A beautifully golden, crispy-crust bread that is much heavier than a regular white bread. It’s very similar in texture in fact to a rye or pumpernickel bread.
- To begin with, combine the following ingredients 24 hours in advance and allow them to ferment at room temperature to create a sourdough starter (a.k.a. “levain”, chief or head).
300 g Kamut Flour
300 g Mineral water*
20 g Active yeast
- The following day combines the rest of the ingredients together with the starter.
- Mix well until homogenous and knead as forcefully as you can for 5 minutes. (These flours may create an incredibly sticky dough or may be smooth; they can be quite unpredictable. If it is sticky, even very sticky, don’t worry and don’t add any extra flour. Try to roll it into a ball as best you can and allow it to rest. It will become smooth eventually! If the dough is too stiff, adding extra water is fine. “Sticky is better than stiff with these doughs” assures the baker.)
- Let it rise covered for 75 minutes while flattening it gently and folding it over 4 times every 25 minutes.
- Divide the dough into two pieces, one of approximately 1100 g (2.45 lbs) for the loaf/bread and one smaller of approximately 600 g (1.30 lbs) for the focaccia.
- Place the larger piece in a well-floured loaf pan or basket and allow to rise for a further 40 minutes untouched in a warm place. If you allow it to rise in a basket, you’ll need to turn it out of the basket gently onto a baking stone or sheet before baking it.
- For the focaccia, follow the directions in our blog post. Note that there are no measurements for the extra virgin olive oil but it’s a good amount, roughly 3 tablespoons. Season to your liking with ingredients such as coarse salt, cheese, garlic, olives, oregano, etc..
- Place a heatproof dish full of water in your Fornetto, one that won’t impede with the baking space and preheat your oven to 235C (455F). Leave the water in the oven and try to avoid it evaporating completely.
- Bake the bread for 40 to 45 minutes or until the centre reads between 94C (200F) and 97C (210F) using a digital thermometer.
- Bake the focaccia for about 20 to 25 minutes or until it’s a deep golden brown.
*This bakery weighs the water using scales. It is not measured out in millilitres, cups or fluid ounces.
