- EQUIPMENT - 2 two-quart covered ca.s.seroles, - OR - 4 six-inch diameter bowls, stainless steel or Pyrex, - OR - 1 7x11 baking dish, - OR - any similar-size appropriate baking dishes - a plastic bag (or two) large enough to hold the container(s) comfortably - a source of warmth - a thermometer Let the dough rest covered for 15 minutes or more, and then, when it has relaxed and is supple again, flatten and repeat the rounding procedure, then put the loaves to proof. This whole process structures the dough inside the ball and stretches the gluten film tightly over it. This method helps the finished loaves to bake into a high, round shape, and is worth perfecting. The double rounding really does help the bread rise higher, with an evener crumb texture.

Put the loaves, seam side down, in baking dish(es) that have been greased and dusted with a sifting of cornmeal. Proof them (give them their final rise) for 1 to 2 hours at 95F and near 100 percent humidity. It is absolutely essential to approximate this temperature and humidity if you want light bread.

Maybe the simplest way to do it is to wet the inside of a plastic bag with water, put the bread in it, puff it up well, and seal it. Keep it in a place warmed by a source of mild heat, like an oven with a pilot or electric light, the door held open a little to get the right temperature. When the time comes to preheat the oven, one possibility is to set the loaves over a pan or sink filled with very hot water. Or use a heating pad on low-medium setting for the whole time. Having a thermometer is most helpful in this department.

Proof the bread until it feels completely spongy to the touch and loses all its firmness; it may even sag just a little.

BAKING THE BREAD.

Desem Bread is a traditional hearth bread, meaning that it is formed into a loaf and baked without a pan, directly on the floor of a steamy brick oven. Baked in round ca.s.serole dishes with snug domed lids, however, the loaves nearly duplicate the hearth-baked version. For specifics on this, see the discussion of various steaming methods.

Preheat the oven in plenty of time to have it up to temperature when the bread is ready to bake. Just before you put the bread into the oven, poke a few inch deep holes in the top of the loaf with a serving fork or skewer. This prevents the crust from pulling away from the loaf. Bake the bread at 450F with steam until the crust browns nicely, then reduce the heat to 350F to finish the bake, about an hour in all.

Desem bread is done when it is deep golden or rosy brown, and sounds hollow when you tap the bottom of the loaf. If you aren't sure, though, take a look at the crumb. If you have baked two loaves next to each other like buns, just break them apart and look there; otherwise, make a small slice in one edge. Press on the bread crumb with a light touch: if it springs back, it is done. But if the fingerprint remains and gloms together, looking very wet, return the bread to the oven for another 15 minutes. Many things can increase the time this bread requires to bake: if your dough was soft, if it fermented extra long, if you bake in gla.s.s. If your oven is very hot, if it is wellsteamed, if you use metal baking pans, or if the bread rises especially well-these things decrease the baking time.

We are obviously exceedingly fond of this bread and dearly hope that all goes well with you in making it, so that you will be able to enjoy it as much as we do. In the rest of this section are some bits of information that may be of interest to you once you have the fundamentals down pat. There is also a trouble shooting table to help you pin down any problems you might be having. Everything here is based on our own experiments (which seem endless) and our experience over the last four years of daily or twice-weekly bakings, not only one recipe at a time but also in giant batches of more than 30 loaves, baked on the hearth. Still, it is not unlikely that you will come up with improvements, or perhaps have questions that are not answered here. If so, we would love to hear from you. It seems that every time we bake, someone rhapsodizes, "This is the best best desem bread we have desem bread we have ever ever had!" May it be so with you, too. had!" May it be so with you, too.

SHAPING: OTHER POSSIBILITIES.

Desem can be formed into standard loaf shapes and baked in loaf pans. To cover them for steamy baking, simply invert a loaf pan and put it on top. You will need 3 pounds for two 8x4 loaf pans-slightly more than the quant.i.ties in this recipe yield; maybe generously rounding your cup and spoon measures is the simplest way of increasing the quant.i.ty of dough. The dough for pan loaves is best made slacker (with more water), because with the pan to support it, softer dough rises better.

Slash the tops to give them room for rising-three diagonal slashes, holding the knife blade almost parallel to the surface of the loaf. This makes very pretty loaves.

