Peter Reinhart’s

artisan breads every day

www.TenSpeedPress.com

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 www.TenSpeedPress.com

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 Peter Reinhart’s

artisan breads
every day
Fast and Easy Recipes for World-Class Breads

Peter Reinhart
photography by Leo Gong

TEN SPEED PRESS

Berkeley

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 Copyright © 2009 by Peter Reinhart
Photographs copyright © 2009 by Leo Gong

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press,
an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division
of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com

Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon

are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Reinhart, Peter.
Peter Reinhart’s artisan breads every day / Peter Reinhart ; photogra-
phy by Leo Gong.
p. cm.
Includes index.
Summary: “Master baker and innovator Peter Reinhart’s answer to
the artisan-bread-in-no-time revolution, with time-saving techniques
for making extraordinary loaves with speed and ease”—Provided by
publisher.
1. Bread. 2. Quick and easy cookery. I. Title. II. Title: Artisan breads
every day.
TX769.R4175 2009
641.8’15—dc22
2009021119

ISBN 978-1-58008-998-2

Printed in China
Design by Nancy Austin
Food styling by Karen Shinto
Prop styling by Harumi Shimizu

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition

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 Contents

Introduction: Where We Are and How We Got Here 1

1. Baking Basics 5

2. Sourdough and Wild Yeast Fundamentals 35

3. French Breads and Sourdough Hearth Breads 45

4. Enriched Breads 81

5. Rich Breads 139

Epilogue: What’s Next for the Artisan Movement? 199

Resources 204

Baker’s Percentage Formulas 206

Index 210

Acknowledgments 214

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 Pain à l’Ancienne Rustic Bread
Makes 2 large ciabatta loaves, 3 small
ciabatta loaves, or 6 to 8 mini baguettes

I first introduced the concept of cold-fermented wet dough in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.
While the idea isn’t new or original, it has blossomed during the past few years into vari-
ous no-knead, overnight-rise permutations. I now prefer the version in this recipe because
it gives the best flavor and also provides the most flexibility for scheduling. The refrigera-
tor provides a 4-day window of baking opportunity, and that’s hard to beat. The beauty of
this dough, as others have discovered, is that it can be used in so many ways: for focaccia,
ciabatta, mini baguettes, and more. (Because the method for shaping this dough into focaccia
is substantially different, it appears as a separate recipe on page 57.) And even though it’s the
most hydrated dough in this book, it requires only minimal mixing to achieve the same gluten
strength as bakeries obtain by mixing continuously for 20 minutes, due to the stretch and
fold technique.

41/ 2 cups (20 oz / 567 g) unbleached bread flour

13 / 4 teaspoons (0.4 oz / 11 g) salt, or 21/ 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

11/ 4 teaspoons (0.14 oz / 4 g) instant yeast

2 cups (16 oz / 454 g) chilled water (about 55°F or 13°C) To stretch and fold the dough on the work surface, lightly oil the surface and your hands, then transfer the dough to the surface. Stretch one
end of the dough out then fold it back over the top of the dough. Do this from all four sides then place the dough back in the bowl and let
1 tablespoon (0.5 oz / 14 g) olive oil (for ciabatta only) sit for 10 minutes. Repeat this process three more times. You will feel the dough become significantly firmer.

Do Ahead from the back end and then from each side, then flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball.
The dough should be significantly firmer, though still very soft and fragile. Place the dough
Combine the flour, salt, yeast, and water in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use the paddle
back in the bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Repeat this process
attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon
three more times, completing all repetitions within 40 minutes. (You can also perform the
and stir for about 1 minute, until well blended. The dough should be coarse and sticky. Let
stretch and folds in the bowl, as shown on page 17.)
the dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate the flour.
After the final stretch and fold, immediately cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate over-
If making ciabatta, drizzle the olive oil over the dough; if making mini baguettes, omit the
night or for up to 4 days. The dough will rise, possibly to double its original size, in the
oil. Then mix on medium-low speed using the paddle attachment, or by hand using a large,
refrigerator. (If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the
wet spoon or wet hands, for 1 minute. The dough should become smoother but will still be
dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)
very soft, sticky, and wet. Use a wet bowl scraper or spatula to transfer the dough to a clean,
On Baking Day
lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room tempera-
ture for 10 minutes. Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 1 hour before baking for mini baguettes,
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface. With wet or oiled hands, reach under and 3 hours in advance for ciabatta (or an hour earlier if the dough hasn’t increased to
the front end of the dough, stretch it out, then fold it back onto the top of the dough. Do this 11/2 times its original size in the refrigerator overnight).

52 peter reinhart’s artisan breads every day French Breads and Sourdough Hearth Breads 53

