Bread Loaf with Preferment (Poolish)
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Bread Loaf with Preferment (Poolish)

By October 16, 2018

Shall we just sit down and press the pause button in our lives. Just for a few minutes. A minute to give thanx to the Almighty, a minute to pray for others , a minute just to be thankful to be alive.
I’ve always been a nature loving person, away from the hush n rush of the hustle bustle around us.
The same goes for cooking or baking. Make two identical dishes. One cooked in jiffy. And the other one cooked following all the steps. Which do you think will have a better taste. Well of course the dish cooked not in a jiffy.
Same goes for breads. Slower the process, tastier the end result.
A preferment/polish ,enhances the flavor, improves the crumb, texture and betters the shelf life. That is why, this method is still very popular among artisan bread bakers and bakeries. The total added yeast required for the recipe is very less, compared to the normal method using only instant yeast.
A starter is made with a little bit of instant yeast, flour and water and kept for overnight fermentation, which is then used in the actual bake.
This recipe yields 8 numbers of 70 grams buns/rolls and a large loaf.

Ingredients

Instructions

To make the starter:
Mix water and 1/8 teaspoon yeast. Add the flour, stirring till the flour is fully incorporated. Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 8 to 12 hours; the starter will be bubbly.

To make the dough:
If you're using active dry yeast, dissolve it with a teaspoon of sugar in ¼ cup of the lukewarm water. Let the yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded. If you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step.
Combine the dissolved yeast (or instant yeast) with the remaining dough ingredients, and the whole of polish, mix and knead by hand or a stand mixer, to make soft, smooth dough. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take about 8 minutes at second speed and 10 minutes if you are kneading with hand.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for 2 hours, it should have doubled in bulk from its original volume.
Gently deflate the dough.
To shape the bread loaf, take the dough and just spread into a rectangular shape with a rolling pin. Roll up carefully into a tight loaf log. Place the bread dough in lightly greased loaf pan with the seam area at bottom.
Cover with a wet cloth, and let the dough rise for (preferably in a warm place) till it doubles in volume.
15 minutes before the bake, pre heat the oven to 200 C.
Just before baking, brush the loaf with a little milk or melted butter or egg wash.
Bake the bread dough in a preheated oven at 200 C, for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, and turn it out onto a rack to cool.
When completely cooled, wrap in plastic, and store at room temperature. Slice the loaf only after cooling.

Notes
1: Water required may vary. Use the lesser amount in summer or humid climates; the greater amount in winter or drier climates.
2: Baking time could vary from different ovens.
3: The dough may seem very sticky, but after kneading, it will automatically form smooth dough, do not add excess flour, and do not knead hard)
4: You can brush with egg wash for getting a golden colour for the crown.
5: If the crown of the loaf is getting too much browned, cover with a baking sheet after 25 to 30 minutes.
6: You can enrich the bread by adding 4 table spoons of milk powder or an egg (replace that weight of water from the recipe).

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