siesta

it's easter sunday. what does that even mean? for some of us, it means empty streets and markets all to ourselves. for others it means violating eggs with garish colors, lying to our kids about that horrible rabbit, and baking bread.

can i just tell you what my kitchen smells like right now?

i took a little siesta. oh, i was baking alright, but i needed a break from the page, see, as we all do from time to time, probably more than we let on. i'm not i the habit of denying myself the privilege of a nap now and again. so, my world became soft and quiet for a moment, still. just me and my starter, whispering sweet nothings to one another, making do with solace. it's a tawdry world, sometimes i want no part of it.

so, this is a green onion thing with asiago. and i can't even tell you how tender the crumb is, like, melt in your mouth. ineffable, really. i was going do something fun: sticks, rolls... but i decided that it was too much effort for a sunday competing with a flamboyant bunny with bad intentions (sugar, and such). so today, you have a boule. what more can be expected. i am l.a.zy. as we all know, a little dyed-in-the-wool, more than i would like to admit. and tired, so tired sometimes! it's all i can do is shape and slash. slide and snap (photographs). the eating is part of the job. it's a hard job if you're not prepared. and who is ever prepared? if you are, then hats off. (as we speak, i am disgustingly stuffed. i was not prepared for this).

i'm going to keep this brief. it does no good to dash a good siesta against the rocks with all kinds of twaddle. and so, here you go.

bread (with green onions & stuff)

THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU MAKE THE DOUGH

make your levain:

50g 100% hydration, 100% rye starter
100g h2o
100g dark rye flour

amalgamate the above. ferment for a while. mine took 9 hours.

DOUGH DAY

all of the levain
500g BRM organic a/p
350g h2o, cold and filtered
3 green onions, sliced thinly (hindsight: could have added one more)
165g asiago, in small dice
33g olive oil
12g salt, sea or kosher is fine

mix together the levain, the flour, the h2o. autolyse for an hour and 15 minutes. after the autolyse, squish the salt and olive oil into the dough. when it's fully amalgamated, fold in the onions and cheese.

now it's time for the 4-hour bulk fermentation, the first 2 hours of which you will perform a series of turns every half hour; this is done at room temp. try to keep the cheese and onions encased in the dough. after the first 2 hours with turns, pop in the fridge and walk the dog, meditate, do your nails... do something for the next 2 hours.

after the bulk fermentation, turn the dough out onto a workspace that has been dusted with lots of organic brown rice flour. let it have a little rest for 15 minutes (its been through a lot).

after the bench, shape into a boule. pop into a linen lined bowl (dust the linen liberally with rice flour). pop in the fridge and ferment for a number of hours. mine fermented for 16.5.

BAKE DAY

an hour before you plan to bake, pop your combo cooker into the oven (your stone should be in there. always, right?) and preheat to 550.

unearth the dough. score. slide it into the oven and pop the lid on. turn the heat down to 475 and steam for 30 minutes.

after the 30 minute steam, remove the lid. turn the oven down to 450 for 15 minutes, then down to 425 and bake till golden. watch it. the cheese will burn if its baked too long. mine baked for another 35 minutes.

steamed

cool for at least an hour before eating. i know, it's rough. you are allowed, however, to pull off any cheese bits that have escaped and crisped along the edges of the thing. you made it, after all. it's your right.

verdict: damn.

to the staff of life!

this loaf has been shared at wild yeast blog. of course. where else would it go?

the RESURRECTED PHOTOS