The Mill Loaf
Ingredients
500g White leaven (made from strong white flour)
550g water at 20 degs C
600g Strong white Flour
300g Wholemeal flour
100g Rye flour
2 ½ tsp fine sea salt
Method
8.00AM In a large bowl, whisk the leaven with the water. Add the flours and salt, and stir with your hands until you have a soft sticky mass. The dough temperature should be about 20 deg C. scrape any dough from your hands, cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Wash and dry your hands and any utensils.
8.10AM Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly oiled (with corn or olive oil) or flour-dusted work surface. Knead the dough for 10-15 seconds, or 12 times rotating it in quarter turns. Shape the dough into a bowl and give it a light rub with oil.
8.20AM Knead the dough for 10-15 seconds, shape into a ball, then place back into the bowl, cover and leave at room temperature for 10 minutes.
8.30AM Knead the dough for 10-15 seconds, shape into a ball, then place back in the bowl. Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
9.00AM Knead the dough for 10-15 seconds, shape into a ball then place back in the bowl. Cover and leave for 1 hour.
10.00AM Knead the dough for 10-15 seconds, shape into a ball then place back in the bowl. Cover and leave for 1 hour.
11.00AM Dust the work surface with flour. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Gently knead each piece for 10 seconds and round into a ball. Cover and leave for 10 minutes on the work surface, to give the dough time to relax. Rub a clean tea towel with flour, so the dough doesn’t stick to it, and lay across a large tray.
11.15AM Knead the dough for a final 10-15 seconds, shape into a ball and place the dough seam side up on the cloth. Fold and pull the cloth up at the sides and place into a basket. Repeat with remaining dough. Leave at room temperature (approx 20 degs C) until almost doubled in height – generally about 4 hours.
3.30-4.00PM Preheat the oven to 220 degs C/425 degs F/gas mark 7. dust an oven tray or a peel if you are using an oven stone, with semonline. Upturn one loaf onto the tray and cut two slashes across it. Spray the top of the loaf with water and bake for 50-70 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Bake the remaining loaf using the same technique.
So there you have it, quite a long process, but worth every ounce of effort!!
Added by: David
I agree with Zeb: you shouldn't publish other people's recipes without saying so. At least recommend their book (which in Dan Leppard's case is quite the best book on baking I have come across).
Dr Watson: 2010-08-08 Add reply
Dan Lepard wrote this in The HandMade Loaf
If you want to know more about this method then buy the book or visit his website. Isn\'t this his intellectual property anyway?
Zeb: 2009-12-01 Add reply
The Mill Loaf
David - I would love to have an explanation of how this process works!
Maureen: 2009-11-18 Add reply