The Wood-Fired Blog
Cecina
Dec 30, 2011 This is a flatbread that we made with some California friends. They have a cousin who owns a nice Pasticceria in Lucca who give us the recipe and technique, and our samples (which were great). The bread is simple, though finding chickpea flour might not be. 🙂 It is very similar to a French Socca, from Provence. I have heard Cecina called Chickpea Pizza as well. We have used... Read More
Schiaciatta: Tuscan Flatbread
Dec 30, 2011Here is a recipe for traditional Schiaciatta al Olio — flatbread from Tuscany. If Focaccia is half way between pizza and bread, then Schiaciatta is half way between Focaccia and Pizza. It is flat, and infused with olive oil. You should bake it pretty hot — around 500F. Read More
Schiacciata, with a Little Sourdough: Tuscan Flatbread
Dec 30, 2011This is a traditional Schiaciatta all’olio (flatbread from Tuscany), with a sourdough boost. Schiacciata literally means “squashed.” If Focaccia is halfway between pizza and bread, then Schiaciatta is halfway between Focaccia and Pizza. It is flat and infused with olive oil. You should bake it pretty hot — around 500°F. Click the links to learn more about making flatbread and wood fired hearth bread in our expansive bread baking sections of the website. A... Read More
No Knead Bread
Dec 30, 2011The notion of baking bread without any kneading is not new, but the method received a lot of attention when it appeared in The New York Times on November 8, 2006. The formula given here is an adaptation of Jim Lahey’s version as it was given there. This bread is so simple to make, you will hardly believe it at first. It should be stressed from the outset that to... Read More
Kaiser Rolls
Dec 30, 2011So-called Kaisers are everywhere these days, from supermarket bins to small bakeries. Unfortunately, most are made with generic recipes, bleached flour and too many are extruded by machine before being baked on gas decks. The look might be right, but the actual bread is flavorless. They bear little resemblance to the chewy delights of childhood memory. The rolls from this wood fired oven bread recipe bring back that memory, because... Read More
Boule au Levain
Dec 30, 2011This recipe constitutes graduation day. The formula uses a wild yeast starter and a long, cool rise to develop maximum flavor from the grains. Often called a sourdough, barm or levain, there are many, many ways to cultivate a wild yeast starter. Some seem to involve voodoo or late night incantations. Neither is remotely necessary, and simple is better. The easiest and most successful method to propagate the yeast and... Read More
Parisian Baguette
Dec 30, 2011This formula is primarily used for the typical long, skinny loaf seen in Paris, but it can be made into many other shapes, from breadsticks to rolls. Using a preferment, this time in the form of pâte fermentée, gives the loaves a depth of flavor that can’t be achieved any other way. This is a two-day bread, but the first day’s preparation is very simple. Four baguettes made from... Read More
Biga Whole Wheat Bread
Dec 30, 2011Many people have problems baking wheat breads, producing loaves that are heavy and dense. This has a lot to do with the nature of whole-wheat flour, because it is relatively low in gluten compared to bread flour. The solution here is to use what bakers call a preferment, or a bit of a boost to get that whole wheat flour really moving, plus adding a percentage of hard, unbleached bread... Read More
Wood-Oven Goat Cheese Sandwich With Shallot Relish and Kale
Dec 30, 2011Who doesn’t love a good grilled cheese? That’s a rhetorical question, since everyone loves a good grilled cheese (except you poor souls out there who are unfortunate enough to be lactose intolerant). This is a twist on the classic I came up with as a vegetarian option for a party, and I was surprised to discover it actually ended up outpacing all the meat options in terms of popularity with... Read More
