Ingredients

Source

*	Daniel Leader, Judith Blahnik Bread Alone: Bold Fresh * ISBN 0-688-09261-6

Directions

MAKE FEND FERMENT THE POOLISH (allow 2 to 10 hours) Combine the water and yeast in a medium bowl. Let stand 1 minute, then stir with a wooden spoon until yeast is dissolved. Add flours and stir until the consistency of a thick batter. Continue stirring for

about 100 strokes or until the strands of gluten come off the spoon when you press the back of the spoon against the bowl. There will be lively bubbles on the surface. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (23°C/74°F – 27°C/80°F.) draft-free place until it is bubbly and has increased in volume.

PREPARE THE SESAME SEEDS (20 minutes; includes cooling) Place the sesame seeds in a small dry skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer immediately to a plate, place in the refrigerator, and cool completely.

MIX AND KNEAD THE FINAL DOUGH (25 minutes) Measure the remaining ingredients and calculate the necessary temperatures. Bring the bowl with the poolish to your work space. The poolish should be soupy, bubbly, and puffy and it should have a wheaty aroma. Scrape the poolish into a 6-quart bowl. Add the water and yeast. Break the poolish up well with a wooden spoon and stir until it loosens and the mixture foams slightly. Add the whole wheat flour and cooled sesame seeds; stir until well combined. Add the salt and enough bran flour to make a thick mass that is difficult to stir. Turn out onto a well-floured surface. Knead, adding more of the remaining flour as needed, for 10 minutes. Gradually knead in the raisins and continue kneading until the dough is soft and smooth, 15 to 17 minutes total. The dough is ready when a small amount pulled from the mass springs back quickly.

FERMENT THE DOUGH (2 to 3 hours) Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest on a lightly floured surface while you scrape, clean, and lightly oil the large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn the dough to coat the top with oil. Take the dough’s temperature: the ideal is 28,5°C/78°F. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (23°C/74°F – 27°C/80°F) draft-free place until doubled in volume.

Note: If the dough temperature is higher than 28,5°C/78°F, put it in a cooler than 28,5°C/78°F place like the refrigerator until the dough cools to 28,5°C/78°F. If it is lower than 28,5°C/78°F, put it in a warmer than 28,5°C/78°F. place until the dough warms to 78°F. The point is to try to keep the dough at 28,5°C/78°F. during its fermentation. If you do have to move the dough, be gentle and don’t jostle it, or the dough may deflate. The dough has risen enough when a finger poked 1/2 inch into the dough leaves an indentation.

DIVIDE AND SHAPE THE DOUGH INTO LOAVES (10 minutes) Deflate the dough by pushing down in the center and pulling up on the sides. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly. Cut into 2 equal pieces. Flatten each with the heel of your hand, using firm direct strokes. Shape each piece into a 9-inch-long log, sealing firmly and pinching closed.

PROOF THE LOAVES (1 1/2 to 2 hours) Place the loaves seam side down in lightly buttered 9 X 5 x 3-inch baking pans. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm ((23°C/74°F -27°C/80°F)

draft-free place until dough rises just to the rim of the pan.

BAKE THE LOAVES (40 minutes) Forty-five minutes to 1 hour before baking, preheat the oven and homemade hearth or baking stone on the center rack of the oven to 230°C/450°F. The oven rack must be in the center of the oven. If it is in the lower third of the oven, the bottoms of the breads may burn, and if it is in the upper third, the top crusts may burn.

Using a sharp serrated knife or single-edged razor, score the loaves by making quick shallow cuts 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep on the top of the loaf. Place the pans on the hearth and bake 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 205°C/400°F. and bake until loaves are a rich caramel color and the crusts are firm, another 15 to 20 minutes. To test the loaves for doneness, remove from the pans and hold upside down. Strike the bottoms firmly with your finger. If the sound is hollow, the breads are done. If it doesn’t sound hollow, return breads to the pans and bake 5 minutes longer. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Note: If you prefer a soft top crust, brush the warm loaves with melted butter after removing them from the oven.

* 20% bran wheat flour: 3 parts by weight bread flour (Type 550) and 1 part by weight whole wheat flour

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