baking bread, day 2

Today in The Art of Baking Bread class, we received instruction on making Country Hearth loaves and rye loaves with the sourdough starter we had left over from yesterday. The first step (aside from the additions of last evening to prepare the dough for this morning) was to remove a small amount to save as a starter. We added flour to make a nice firm ball of starter to save in the refrigerator until tomorrow.

Then we began the arduous task of mixing the very wet dough from last night with enough wheat flour to make 10 small loaves.

When enough flour had been mixed into the soft dough, we each kneaded our ball of dough for many minutes singing this traditional Hebrew song:

Zum, gali gali gali,

Zum gali gali,

Zum, gali gali gali,

Zum gali gali.

Let us sing with joy while we work;

let us work with joy while we sing.

Let us sing with joy while we work;

let us work with joy while we sing.

As our bread was rising, we took a few minutes in small groups to examine and discuss the characteristics of wheat.

Such a tall, frail plant with small seeds to become the sustenance of life.

When our loaves had risen, we gently pressed them down and shaped them into loaves for the oven, then rolled them in flour to produce a softer crust.

In the meantime, we mixed rye flour with the rye dough that had been sitting overnight to produce a much stickier, no-knead dough which rose in 4 loaf pans. Such a beautiful brown bread they turned out to be!

The kitchen staff here was nice enough to slice our bread loaves and serve them for the afternoon snack time.

Don't they make a beautiful presentation?

And then a lovely, summery gazpacho for dinner to beat the heat. We're fortunate to have wonderful food all around this place!

*some Tasha Tudor love over at The Book Children*