Pain Brie ("crushed" Bread of Normandy)

"It's not that the bread is crushed--the dough is--it takes a true beating which is what gives this bread, traditional for use in Charlotte aux Pommes a la Normande (recipe posted separately), its special texture. This dough must be started the night before and the sponge allowed to proof overnight."
 
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Ready In:
14hrs 30mins
Ingredients:
3
Yields:
1 loaf
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ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons dried yeast granules (or 2 packages active dry yeast)
  • 4 cups unbleached bread flour, unbleached
  • 3 teaspoons salt
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directions

  • Dissolve the yeast in one cup of lukewarm water in a large bowl.
  • After a minute or two, add one cup of flour and mix.
  • Then add a second cup and knead by hand until smooth; the dough should be dry and not stick to your hands.
  • Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rise overnite at room temperature.
  • The next day, punch the dough down and add 3/4 of a cup of lukewarm water, the salt and the remaining flour, one cup at a time, mixing all the while.
  • If you are using a stand mixer, use your dough hook; otherwise knead by hand, working the dough until dry.
  • Now, either knead for several more minutes in your stand mixer or place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for a good five minutes.
  • Now, take the dough on your board and pound it heavily with a rolling to flatten it.
  • Fold the dough and pound it again until flat.
  • Repeat this process 7 or 8 more times.
  • Now let the dough (and the cook) rest for ten minutes.
  • Form the dough into a ball, place on a board or counter and cover with plastic wrap.
  • Let the dough rise for two and a half hours at room temperature.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.
  • With a small, sharp knife, make five parallel cuts, approximately 1/4" deep, along the top of the loaf.
  • Place the loaf on a lightly buttered cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until browned and hollow sounding when knock on the bottom.
  • Note: If you are planning to make this bread again in a few days, reserve a cup of dough for a starter and save it in the fridge--but don't keep it past a third day; when you are ready to make the second batch, bring the starter to room temperature, and proceed, skipping the overnight proofing.

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>I have always loved to cook. When I was little, I cooked with my Grandmother who had endless patience and extraordinary skill as a baker. And I cooked with my Mother, who had a set repertoire, but taught me many basics. Then I spent a summer with a French cousin who opened up a whole new world of cooking. And I grew up in New York City, which meant that I was surrounded by all varieties of wonderful food, from great bagels and white fish to all the wonders of Chinatown and Little Italy, from German to Spanish to Mexican to Puerto Rican to Cuban, not to mention Cuban-Chinese. And my parents loved good food, so I grew up eating things like roasted peppers, anchovies, cheeses, charcuterie, as well as burgers and the like. In my own cooking I try to use organics as much as possible; I never use canned soup or cake mix and, other than a cheese steak if I'm in Philly or pizza by the slice in New York, I don't eat fast food. So, while I think I eat and cook just about everything, I do have friends who think I'm picky--just because the only thing I've ever had from McDonald's is a diet Coke (and maybe a frie or two). I have collected literally hundreds of recipes, clipped from the Times or magazines, copied down from friends, cajoled out of restaurant chefs. Little by little, I am pulling out the ones I've made and loved and posting them here. Maybe someday, every drawer in my apartment won't crammed with recipes. (Of course, I'll always have those shelves crammed with cookbooks.) I'm still amazed and delighted by the friendliness and the incredible knowledge of the people here. 'Zaar has been a wonderful discovery for me.</p>
 
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