Desem makes fine French-type crusty rolls. Use the dough for one loaf to make half a dozen or more round or torpedoshaped rolls. Proof and bake as you do the hearth bread, but slash the rolls with a very sharp knife held on the diagonal, just before putting them into the steamy oven. Bake until done, about hour to 45 minutes, depending on their size.

This can be a controversial suggestion, but some think that a few raisins in the desem buns are a delicious addition. Sesame on the outside gives a third alternative. Whatever way you prepare these, providing there is plenty of steam in the oven, they are outrageously delicious, crusty-tender. They're great the next day in the lunchbox, too, particularly if you take care not to overcook them or to let them dry out afterwards.

TIPS ON STORING YOUR BREAD.

Desem bread keeps very well: it maintains its fresh flavor for several days stored in a ventilated but closed container like a bread bin. To keep it moist as long as a week, cool the loaves completely and refrigerate them tightly sealed in a plastic bag. Some of our friends who make sandwiches from their desem bread all week prefer to slice and freeze the amount needed for the last few days; some others say that the bread isn't even at its best until it has aged a few days.

You can revive a loaf that has lost the dew of freshness: brush it with water, wrap in foil or brown paper, and put it into a 350F oven for about ten minutes.

Troubleshooting Desem Bread If your loaves are dense and heavy: The desem has become alcoholic (see Nursing a Neglected Desem).

The dough was not kneaded well enough.

The flour you used had a low gluten content.

The proof temperature was too low.

The water was chlorinated.

The flour you have been feeding your desem is poor quality.

The starter was not fully ripened.

You omitted the "round and rest" step.

If the bread tastes sour: The desem has become alcoholic.

The desem was stored too warm.

The mixing water was too warm.

The dough fermented too warm.

It fermented and/or proofed too long.

The flour or wheat was of poor quality.

If there's a big s.p.a.ce just under the top crust ("flying crust"): You didn't poke it-or poke it enough-with a skewer.

If there are big cracks or splits in the crust: The dough had not relaxed when the loaf was formed.

The gluten was weakened.

Several things can do this: using too much starter over-or underkneading fermenting too long or too warmusing flour that is too low in gluten or not good quality.

If the crust is thick and tough, or pale: Most likely there was not enough steam at the beginning of the bake.

Other Uses for Ripe Desem Suppose you can't bake bread one week. You still have to feed the desem, but do you have to throw out the extra starter? No, no, what a pity to do that, especially when you can use it in one of these scrumptious recipes: crackers that take about 20 minutes; dosas that take maybe half an hour to cook, after standing overnight; and yeasted desem buns that can be on the table in four hours (well, that's less than the desem's seven, and they are good buns).

Desem Crackers Use a rolling pin to flatten the ripe desem on a well-floured board. Roll as thin as you can; paper thin is best. Sprinkle with salt and use the rolling pin to press the salt into the dough so it will stick; lightly brush with oil if you want. Cut into squares and transfer to a well-oiled cookie sheet. p.r.i.c.k each cracker with a fork.

Bake until delicately brown. Any oven temperature between 275F and 425F will do, but watch them-the thinner they are, and the hotter the oven, the more quickly they will be done. Take them out before they are really brown.

These crackers are marvelous with sesame seeds sprinkled on them along with the salt.

You can cut them into circles or any shape, but if the dough will have to be rerolled, using pastry flour on the board will help keep them from getting tough.

They will stay crisp several days if stored airtight.

Yeasted Desem Buns - teaspoon active dry yeast - cup warm water - cup desem, approximately - cup warm water - 1 teaspoon salt - 1 cups of flour (fine grind is nice) This recipe makes tasty buns with either prime desem or desem that is somewhat over the hill.

Dissolve the yeast in cup warm water. Dissolve the desem in the cup warm water. Mix the salt and flour, and add the liquids, adjusting with more water or flour as necessary to make a slightly stiff dough.

Knead well. Let dough rise in a warm place, about 80F. If the dough is not ripe-not dry to the touch-deflate and let rise again. Deflate and cut into thirds, then cut each third into thirds so you have 9 pieces. Round like tiny hearth loaves, and place in a greased and floured 8x4 baking dish. Cover well or use your covered ca.s.serole. Proof thoroughly, at least one hour in a warm, humid place. A long proof is the secret of getting a light bun.

