I just made the most delicious rosemary boule - but had higher hopes for the texture than what I got. It was very moist and chewy with incredible flavor and a perfect crust; however, I had thought the texture would have much larger holes in it.
The dough is a basic boule from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book. I mixed the dough yesterday afternoon. Forming the loaf very gently, I spent no more than 15 seconds handling it that evening. After covering it lightly with plastic wrap, I refrigerated it about 11 hours. When the oven was ready this morning, I took the loaf out and slashed it, and baked it immediately with steam for 30 minutes at 450 degrees.
I had heard that giving it a refrigerator rise would boost the 'oven spring' but this did not seem to noticeably affect my results.
How do I make a loaf with the really coarse texture I love in the Italian restaurants???
Linked to you from the Artisan Bread blog--get a baking stone if you don't have one! I think it makes a huge difference on the texture.
ReplyDeleteBeth