more bread

further experimentation with biga and poolish.  fig hazelnut adapted from here. the apricots were swapped out for figs, the hazelnuts were toasted instead of left raw, and chopped instead of left whole. fistfuls of whole wheat and amaranth flour made up the bulk of the bread flour weight resulting in a denser, sweeter, creamier crumb. the only strangeness of working with these breads is that there is no supreme oven-spring or loft as with commercial yeasts. this could be due to the cooler temperatures of the kitchen, the sporadic behavior of the rebel yeasts that have been snatched from the air or my lack of finesse in the fermentation process. likely it is a question of finesse.

fig hazelnut bread
(adapted from cristina's tuscan table)

1 1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 c warm water
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 t olive oil
2 tablespoons rolled oats
1 cup biga
3 cups high-gluten bread flour (or a mixture of your choice. 1 cup of bread flour is necessary to provide stout enough gluten matrices to suspend the figs and nuts. the other two can be varied. amaranth, spelt, and whole wheat are all sweet earthy flours that pair nicely with the fruit and nuts.)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 c figs, chopped thinly, lengthwise
1/2 cup hazelnuts, whole, skin-on

preheat the oven to 350

spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheets and toast, stirring occasionally until fragrant, about 10 minutes. once properly toasted, the skins on the hazelnuts will be quite alarmingly black, but never fear! this is the indication that the nuts are golden brown on the inside. wrap the nuts in a tea towel and rub back and forth until the skins loosen and flake off. chop coarsely and set aside.

in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, dissolve yeast in warm water. add molasses, honey, oil, oats, biga and flour. mix on low, adding salt after about 5 minutes. continue mixing until dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes after adding the salt. if the dough is too sticky, add more flour, 1/4 cup at a time until the dough masses around the hook.

knead in nuts and figs, turn in an oiled bowl and leave to double in volume, roughly 2 hours.

after the first rise, shape the dough. turning into a loaf pan will provide a thicker crust with a somewhat damper crust. free form loaves will spread lightly, have a thinner, crispier crust, and a drier more open crumb. both are equally delicious.

after shaping the loaf let rise a second time until doubled, another hour and a half. once fully proofed slash the dough a few times taking care not to cut any deeper than a 1/2". these slashes act as vents allowing the bread to expand without tearing, so don't neglect it.

bake to 35 - 50 minutes (longer for a loaf pan, shorter for a free form loaf) until golden brown on top and hollow - sounding when rapped sharply on the bottom.

allowing the bread to cool for 30 minutes, though difficult, allows the crumb to set and the loaf to develop flavor.