Pane di Farina Patata - Home Version
(Potato Flour Bread)
Ingredients
| 3/4 | Tsp. | Yeast - active dry or 1 small cake yeast (5 grams) |
| 1/4 | Cup | Water (60 grams) |
| 3/4 | Cup + 2 Tbl. | Water (210 grams) |
| 3 | Tbl. | Olive Oil (45 grams) |
| 1/2 | Cup | Sour Cream (60 grams) |
| 1/3 | Cup | Old white dough (See Note 1) |
| 3 | Cups | Flour - unbleached bread or all purpose flour (400 grams) |
| 1/2 | Cup + 2 Tbl. | Flour - potato, fine (100 grams) |
| 1/2 | Tsp. | Malt (2.5 grams) |
| 1 | Tbl. | Dill Weed - fresh or 1 Tsp. dry |
| 1 1/2 | Tsp. | Salt (7.5 grams) |
| Note 1: Old white dough = A piece of dough saved from one batch of dough to be used in another batch. Without this the bread will not be as full flavored and light. |
Procedure
Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup water and allow it to stand for approximately 5-10 minutes. Combine the additional water (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons), olive oil (3 tablespoons), and sour cream (1/2 cup), and add it to the dissolved yeast mixture. Break up the old dough, adding it to the above, and mixing until it is softened and nearly dissolved. Combine the unbleached bread or all-purpose flour (3 cups), the potato flour (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons), the malt (2.5 g) and the dill weed, with the previous mixture, and continue to mix until the dough begins to hold together. Gently knead the dough. As a stiff dough begins to form, add the salt. The dough will feel increasingly sticky and develop a viscous quality as it is kneaded. This is the result of the potato flour breaking down the gluten, and indicates that the dough has been adequately mixed.
Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl. Allow the dough to rise until it is doubled (approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours). Punch down the dough and allow it to rise for another hour.
Gently turn the risen dough onto a flour dusted work surface. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Dust a piece of canvas (untreated, 100% cotton), or a proofing board (lumber core plywood) with flour. Divide the dough into 2 portions. Cup your hands beneath one portion of the dough and gently fold sections of it toward the center until it is round. Turn the round dough over, gently roll it on the work surface, and place it on the canvas or board. Repeat with the second portion. Cover the dough with a cotton towel. Allow it to rise until nearly double (approximately 45 minutes).
As the dough is rising, place a baking stone in the oven and set the temperature to 500 F. Allow the oven to heat for 30 minutes.
Ease your hands beneath the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper. Slide a baker’s peel beneath the parchment paper. Lower the oven temperature to 425 F. Slide the parchment paper from the peel onto the baking stone. Quickly spray the oven walls using a plastic spray bottle filled with cold water. Spray again in 5-minute intervals within the first 15 minutes. Allow the dough to bake until it is a deep golden color (approximately 15 more minutes).
Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool on a rack.
Note: A unique roll can be made using the following procedure: Shape the dough into oblong rolls. Allow them to proof for approximately 1 hour. Prior to placing the rolls in the oven, slit them lengthwise, down the middle, and place a pat of butter in each slit. When the rolls emerge from the oven, they resemble a baked potato.
