Jeffrey Hamelman Bread : Baguettes with poolish (1)

I have several books related to bread making at home, but in the end, the book that I always have in my hands is Jeffrey Hamelman's Bread. I don't remember exactly when I purchased it, but it was around 2019.

The reason I chose this book is simple. It gave me the feeling of being a textbook on baking. If I could master this one book perfectly, I felt like I would learn a lot about bread. Whether my intuitive feeling back then was right or not, I still can't tell because I haven't really utilized this book even after about 5 years. So I'm trying to implement the plans that I've only been thinking about little by little. It's about acquiring the knowledge and experience of Teacher Jeffrey, even if it's from the far end, by trying out the recipes in this book one by one. There are many other parts of the book that I should read and learn first before trying out the recipes, but for now, I want to try out the recipes and refer to other parts of the book when I get stuck.

 

Therefore, the first recipe I tried was the "Baguette made with Poolish" (p.120).

 

1. Measurement

The home baking recipes in the book use unfamiliar units like lb or oz, so I determined the weights of the ingredients according to baker's percentages. Below is the mix I made as a result.

 

Calculating the yeast amount from the recipes in the book was a bit tricky, because the instant dry yeast was listed in ounces and was a very small quantity. So I calculated it by multiplying the baker's percentage for fresh yeast in metric units by 0.33. For example, on p.120 the baker's percentage for the poolish fresh yeast is listed as 0.2%. Converting that to the total dough weight I was using, I needed 0.7g of fresh yeast. However, since I was using instant dry yeast, I had to multiply that by 0.33 according to the book's instructions on p.72 for "converting fresh yeast to dry yeast." So 0.7g x 0.33 = 0.23g of instant dry yeast needed. The challenge then was how to measure out 0.23g of yeast. The answer is provided on p.116, which states that for tiny amounts like this, it's best to add just a pinch of yeast and observe the fermentation time.

2. Making the Poolish

The evening before mixing the dough, the poolish is prepared. Since it needs to sit for 12-16 hours at 21°C (70°F), the schedule for making it should be carefully planned out in advance.

 

 

First, 330g of bread flour - I used Ki'ara organic bread flour.

 

 

For the yeast, I intended to add just a pinch, but just in case, I added about half of 1/4 teaspoon.

 

 

330g water - The water temperature was around 28°C (82°F).

 

 

Mixed well, and

 

 

Now cover it and allow it to ferment for 12-16 hours at 21°C (70°F).

 

Good Night!

 

I had intended to cover the entire process of making the poolish baguette in one posting, but it seems I will have to continue in a next posting starting from the mixing stage. Calculating the dough temperature, factoring in friction heat, mixer revolutions, etc... as I try to apply all the details outlined in this book, the post is becoming quite lengthy.

Then let's continue in the next post!