Preheat the oven to 450F or as hot as you can. Paint or spray the buns with warm water. Bake covered or in a steamy oven until they begin to brown, about five to ten minutes (see this page this page). Reduce heat to 350F and bake for another 20 minutes or so, until done.

The dough from this recipe will also make a good hearth loaf, or an 8x4 pan loaf. Bake in a steamy oven until the crust browns nicely, then reduce the heat and continue cooking as above until the loaf is done.

Desem Dosas - 1 cup water (355 ml) - 1 cup whole wheat flour pastry flour is good (150 g) - 2 tablespoons oil (optional) (30 ml) Dosas (p.r.o.nounced doh' shez) are paper-thin South Indian pancakes, rather like a tasty, savory crepe. These Desem Dosas are surprisingly reminiscent of the authentically fermented rice-and-gram version-certainly enough like the real thing to serve with chutney, and even with masala potatoes. In fact you can serve them with nearly anything-they are good with saucy marinated tofu, piping hot; with any soft cheese; with cottage cheese and fruit-or just plain.

Stir the desem into the water, mix in the flour and oil and let stand at least half an hour. It can stay as long as two days in the refrigerator. If you like extra zip, you can mince a teaspoon of fresh ginger and onion and even a bit of fresh garlic (cut all of them tiny! tiny!) and add them to the batter. Chopped coriander leaves are good too, though none of the above make cooking the dosas any easier.

When you are ready to cook, add more water to make a very very thin batter-a little thinner than a good crepe batter. Pour onto a hot seasoned or lightly oiled skillet or griddle, tilting the griddle so that the batter spreads evenly, and as thin as possible, exactly as if you were making a crepe. It should cover the pan with a hundred tiny lacy holes. Turn and brown lightly on the other side. These are tricky to do-be prepared to mess up a couple. thin batter-a little thinner than a good crepe batter. Pour onto a hot seasoned or lightly oiled skillet or griddle, tilting the griddle so that the batter spreads evenly, and as thin as possible, exactly as if you were making a crepe. It should cover the pan with a hundred tiny lacy holes. Turn and brown lightly on the other side. These are tricky to do-be prepared to mess up a couple.

If you are familiar with cla.s.sical dosas and want to make them more like they do in Kerala, prepare the batter with whole wheat pastry flour. Let it stand overnight. Put a spoonful of batter in the middle of a slightly cooler than medium-hot griddle, and use the back of the spoon to spread the batter thin in a clockwise spiral.

If the batter picks up-comes away from the griddle following your spoon-lower the heat a little. Use another spoon or your spatula to scatter a few drops of oil on the top of the dosa, and at any edge that threatens to stick. As soon as the dosa pulls away from the pan, it is ready to turn over. Cook on both sides until crispy.

Dosas can be good either thin and crisp or a little thicker and soft. They are cooked through if there's no sizzling sound when you press them with the back of the spatula.

Makes 8 to 12 12-inch dosas.

By the way, if you are tempted to try to make these into thick American-style pancakes, be advised: the desem will not let itself become caky in this form. If you like hefty, moist, chewy pancakes in the sourdough tradition, however, they are perfect.

*NOTE to owners of dough hooks and food processors: Don't be intimidated-this recipe works beautifully when kneaded by machine, too. In fact it is ideal for making more loaves than yours is designed to knead, because you can mix the sponge the night before, and then make more than one batch out of it on the following morning, completing the kneading of each part separately at that time. to owners of dough hooks and food processors: Don't be intimidated-this recipe works beautifully when kneaded by machine, too. In fact it is ideal for making more loaves than yours is designed to knead, because you can mix the sponge the night before, and then make more than one batch out of it on the following morning, completing the kneading of each part separately at that time.

Rye Bread

Winter-hardy and willing to thrive in sandy soils of low fertility, rye is grown all over the world, from Tanzania to Argentina. But it is the Eastern and Northern European countries that we have to thank for the great cla.s.sic rye breads. Each region has, over centuries, developed its own traditional specialties, and the variety is impressive, with flavors ranging from sweet to sour to spiced; textures range everywhere from dense and hearty to light and airy; shapes and sizes can be round and square, gargantuan and minuscule.

