French Baguette with poolish

What is Poolish (Biga)?

A pre-ferment is a fermentation starter used in bread making, and is referred to as an indirect method. It may also be called mother dough.
A pre-ferment and a longer fermentation in the bread-making process have several benefits: there is more time for yeast, enzyme and, if sourdough, bacterial actions on the starch and proteins in the dough; this in turn improves the keeping time of the baked bread, and it creates greater complexities of flavor. Though pre-ferments have declined in popularity as direct additions of yeast in bread recipes have streamlined the process on a commercial level, pre-ferments of various forms are widely used in artisanal bread recipes and formulas.

Biga and poolish are terms used in Italian and French baking, respectively, for sponges made with domestic baker's yeast. Poolish is a fairly wet sponge (typically made with a one-part-flour-to-one-part-water ratio by weight), while biga is usually drier. Bigas can be held longer at their peak than wetter sponges, while poolish is one known technique to increase dough's extensibility.

Poolish
Poolish was one of the first pre-ferments elaborated with commercial yeast. Polish bakers, where the name originated, are credited with inventing this pre-ferment in Poland at the end of the 19th century. The process was then adapted in Austria and later in France. Bread made with a poolish was lighter and less acidic than the sourdough bread commonly baked during that time, and it started to gain poularity. With the availability of commercial yeast, more bakers began using the poolish process, and the sourdough process declined. Technically, we could classify the poolish as a transitional pre-ferment between baking using sourdough and baking with commercial yeast using a straight process. Even in Paris today, some windows of older bakeries display two signs. One reads "pain Viennois" -bread from Vienna (made with commercial yeast), and the other reads "pain Francais" -bread from France (made with sourdough).
Traditionally, the size of the poolish is calculated based on the water involved in the total formula. Use from 20% to 80% of the water to prepare the poolish. Then, elaborate the poolish using the same amount of flour as water ( this 100% hydration, provides a liquid consistency); no salt is usually incorporated in the poolish. It is important to note that the poolish is allowed to ferment at room temperature. Therefore, the quantity of yeast is calculated depending on the fermentation time of the poolish. Although it is difficult to give precise numbers, the recipe below provides some guidelines to calculate the quantity of yeast to use in the poolish.

Baguette with poolish (biga)

Poolish:

1 Kg white bread flour
10 g wet (fresh compressed) yeast
1 Lt water
Method:
Mix all ingredients together, transfer into a container, cover and leave at room temperature overnight.
P.S. if you are living in an area where the ambient temperature is hot, leave in fridge overnight.

Dough:

1.2 kg white bread flour
50 g salt
80 g wet yeast
Method:
Put the dough ingredients and the poolish together and mix on slow speed for 2 minutes and fast speed for 6 minutes with a dough hook.
Rest dough for 20 minutes before scaling at 400g each.
Rest another 10 minutes. Shape into long thin cigars and place on baking tray.
Cover with plastic and rest for 45 minutes to rise.
Remove plastic. Spray the dough with water ( use a spray gun), and bake at 240 degrees C, for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 210 degrees C and bake for another 15 minutes.
Cool on rack, (if you can wait that long)!

Crispy Cheese & Onion Fritters

Crispy Cheese & Onion Fritters

(serves 6)

This is a lovely appetizer or TV snack and can be served with a few dips, like sweet chili sauce, chutney, garlic mayonnaise, 1000 Island dressing, etc...

Ingredients:

250ml / 8fl oz milk

250g / 9oz plain flour

100g / 4 oz butter

50 g / 2 oz fine chopped onions

250g / 9oz Cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 tsp / 2.5 ml coarse black pepper

3 large eggs, beaten

Salt to taste

oil for deep-frying

Preparation:

·         In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the onions. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until the onions become translucent.

·         Add the flour to the butter / onion mix and mix well with a wooden spoon to form a smooth thick paste.

·         Bring the milk to boil in a large heavy saucepan over a medium heat, stirring occasionally.

·         When the milk is boiling, add the butter / flour mixture and whisk well until very thick, and bubbling. Remove from the heat and mix in the grated cheese.

·         Add salt to taste, the coarse black pepper and the beaten eggs.

·         Allow the mixture to cool. It should now be thick enough to shape into about 20- 26  balls.

·         Heat the oil in a heavy deep saucepan until very hot. Deep-fry the balls in batches of

about six until they are golden brown.

·         Remove from the saucepan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

·         Serve piping hot with a dip of your choice.

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

A delicious mouth-watering moist cake

Ingredients for the Cake:

200 g / 1 C minus 2 tsp Sugar

4 Eggs Large                          

250 ml / 1 C Sunflower Oil

200 g / 1¼ C Cake Flour

10 ml / 2 tsp Baking Powder

10 ml / 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

5 ml / 1 tsp Mixed Spice

5 ml / 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

125 g Mashed Bananas

125 g Grated Carrots

50 g Chopped Walnuts

Ingredients for the Cottage Cheese Icing:

100 g Medium Fat Margarine (16% Moisture)

250 g Icing Sugar

65 g Smooth Cottage Cheese

Preparation:

1.      Beat eggs and sugar until pale and thick and creamy.

2.      Add Sunflower Oil slowly to incorporate into egg mixture, whilst beating.

3.      Sieve all dry ingredients directly onto egg mixture and fold in gently.

4.      Lastly fold in bananas, carrots and walnuts.

5.      Pour cake mix into 2 x 20 cm greased cake rings and bake in center of preheated oven at 180° C / 350 F for 20-25 minutes.

