Bread Making Trial 4

Experiment 3 resulted in a bread that had mediocre flavor, and a delicate texture.  What I wanted was a chewy texture and a flavor that closer resembled a French baguette.  I figured that the flavor I didn't like probably came form the butter and milk.  I changed the recipe up a lot this time, which isn't very scientific because it is impossible to know what results come from what changes.  But, I figure I am more in the exploratory stage of this bread making research, so I don't mind.  See experiment 3 here.  The changes in experiment 4 are: pooling refrigerated overnight, dough mixed cold, dough mixed 2X as long, no butter, no milk, add sugar, less flour, cooked in humid oven, and I basted water on the dough surface with the second rise.

Pooling
1 1/2 C warm water
2 C Gold Medal Better for Bread Flour
1 tsp active dry yeast

Mix ingredients with hands until pooling is the consistency of thick batter with no lumps.  Pour into a container with plenty of room, because batter will double or triple in volume.  Let ferment in the refrigerator overnight before adding:

2 tsp salt
2 Tbs sugar

Mix for 2 minutes.

Add flour, 1/2 C at a time, until dough cleans bowl and is slightly sticky (about 2 cups). Kneed for about 4 minutes on speed 1 in mixer, turn dough over, and kneed for another 4 minutes.  Place dough ball in a greased bowl, turning over to coat.  Cover and let rise until double in size, about 1 hour in a warm place.

Flatten, pull into a rectangle, and shape as desired.  Baste with water, cover, and let dough rise until doubled.  Bake at 350 F for ~30 minutes, with pan of water in the oven to increase humidity.  Brush crust lightly with egg white, and bake for another 5 minutes.

Outcome
The bread was chewy, and had a good flavor. BUT, cutting out the 1/2 C milk, 3 Tbs butter, and 1 1/2 C of flour meant that there was a lot less dough.  I divided it in half so that we could make a cinnamon loaf, and the results was that both loafs were way too small.  Next time: similar recipe but with more dough.

Note, this was originally posted here.
Posted By Matt & Katie