In recent decades, in many of these places, people have begun to abandon their traditional local breads in favor of American-style refined wheat products, so that ancient methods are being forgotten. Baking with rye is an art quite different from, and more demanding than, baking with wheat. The collection of recipes we offer in this section is a good one, but it can give only the barest hint of the magic that centuries of artistry have coaxed out of this difficult grain; so far as we have been able to find out, very few recipes for the really genuine regional breads exist: rye bread is a living tradition-and, except for a few specialties, maybe an endangered species.

Nutritionally, wheat and rye are remarkably similar, but when rye flour is added to dough, the bread is denser, moister, darker, and better-keeping than an all-wheat bread. The baker accustomed to high-gluten wheat flour will find that rye offers challenges: the dough can be sticky, tough-difficult to handle and to bake. We consulted Manuel Freedman, master wholefoods baker, about rye problems, and he shared some of his secrets with us. The mixing and kneading procedure outlined in this section is our own adaptation of his professional techniques.

ABOUT RYE FLOURS There are at present no U.S. government standards for what the term rye flour means. If it comes from a large commercial mill, though, it is almost sure to have had the bran and germ removed. "Rye meal" and "pumpernickel flour" are sometimes whole-grain, but you can't count on it. Probably most reliable is stone-ground whole rye flour from a reputable local miller. That may be hard to come by! If you are fond of rye breads and don't find flour you like close to home, it might be worth grinding your own, because whole rye flour needs to be fresh. Once ground, rye deteriorates even faster than whole wheat; buy or grind just what you can use in five to six weeks, and store it in the refrigerator. Like wheat, rye flour should come to room temperature before it is mixed into dough. There are at present no U.S. government standards for what the term rye flour means. If it comes from a large commercial mill, though, it is almost sure to have had the bran and germ removed. "Rye meal" and "pumpernickel flour" are sometimes whole-grain, but you can't count on it. Probably most reliable is stone-ground whole rye flour from a reputable local miller. That may be hard to come by! If you are fond of rye breads and don't find flour you like close to home, it might be worth grinding your own, because whole rye flour needs to be fresh. Once ground, rye deteriorates even faster than whole wheat; buy or grind just what you can use in five to six weeks, and store it in the refrigerator. Like wheat, rye flour should come to room temperature before it is mixed into dough.

When one of our dedicated bread testers was getting ready to bake rye, she went to the store and selected "medium rye flour," thinking that a medium grind would be quite nice. As it happens this is a term for one of three commercial varieties of "white" rye flour, the other two being "light" and "dark." The terms lead you to think that you are buying refined, less refined, and whole-grain flours, but actually they are all refined flours. Light rye flour is the whitest, most powdery-fine, and it has more starch and less protein than dark rye flour, which is the white rye flour left over after the light rye has been extracted. All but the tiniest bits of bran and germ have been removed from dark rye, though characteristically it is coa.r.s.er. Our friend's medium rye flour was a blend of light and dark. Although we tested our recipes with stone-ground whole rye flour, if you can't get it, don't let that stop you from making the breads. They'll work well anyway.

RYE SOURS & ACID INGREDIENTS.

Rye has a talent for fermentation. Rye sours have a long tradition: not only do they impart unequaled fragrance and a savory tang to the finished bread but they also condition the dough. Without them, rye dough, particularly whole-grain rye dough, tends to be alkaline. The acid quality of a sour, and also its fermenting organisms, keep the bread from being wet and gummy. Rye recipes without sourdoughs usually include some acid ingredient to achieve the same effect.

MIXING & KNEADING RYE DOUGHS.

A recipe which contains almost all wheat flour with a little added rye can be mixed in the usual way, but when the proportion of rye increases beyond about one-sixth, the bread will be better if the dough has special handling. Slow, gentle mixing, with a more gradual addition of liquid ingredients, gives rye the best chance of success. The dough should be soft and smooth, and not sticky.

The main character in the drama of wheat breadmaking is clearly the gluten protein, which determines wheat's baking quality: resilient, flexible, structure-building-definitely hero material. Rye contains some proteins that could make gluten, but more significant are the cereal gums called pentosans: slimy characters, with a tendency to viscosity. If you give them a chance they will greedily slurp up the water before the potential gluten can form, making the dough sticky and weak. If the mixing is too rough as well as too fast, they will make the dough bucky also-brittle, and likely to rip.

