 10 minutes longer. The loaves and rolls will be a rich golden brown all around, and the internal temperature should register at least 195°F. The loaves should make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. if the loaves or rolls are fully colored but seem to soft, turn off the oven and let them bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes to firm up.

9. Remove the finished loaves or rolls from the oven and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour for loaves and 20 minutes for rolls before serving.

It turns out that my diagnosis was incorrect, as I pulled these baguettes from my oven today, and I realized that these crusts were pale, just as before.

There is good news– I managed to get the shaping of the baguettes right the first time.  This is indeed a plus, as the last time, I gave up on the shaping and ended up putting all of the dough into a big, ugly batard.  These baguettes came out perfect looking in all but color and texture.  Even the scoring looked nice.

These baguettes were to be for a dinner party tonight, but I don’t think that they will be showing their faces.  Such is the life of an amateur I suppose.

The taste of the baguettes was fine.  The preferment leads to a very nice, complex flavor, even from just 4 ingredients.  The texture of the crust was overly hard, and the crumb did not have the large holes typical of a baguette.

There are many like me.  Us liberal arts grads, well-rounded though we are, are not particularly experienced in anything specific.  This makes landing that perfect job difficult to impossible.  There just aren’t many employers looking to hire a fresh-out-of-college English major like me, no matter how well I can analyze the 11th book of Milton’s Paradise Lost.  Shocking, I know.  I found it hard to believe myself.

Once I got over that initial disbelief, I realized that I was going to have to look in different directions to find a job–perhaps even radically different directions.  It also occurred to me that I might have a lot of time on my hands.

So now I’m taking my free time and my newest (and favorite) hobby–baking–and trying to make it into a lucrative career.  Or at least a job.  No, this is not a blog about pastry school, at least, not the sort of pastry school that you might think of.  This is about getting down and dirty in the kitchen, watching too many Food Network cake shows and trying to learn a trade.

These are my assets upon beginning this journey:

1. 5 Books:

• The Bread Bible (Rose Levy Berenbaum)
• The Cake Bible (Rose Levy Berenbaum)
• The Bread Baker’s Apprectice (Peter Reinhart)
• How Baking Works (Paula Figoni)
• The Professional Pastry Chef (Bo Friberg)

2. 1 Kitchen fully stocked with many of the necessary implements for baking

3. 1 Girlfriend–Kristin–graphic designer, cake designer, executive cake decorator

And so it begins…