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 To make ciabatta, about 1 hour after taking the dough out of the refrigerator, line the
back of a sheet pan with parchment paper and generously dust the entire surface with flour.
Use a wet or oiled bowl scraper to transfer the dough to the work surface, taking care to
handle the dough as little as possible to avoid degassing it.
Dust the top surface of the dough with flour and also flour your hands. Using your hands
or a metal pastry scraper, gently coax and pat the dough into a rough square measuring about
9 inches on each side, still taking care to degas it as little as possible.
For small ciabatta, cut the dough into 3 even strips about 3 inches wide and 9 inches
long (the pieces will each weigh about 12 ounces or 340 grams). For larger ciabatta, cut the
dough in half. With floured hands, gently fold the dough in thirds, like folding a letter but
without applying any pressure. Gently roll the folded dough in the dusting flour to coat it,
then lift the dough and place it on the parchment paper, again rolling it in the dusting flour
on the parchment. Rest the dough seam side down on the
parchment and repeat with the other pieces of dough.
Mist the tops of the dough pieces with spray oil and
loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap or a clean, lint-free
towel. After 1 hour, gently roll the pieces over so the seam
side is up, lift and cradle each piece with floured hands,
and, working from the underside, gently coax it to a length
of 5 inches (for small ciabatta) to 7 inches (for large ciab-
atta). Lay the pieces back on the parchment seam side up.
Straighten the sides of each piece with your hands or a pas-
try scraper so that they are more rectangular than oblong,
mist with spray oil again, then cover loosely and proof for
1 hour more.
About 45 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to
550°F (288°C) or as high as it will go, and prepare the oven
for hearth baking (see page 30).
Slide the dough, parchment and all, onto the stone; if you
aren’t using a baking stone, simply put the whole pan into
the oven. Pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan, then
lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C).
Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for
15 to 20 minutes more, until the crust is a rich brown
(streaked with the dusting flour). The bread should puff a lit-
tle, and the crust should be hard when tapped (it’ll soften as
it cools). Cool on a wire rack for 45 minutes before slicing.

54 peter reinhart’s artisan breads every day

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 To make mini baguettes, about 45 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 550°F
(288°C), or as high as it will go, and prepare the oven for hearth baking (see page 30). After
the dough has been out for 1 hour, generously dust the entire surface of a wooden peel with
flour or line the back of a sheet pan with parchment paper (you can either dust the parchment
with flour or mist it with spray oil so that you can slide and move the dough if need be). Use
a wet or oiled bowl scraper to transfer the dough from the bowl to the work surface, taking
care to handle the dough as little as possible to avoid degassing it.
Dust the top surface of the dough with flour and also flour your hands. Using your hands
or a metal pastry scraper, gently coax and pat the dough into a rough square about 8 inches
on each side, still taking care to degas it as little as possible.
Cut off a slice of dough about 11/2 inches wide and roll it into the dusting flour to lightly
coat it and keep it from sticking to the remainder of the dough. Working with floured hands
and tools, carefully transfer the slice to the prepared peel
or parchment paper, cradling it with both hands to keep it
from stretching too much. You can straighten it by spread-
ing your hands underneath the dough as you lay it down; it
should elongate slightly, to 9 to 10 inches.
Repeat with the rest of the dough, placing the pieces
1 inch apart, until the peel or parchment is full. If you can’t
fit all of the pieces on the peel or parchment, bake those that
are ready before cutting the remainder. It’s better to work in
manageable batches than to try to cram all of them in the
oven, especially if your stone or oven won’t easily hold all of
them. Scoring the dough is an option, but because it risks
degassing the dough, I advise against it until you have made
these a few times.
Slide the mini baguettes onto the baking stone using short, quick back-and-forth motions
with the peel, or by sliding the parchment paper onto the stone. Pour 1/2 cup of hot water into
the steam pan, then lower the oven temperature to 475°F (246°C).
Bake for 12 to 18 minutes total, rotating the pan as needed for even browning. The crust
should be a rich brown, the loaves should puff a little, and the crust should be hard when
tapped (the crust will soften slightly as the bread cools).
Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes.
Variation
For an interesting ciabatta texture and a nice design on the surface of the bread, mix a
small amount of coarse rye flour or whole wheat flour in with the dusting flour.
56 peter reinhart’s artisan breads every day
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Pain à l’Ancienne Focaccia
Makes 1 large focaccia or up to 4 rounds
Although this formula is exactly the same as the preceeding pain à l’ancienne rustic bread
recipe (page 52), the method is quite different. This focaccia dough is also quite similar to
the pizza doughs in this book, the main difference being the amount of hydration. Focaccia is
wetter, at 80 percent hydration, because it has the benefit of rising and baking in a pan to pro-
vide structural support, whereas pizza dough is closer to 70 percent hydration so that it can
be handled and stretched. In both cases, the dough should be slightly sticky, not just tacky.
Focaccia dough is so wet that it’s best to use olive oil to handle it, whereas flour works just fine
with pizza dough. You can also bake a smaller, round focaccia (pictured on page 198).
41/ 2 cups (20 oz / 567 g) unbleached bread flour
13 / 4 teaspoons (0.4 oz / 11 g) salt, or 21/ 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
11/ 4 teaspoons (0.14 oz / 4 g) instant yeast
2 cups (16 oz / 454 g) chilled water (about 55°F or 13°C)
1 tablespoon (0.5 oz / 14 g) olive oil, plus more for the pan
Do Ahead
Combine the flour, salt, yeast, and water in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use the paddle
attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon
and stir for about 1 minute, until well blended. The dough should be coarse and wet. Let the
dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate the flour.
Drizzle the olive oil over the dough, then resume mixing on medium-low speed using the
paddle attachment, or by hand using a large wet spoon or wet hands, for 1 minute. The dough
should become smoother but will still be very soft, sticky, and wet. Use a wet bowl scraper or
spatula to transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap
and let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface. With wet or oiled hands, reach under
the front end of the dough, stretch it out, then fold it back onto the top of the dough. Do this
from the back end and then from each side, then flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball.
The dough should be significantly firmer, though still very soft and fragile. Place the dough
back in the bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Repeat this entire
process three more times, completing all repetitions within 30 to 40 minutes. (You can also
do the stretch and folds in the bowl, as shown on page 17.)
French Breads and Sourdough Hearth Breads 57
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Artisan Breads Every Day 
 
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