To mix a rye-wheat dough, slowly stir just enough liquid into the flour to bring a stiff dough together. In our experience, it takes about two-thirds of the recipe's wet ingredients. Keep the remaining water in a separate bowl and wet your hands and the table from it as you work. Use the water more generously the first ten minutes because during this period the dough should get soft (but not sticky). Use it more cautiously the last ten minutes. Knead 15 to 20 minutes, if possible, but stop when the dough feels sticky even if that happens before the time is up.

Mixing rye with a food processor is not impossible. One good friend of ours makes his staff of life every week in his Cuisinart, and his only problem has been to keep the bread from being too light. He has perfected his method, tailoring his bread to suit his taste. So can you. Allow yourself a little room for experimentation, though, while you learn to control the development of rye dough in your food processor, because with rye especially, the terrific speed of the machine requires extra alertness to avoid overmixing.

The principles, however, are the same: first add enough of the wet ingredients to bring the dough together. (Make sure your liquids are cool-except the water for dissolving the yeast-because the machine heats up the dough so much.) Add additional water as needed to make a soft dough. Needless to say, rye doughs will be at their best many revolutions sooner than high-gluten wheat doughs.

By hand or by machine, the trick is to get the liquid in, and the dough soft and smooth, before the dough gets unreasonably sticky. (Special instructions for making rye doughs using a dough hook.) Rye, like any whole-grain flour, will vary in the amount of liquid it absorbs. Watch the character of the dough rather than try to keep to an exact liquid measure. The important thing is to add the water gradually, carefully watching the dough's consistency.

The larger the proportion of rye to wheat in a recipe, the more liquid it will take to get the dough to come together. A 100 percent rye dough requires most of the recipe's liquid at the outset, asking only a little more water and a short kneading thereafter to make the dough smooth.

FERMENTATION OR RISING PERIOD.

Rye has a knack for fermenting, and if you want to keep your doughs from getting away from you, make them cool-about 72 to 80F. Should the dough overferment, the loaves are likely to rip open while they proof. To help control the fermentation, before you shape rye dough either let it rise twice at room temperature, or once in a warmer place or once in a warmer place, but not twice in a very warm place (90F). Deflate the dough when your gentle, wet finger makes a inch hole that does not fill in. Try not to let the dough go so long that it sighs deeply around the fingerpoke.

Because rye ferments so enthusiastically, we don't really recommend making a "fast" dough with extra yeast. If you want to hurry your rye bread, give it just one rise in a very warm place.

The gluten in rye dough is fragile, and may tear when handled. To help overcome this problem while shaping the loaves, use a little water rather than a dusting of flour to keep the dough from sticking to hands and table.

Proof the dough long enough with a gentle heat (80 to 90F) to let it warm through and, if it contains wheat, rise well. Even so, few part-rye breads will rise quite as high as their whole wheat cousins. Without letting them overproof, allow enough time before you put the loaves to bake so that the dough feels spongy. If they are neither overproofed nor underproofed, there is a good chance that they will spring in the oven-the cardinal sign that everything all along the way, from mixing through proofing, has gone as it should. The crumb of a rye that has sprung up well is truly superior, but even loaves that aren't so high have the full rye flavor, and are just as delicious.

BAKING.

For centuries, earthy, traditional rye breads have been baked in brick ovens with high initial heat and then a long bake at descending temperatures; much of the appeal of these cla.s.sic breads develops in the oven, so proper baking makes a big difference with old-fashioned ryes. Whatever kind of rye bread you make, though, be sure to bake it thoroughly-underbaked rye leaves a wet-pinky-woolly taste on the back of your front teeth, quite unpleasant.

With high temperatures in the oven, the problem of flashing-the fluctuation of heat as the flame goes on and off with the oven thermostat-and of hot spots is intensified. The bake is much better in an oven that can hold a steady, even heat. (See our suggestions for using quarry tiles or oven stones to even out the heat, and the pages on steaming breads for good ways to bake lean ryes-, respectively.) A simpler and entirely adequate method for making a pretty, shiny dark crust is painting the loaf with the following cornstarch glaze.

