Pane Siciliano

[Roo-B-Q'N]

OK made some bread, thought I would share. This is a bread that takes three days to make, it CAN be done in two, or probably even one, but flavors are built and the flour goes through some changes as the yeast and sugars do their thing.

DAY ONE

Pre Ferment is made and put in the fridge. This is basically flour, water, a small amount of sugar and a tsp of yeast. No pics but my bride can confirm that it happend.

DAY TWO

The pre ferment is mixed with 40% semolina flour and 60% bread flour along with salt, honey and 1 tsp of yeast and 1 1/4 water. This is mixed and kneaded and placed in the proofing oven for 2 hours to double. It is then shaped into a traditional Pane Siciliano Loaf.
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Three of these guys were dusted with poppy and seasame seeds, sprayed down with veggie oil and then covered with plastic wrap and back into the fridge for another night.

DAY THREE

While bringing the oven up to 500 degrees and preparing it to simulate a hearth style oven, I let the bread come to room temp and rise a bit. The hearth style baking is simply introducing steam in the early partrs of baking to allow for oven spring (a rise in the bread due to intense heat and steam) the steam also helps create a crunch and shiney crust.

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The crust was chewy but the crumb lacked structure. The overall flavor however was very bold.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w13/roobqn/IMG_0512.jpg

BONUS PICTURES

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Here is a cat.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w13/roobqn/IMG_0490.jpg

[FatDaddy]

bread looks great. That cat looks like hes fixin to eat your face though.

[Arlin_MacRae]

"Here is a cat".

LMAO, Tom! That's great looking bread.

[BobBrisket]

WOW!! Looks good. Looks like it would go great with some infused EVOO. Maybe a garlic, red pepper flake infusion. I'd hit some of that for shur.........

As for the cat............I will not say what I was going to say cause this isn't Woodpile!:-D

[cowgirl]

Mmmmm....looks like the perfect meal! Sweet looking cat too. :wink:

[puff]

Bread looks great!
Cat looks tired.

[LMAJ]

Umm... good looking bread.
And thanks for clearing up that last picture - was thinking that might be a cat but wasn't quite sure...