Gastronome

RISING TO THE TOP

Open the door to your oven and explore a whole new world of bread.

Even those of us who love to cook often draw the line when it comes to baking bread. Maybe it’s the idea of live yeast or the image of a kitchen covered in flour. Or, more likely, it’s just the thought of hours and hours of work.

In fact, it’s much easier to bake bread than you might imagine, and most of the time involved is inactive—which means you can do something else while the yeast works its magic and the dough rises.

Creative satisfaction is felt while shaping the dough with your hands and forming a loaf. As it turns from pale and sticky to golden brown and fluffy, your home is filled with the most appealing aroma.

“Baking is great for relaxing,” says Iacopo Falai, chef and owner of New York’s Falai Panetteria (212-777-8956). “It’s like yoga. You concentrate on the present.”

One thing to remember when you make bread is that it’s alive. “Test your yeast and make sure it’s active,” advises Kate Zuckerman, author of The Sweet Life. “You should see bubbles rising to the top when you mix it with water.”

And because it’s alive, Falai says, “You have to have patience and follow the directions. You can’t force it.” Referring to the proofing stage, he says, “If it’s not ready, it’s not ready.”

“You can determine whether or not your dough has proofed adequately by applying your fingers to the top of the dough and gently pushing,” explains Lionel Vatinet, owner of North Carolina’s La Farm Bakery (www.lafarmbakery.com).

The dough should spring back gently. If you push the dough and it springs back very fast, it needs to proof longer. If the imprint of your fingers are left in the dough, it has over-proofed and will likely result in poorer color, flavor and texture.

“It requires getting a little bit of control of a process that continues even when you are not participating in it,” says Steve Sullivan, founder and owner of Acme Bread Company in San Francisco (415-288-2978) and Berkeley (510-843-2978).

You can expect edible results the first time you try baking bread, according to Zuckerman, but if you really want to master it, Sullivan suggests practicing the same type of bread repeatedly.

But if the going—or the dough—gets tough, remember: it’s just flour and water. —Nancy Davidson

FRENCH COUNTRY BOULE

2 2/3 cups flour
2 tsps salt
1/2 tsps yeast
1 1/2 cups water

Directions: • Preheat oven to 430º
• Knead ingredients by hand for 20-25 minutes, making sure final dough temperature is 75-80º
• Place dough in an oiled bowl to proof; cover dough with plastic and let sit 3 hours
• Fold in half after the first hour, and fold again after the second hour (for a total of two folds)
• After the third hour, divide in half and place on separate sheet pans
• Bake for 25-30 minutes depending on oven temperature —La Farm Bakery