Glaze - cup cold water - teaspoon cornstarch - 1 teaspoon honey or mola.s.ses (optional) Steaming encourages the highest rise and the best flavor, but any loaf will be plenty pretty if you give it a dark, shiny crust with this simple and effective glaze.

Mix the ingredients and cook together about 5 minutes until clear. Brush on the loaf about 1 minute before it comes out of the oven, being sure to cover all of the exposed surface. For a darker, shinier crust, brush the mixture on during the baking period as well-about halfway through or so, but not before that.

Making "Black" Breads To darken the color of any bread, include a little little carob flour, Postum or other cereal beverage, or cocoa. You can use dark liquids like coffee or prune juice, or the broth left after you steam raisins. Other ingredients that will darken bread: boiled, blended raisins, cooked black beans, black mola.s.ses. Carob, like any of the others, can shout if you don't use a light hand, and weigh down the loaf as well. Just a little, though, as in the recipe that follows, will do a great job of darkening the dough. carob flour, Postum or other cereal beverage, or cocoa. You can use dark liquids like coffee or prune juice, or the broth left after you steam raisins. Other ingredients that will darken bread: boiled, blended raisins, cooked black beans, black mola.s.ses. Carob, like any of the others, can shout if you don't use a light hand, and weigh down the loaf as well. Just a little, though, as in the recipe that follows, will do a great job of darkening the dough.

We were interested to learn that the traditional "black" breads were really brown, taking their color from the wholegrain flours of which they were made-rye or buckwheat, for example. In preindustrial days, oftentimes whole wheat flour was bolted to extract white flour for the upper cla.s.ses, and then the poor folks' "black" bread was dark because it included extra bran and wheat germ.

Dark Rye Bread - 2 teaspoons active dry yeast ( oz or 7 g) - 1 cup warm water (235 ml) - 3 cups whole rye flour (385 g) - 4 cups whole wheat bread flour (600 g) - 2 tablespoons carob powder (18 g) - 2 teaspoons salt (14 g) - teaspoon caraway seeds - 1 cup tepid water (235 ml) - 2 tablespoons honey (30 ml) - 2 tablespoons cider vinegar (30 ml) - 2 tablespoons oil (30 ml) - 1 cup more tepid water to knead (235 ml) Tender and caky with the oil, slightly chewy without it-no one will guess that the rich color and round flavor come from carob. A good all-around loaf for sandwiches of any kind, this is a light bread, and a good keeper.

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Mix the flours, carob, salt, and seeds. Mix the liquid ingredients, except for the last cup of water.

Stir the yeast, then the vinegar mixture, into the flours gradually, using enough liquid to make a very stiff dough. Add any remaining liquid, and then the cup of water as you knead, making the stiff dough gradually soft.

Form the dough into a ball and put it smooth side up in the bowl. Let it rise in a draft-free place until a -inch poke from your wet finger does not fill in. Press flat, form again into a smooth round, and let rise again as before. The second rising will take about half as long as the first.

Deflate the dough and form into two 8 4 pan loaves, or three hearth loaves. Let them rise in a warm place until the dough slowly returns a gently made indentation of your wet finger. Put the loaves into a preheated 350F oven for about 50 minutes. This bread does better if you do not slash the loaves; it is a good candidate for the cornstarch glaze. 4 pan loaves, or three hearth loaves. Let them rise in a warm place until the dough slowly returns a gently made indentation of your wet finger. Put the loaves into a preheated 350F oven for about 50 minutes. This bread does better if you do not slash the loaves; it is a good candidate for the cornstarch glaze.

Sour Corn Rye - cup cornmeal (90 g) - cup boiling water (175 ml) - 2 teaspoons active dry yeast ( oz or 7 g) - cup warm water (60 ml) - 3 cups whole wheat bread flour (525 g) - 2 cups whole rye flour (255 g) - 2 tablespoons caraway seeds (16 g) - 2 teaspoons salt (14 g) - 1 cups yogurt (350 ml) - 2 tablespoons cider vinegar (30 ml) - cup oil (60 ml) - 2 tablespoons honey (30 ml) - cup water (120 ml) A delicious bread: the flavor delights, almost surprises and delights, with every bite. Outstanding sandwich bread, scrumptious toasted-and it keeps well, too.