6.      Cool on wire rack.

7.      Meanwhile cream the room temperature margarine until light and creamy.

8.      Fold in the sieved icing sugar and finally the cottage cheese.

9.      Sandwich the cooled cakes together with half of the icing

10.  Cover the top of the cake with the remainder of the icing and garnish with whole walnuts

Brandy Snaps

Brandy Snaps

Makes between 30 – 36

Ingredients:

5 oz / 140 g Butter

5 oz / 140 g Castor Sugar

5 oz / 140 g Golden Syrup

5 oz / 140 g Cake Flour

½ T / 7.5 ml Ground Ginger

50 ml Brandy

Filling:

200 ml Cream, whipped

Preparation:

·        Preheat oven to 350° F / 180° C with a rack in the middle of the oven.

·        Prepare a baking tray in the following manner: Brush the bottom of the tray with a little oil and cover with a sheet of silicone baking paper. This allows the paper to stay firm on the baking tray. Draw a round shape about 8 -10 cm in diameter on the paper. Draw another round next to the first one with a gap of 3 cm between each circle.

·        Melt the butter in a microwave (pouring consistency, not very hot)

·        Add Golden syrup and mix until both ingredients are incorporated.

·        Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until smooth.

·        Add brandy and mix well.

·        Fill a teaspoon heaped up with the brandy snap mixture and place in the middle of the round drawing.

·        With a pallet knife, smooth out the mixture to cover the circle. Repeat with the other circle.

·        Put baking tray in the middle of the oven and bake for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling.

·        Remove the tray from the oven and place on table.

·        Place a wooden or metal tube, 1.5 cm in diameter, on top of the circles nearest to you and roll the snap up on the tube.

·        Slide the brandy snap of the tube and leave to get cold.

·        Fill a piping bag, fitted with a thin round nozzle, with the whipped cream. Take a brandy snap and half fill with cream from one extremity and repeat from the other extremity until the whole brandy snap is filled.

Notes:

1. Only fill the brandy snaps with cream just before serving, as otherwise they will lose their crunch.

2. You can store the brandy snaps, without cream, in an airtight container for up to 12 hours at room temperature before they start deteriorating.

Bread Baking Course Chapter 4

Potato yeast

In the early days when bread making was part of every housewife’s daily routine, the simple technique of preparing a potato-yeast starter or plant was a common practice. This ensured that yeast was continually available for the baking of breads or rusks.

Bread prepared in this way has an unmistakable flavor, with the added advantage that it lasts considerably longer because of a very slow rate of fermentation. Due to the slow rising process the grain as well as the shape is beautifully even. The best time to prepare the yeast is early in the morning. The dough is kneaded in the evening and left to rise overnight.

Potato-yeast starter

1 medium potato, peeled and thinly sliced

6 g yeast or 2 ml dry yeast granules

15 ml sugar

15 ml salt

15 ml flour

750 ml lukewarm water

1.      Place potato slices in the bottom of a screw-top jar with at least 1 liter capacity. Combine crumbled yeast, sugar, salt and flour, and pour over potato. Stir and close jar tightly. Allow to stand in a slightly warm spot for 8 to 10 hours until a thick frothy layer forms on top of the liquid (in warm weather room temperature is sufficient)

2.      Stir mixture and pour off approximately 625 ml active liquid. The remaining liquid should be sufficient to cover the potato slices. The active liquid is then incorporated into the dough as leavening agent. The remaining potato slices form the starter or potato plant. No additional yeast will be required to restart the fermentation. The starter may be refrigerated several days until required.

3.      To reactivate the plant, remove two thirds of the potato slices and add again:

1 small potato, peeled and thinly sliced

15 ml sugar

15 ml salt

15 ml flour

750 ml lukewarm water

Stir mixture and continue in the same manner as described above.

4.      To use the active potato-yeast liquid, omit yeast and replace approximately 625 ml of the liquid in any recipe with this mixture. To allow for the salt and sugar present in the active yeast liquid, decrease the salt and the sugar in the recipe used by 10 ml each. If a recipe calls for milk instead of water only, powdered milk may be added with the flour.

5.      Prepare the dough and allow to rise tightly covered for 6 to 8 hours in a warm spot, or overnight at room temperature. If sufficient time for this prolonged rising is not available, add 6 g yeast for quicker results. The best time to prepare the dough is in the evening. Allow to rise overnight in a large covered bowl and knead down first thing in the morning.

6.      Shape breads; allow rising in a warm spot for 4 to 6 hours and bake according to the instructions given for a specific recipe.

Terminology

Enzyme: (n)

An unorganized or unformed ferment, in distinction from an organized or living ferment; a soluble or chemical ferment. Ptyalin, pepsin, diastase and rennet are good examples of enzymes.

Gluten: (n)

The viscid, tenacious substance which gives adhesiveness to dough.