The Bread Baker's Apprentice

The important difference between this dough and most others is that it is made by a delayed-fermentation technique caused by using ice-cold water to mix it, without yeast or salt, and then immediately refrigerating it. The dough is held overnight and then remixed with the yeast and salt and slowly awakened to begin its first, or bulk, fermentation.

Whichever method you use, the goals of mixing must be met without damaging or degrading the dough. The most common form of degrading comes from overmixing and overheating (which leads to overfermenting).

(Note: A new option, the Baking Steel, has become available. It is a solid steel plate that works even better than a baking stone, but it is also, of course, quite a bit more expensive. Unlike a stone, it is indestructible. see Resources, for details.)

As a general rule, a higher percentage of protein (gluten) in flour translates to more water absorption and slightly longer mixing times.

The delayed-fermentation technique, revealed to me by Gosselin, and intuited by many others without knowing why, is all about how enzymes affect fermentation and release flavor. At culinary schools, we teach a fundamental principle: flavor rules. But to release flavors, remember enzymes.

Flour, whether whole wheat or sifted into clear (once sifted or bolted) or patent (twice sifted or bolted) bleached or unbleached white flours (see this page), is called the “100 percent ingredient,” against which all other ingredients stand in ratio. In

Thus, cake flour has 6 to 7 percent gluten, pastry flour has 7.5 to 9.5 percent gluten, all-purpose flour has 9.5 to 11.5 percent gluten, bread flour has 11.5 to 13.5 percent gluten, and high-gluten flour has 13.5 to (rare but possible) 16 percent gluten. The

Proof boxes also control humidity. This is important because if the surface of the dough develops a skin, it will restrict the ability of the dough to rise, acting as a restraint. It also will affect the finished product, creating a tough, chewy crust.

100 percent fresh yeast = 40 to 50 percent active dry yeast = 33 percent instant yeast