Ink bread - lean dough for baguette, epi, tabatiere and pain auvergnat

For the pre-ferment (poolish):

Yield: 1490 g / 3 lb 4.48 oz
Ingredient Metric U.S. %
Bread flour 743.34 1 lb 10.24 oz 49.89%
Water at 21°C/70°F 743.34 1 lb 10.24 oz 49.89%
Yeast, instant dry, red label 3.32 .12 oz 0.22%

Procedure:
Mix the yeast into the flour, then add to the water. Can be mixed by hand in a bowl and
should be left to ferment for at least 4 hours, ideally 12 to 18 before you need it, at room
temperature (21°/70°F).

For the lean dough:

Yield: 3700 g / 8 lb 2.4 oz

U.S.
Ingredient Metric (lbs) %
Bread flour 1412.14 3.11 100.00%
Poolish 1472.94 3.25 104.30%
Water at 21ºC/ 70ºF 731.95 1.61 51.83%
Squid ink 36.97 0.08 2.62%
Yeast, instant dry, red label 3.29 0.01 0.23%
Salt 42.72 0.09 3.03%

Procedure:
DDT: 24ºC/75ºF.
Mix the water with the squid ink.
Combine all of the ingredients in a mixer except the salt. Mix for three minutes on speed one.
Let it rest for fifteen minutes (cover the dough with a plastic bag), then add the salt and mix
for five minutes on speed one (if you are making larger amounts of dough, for example,
twice as much, you will require more mixing time during the second mixing, just enough
until you reach full gluten development – check the “window”). This process is known as
“Autlolysis”, discovered by Professor Raymond Calvel in France, who realized this rest
period improves the links between starch, gluten and water and improves the extensibility
(stretchiness) of the dough. As a result, when mixing is resumed, the dough forms a mass and
becomes smooth more quickly, reducing mixing time by approximately 15%, producing
bread with more volume, better crumb and better structure. Mixing the dough too long can
also cause it to oxidize, turning it a pale white.
Transfer the dough to a floured wooden table and let it bulk ferment for forty five minutes
covered with a plastic bag.
Punch the dough down, and fold it onto itself. Keep it covered.
Bulk ferment for forty five more minutes.
Divide:
370 g /13.05 oz for baguettes
370 g / 13.05 for epi
570 g/ 1 lb 4.1 oz for tabatiere
570 g / 1 lb 4.1 oz for pain auvergnat – 300g/ 10.58 oz for the “lids”
Pre-shape:
Baguette: push the dough down with the heel of your hand, brush off excess flour from the
dough, then roll the dough in towards you (vertically), pushing the dough down with your
finger tips as you roll it up to tighten the roll and to help de-gas it (make sure that there isn’t
too much flour on the dough, brush it off if you can see it); roll it out to a 40cm/16 in oblong
with slightly tapered ends.
Epi: same as baguette
Tabatiere: shape round
Pain auvergnat: shape larger amount round / sheet out smaller amount to 3mm thick.
Intemediate fermentation: 15 minutes (keep covered with plastic)
Final shape:
Bauguette: Roll the dough out to 57.5cm/23in. Try to get an even roll with the ends tapered.
Place a linen (couche) on a wood board, coat the couche with some bread flour, and start
placing the baguettes on the linen with the seam facing the linen, making sure that you pull
the linen in to “cradle” each baguette, this will keep them separate from each other and will
also keep them straight.
Epi: do the same as with baguette.
Tabatiere: round the dough again in a circular motion, “pulling” the dough towards you to
tighten the ball; let it relax for fifteen minutes covered. Visually divide each dough ball in
three pieces. Using a wooden dowel, roll out one third of the dough flat to form a flap. Brush
some water on the flattened piece of dough and fold it onto the rest of the dough. The flap
should cover the entire surface of the dough.
Place in a lightly floured round basket with the flap facing down (you can line the basket
with a couche if you choose to (this helps turn the dough out, preventing it from sticking to
the basket).
Pain Auvergnat: round the dough again in a circular motion, “pulling” the dough towards you
to tighten the ball. Cut out 10 cm/4 in discs of the flat dough using a ring cutter. Place the
dough discs on a wooden board lined with a linen sheet, lightly coated with flour. Brush
some water on each of the discs. Place the shaped balls on top of each disc.
Proof for 1 hour to 1.5 hours at room temperature, or in a proof box for forty five minutes to
an hour at 30°C/86ºF with 80% humidity.
To bake:
Baguette: set deck oven to 250ºC/482ºF. Flip each baguette onto a wooden paddle by pulling
on the side of the linen, then flip the baguette onto a loader (the seam of the baguette will be
at the bottom again); make five to six 45º angle scores of even sizes (about 7.5cm/3in long)
with a lamé. You will be able to load all ten baguettes into the oven at the same time; make
sure they are evenly spaced. Load the baguettes into the oven and press the steam button for
five to ten seconds (it depends on your oven). Bake for twenty minutes (approximately), then
open the vent and bake for five more minutes. Take the bread out of the oven with a peel and
slide onto a metro shelf to cool.
Epi: set deck oven to 250ºC/482ºF. Flip each piece of dough onto a wooden paddle, and then
flip the dough onto the loader. Once all the “baguettes” are on the loader, take a pair of
scissors and cut the baguette in six evenly spaced pieces at a 45º angle; be careful to not cut
all the way through the dough. All cuts should be evenly spaced (same size); take one tip and
turn it to one side gently, take the next tip and pull it in the opposite direction and so on; do
this as you are cutting the dough. Load the epis into the oven and press the steam button for
five seconds. Bake for twenty minutes (approximately), then open the vent and bake for five
more minutes. Take the bread out of the oven with a peel and slide onto a metro shelf to cool.
Tabatiere: set deck oven to 220ºC/430ºF. Flip each basket directly onto the loader, making
sure that all tabatiers are evenly spaced. Load the oven and press the steam button for five
seconds. Bake for fifteen to twenty minutes, then open the vent and bake three more minutes.
Take each piece of bread out of the oven with a peel and slide them onto a metro shelf to cool
off.
Pain auvergnat: set deck oven to 220ºC/430ºF. Flip each piece onto a floured wooden paddle,
then slide each piece onto the loader (do not flip over again, the flat disc of dough should
now be facing up. Using a pair of scissors, cut a dime size incision directly at the middle of
the disc. Load the oven and press the steam button for five seconds. Bake for fifteen to
twenty minutes, then open the vent and bake three more minutes. Take each piece of bread
out of the oven with a peel and slide them onto a metro shelf to cool off.