Dans Como Bread Food

THE ITALIAN BAKER'S PANE DI COMO RECIPE

Steps:

• Starter: Stir the yeast and malt, if you are using the syrup, into the water; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the milk and beat in the flour and malt powder, if you are using it, with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, about 100 strokes or until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand until bubbly, at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
• By Hand: Add the water to the starter; mix and squeeze it between your fingers until the starter is fairly well broken up. Mix the flour and salt together and add it, 2 cups at a time, into the starter mixer, stirring after each addition. When the dough is too stiff to mix with a wooden spoon, just plunge in with your hands. Mix until well blended, 4 to 5 minutes. Knead on a well-floured surface until elastic but still moist and tacky. Once it has come together nicely, slap it down vigorously on the work surface to develop the gluten.
• By Mixer: Mix the starter and the water with the paddle until the starter is well broken up. Add the flour and salt and mix for 2 to 3 minutes at low speed. The dough will be smooth but won't pull away from the sides of the bowl. Change to the dough hook and knead at medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until the dough is elastic but still slightly sticky, 3 to 4 minutes. Finish kneading by hand on a floured work surface.
• By Processor: Refrigerate the starter until cold. Unless you have a large processor, make the dough in two batches. Place the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the dough blade and process with several pulses to sift. Place the starter on top of the flour mixture. With the machine running, pour the 2 cups of cold water through the feed tube and process until the dough comes together and gathers in a small ball. Process 30 to 45 seconds longer to knead. Finish kneading on a well-floured surface with well-floured hands. The dough will be sticky and moist.
• First Rise: Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. The dough is ready when it is very bubbly and blistered.
• Shaping and Second Rise: Cut the dough in half on a floured surface and shape it into two round loaves. Place in oiled and floured 8-inch round bannetons or in baskets lined with generously floured kitchen towels. Cover with towels and let rise until fully doubled and risen to the tops of the bannetons, about 1 hour.
• Baking: Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven with a baking stone in it to 400oF. Just before baking, sprinkle the stone with cornmeal. Very carefully invert the loaves onto the stone and bake until the loaf sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped, about 1 hour. Cool on racks.

DAN'S GARLIC BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix the warm water, HALF the strong flour and yeast. Leave in a warm place for about two hours or until the mixture froths.
• add the orange juice, the remaining strong flour and the salt. with your hands mix the mixture until it forms a rough ball in the centre of the bowl.the dough is supposed to be wet and sticky. It is the high water content that will give this bread its open texture.
• Pour a third of the olive oil on top of the dough. rub a little olive oil on the palms of your hand, then start to tuck the dough underneath itself, while rotating the bowl, until you have a smooth shiny mass. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes. ( you will be doing this step another 3 times and 5 more times without oil).
• In the meantime make the filling. Blanch the garlic in boiling water for 2 minutes , peel.
• put the olive oil in a small heavy based frying pan over a medium heat.when it simmers add the garlic and saute for a minute beig careful not to burn it.
• Add the water, balsamic vinegar ,sugar, salt, pepper and rosemary. reduce the heat to a very low setting and simmer 5 minutes. When the garlic is soft increase heat and reduce the liquid until syrupy. ( don't caramelise).
• Now back to the bread.Slightly deflate the dough with your fingers, making dozens of indentations. drizzle on another third of the olive oil and repeat the same tucking action. Cover with plastic wrap and leave 30 minutes.
• Repeat this step another time with the rest of the oil and rest another 30 minutes. After this you will do the tucking action another 5 times but without using oil leaving the same 30 minute interval. By the end the dough should be smooth.
• On a floured surface, press out the dough with your fingers and heels until you get a rectangle 36 cm x 18 x 2 cm thick.
• Spread the cooked whole cloves with their syrup and distribute evenly over the surface. Fold the longest side across by a third, and then bring the other side on top . Now do the same but from the narrow side. fold a third across and then bring the other side on top of it, trapping layers of filling between the dough. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
• Brush a large baking dish with olive oil and dust with polenta. Using a sharp knife cut the dough into 5 cm slices ( about 4). and lay them down CUT SIDE UP, streching them to a slightly oval shape. Leave enough space so they won't touch each other when they will expand.
• Cover with a damp cloth and let rise about an hour or until double in size. Pre heat oven to 250°C.
• Brush top with olive oil. bake in the middle shelf. After 5 minutes recuce heat to 180C and bake a further 35-40 minutes or until the loaf is bromn and quite blistered, and feels firm when pressed.
• Leave to cool on a wire rack and leave to cool to room temperature before slicing.