Whole Wheat Recipe

[Xabia Jim]

This recipe used a 100% whole wheat poolish and then an unbleached flour. It made a very nice crust.

(Recipe found in "Crust & Crumb" by Reinhart)

Ingredients:

1 cup poolish (started the day before)
3 1/2 cups of flour
1 T yeast
1 T honey (I used brown sugar)
1 1/2 t salt (I used a pinch of salt)
2 T olive oil ( I used more by accident)
3/4 Cup buttermilk ( I used regular low fat as that's all I had)

Mix dry ingredients, add wet ingredients and let the mixer (dough hook) do the work. (It mixed on low for about 10 minutes, was a bit stiff so I added a little more milk.)

The dough went through two risings then I cut it into 8 dough balls. These I rolled out into about a 7 inch circle for individual tasting pizzas. These rose on the floured counter and cookie sheets before the toppings were added and they were sent to the oven on the peel.

Cooked up fine and tasted great.

This was a quick turn recipe we used since we had a poolish sponge underway for our bread. Given time I would have saved the dough overnight because I think you get a better crust but this turned out just fine.

[stuart]

Jim,

I've been reading Crust and Crumb and noticed you used the Pizza Dough II recipe. Have you tried the Pizza Dough I recipe and if so how did it compare?

Stuart

[asudavew]

What the heck is poolish?

[CanuckJim]

Asudavew,

A poolish is a pre-ferement, like a biga, sponge or pate fermentee. You mix it up (a poolish is generally quite wet), let it rise for a few hours then put it in the fridge overnight before using. Here's a Reinhart formula that makes about 23 ounce of poolish:

11.25 ounces hard, unbleached bread flour
12 ounces good water at room temperature
1/4 tsp instant dry yeast (IDY)

When you mix everything together it will look like very thick pancake batter. Cover the bowl, let rise 3-4 hours at room temp until it's bubbly and foamy. Then bing it in the fridge.

All of these are what's loosely called old dough. The point is to improve the flavor of the finished dough by the overnight retardation. The dough formula must take into account the high hydration of the poolish. Some, like pate fermentee, are quite a bit stiffer.

Jim

[asudavew]

Thanks Jim!

I may give this a try over the weekend.

You make me wonder weather you know more about dough or brick ovens.