Blazin Bread
Baker Neil Blazin of Driftwood Oven | Pittsburgh, PA
Yield: 12 loaves
Adapted by StarChefs | November 2016
INGREDIENTS
Levain:
426 grams water
426 grams unbleached, stone-ground wheat flour
85 grams liquid rye levain, 100 percent hydrated
To Bake:
5.2 kilograms unbleached, stone-ground wheat flour
3.955 kilograms water
104 grams salt
METHOD
For the Levain:
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and rest for 4 to 5 hours.
To Bake:
In a large bowl, combine flour and water. Allow to autolyze for 30 minutes. With hands, add 937 grams of the levain and mix for 5 minutes; rest for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, dissolve salt in about ½ cup of room temperature water. Slowly incorporate the salt solution by pinching and squeezing the dough after pouring the solution on, until the liquid has been absorbed.
Turn dough and repeat the turn every 15 minutes for the first hour, and every 30 minutes for the second hour. One hour before the desired bulk time, turn the dough one last time. Divide dough into 850-gram boules; rest for 20 minutes. Shape boules into bâtards and proof for 1 hour at room temperature; refrigerate overnight.
Heat a stone oven to a floor temperature of 525°F. Remove loaves from the refrigerator, allowing them to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Bake loaves for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
