Muff Time

I confess, yes, it was too late in the day to go find capicola, so I cheated (a little), garlic bologna is very similar. Chef's privilege. I used to make a short trip to Pocorello's for everything, sad he closed.

I was very happy with the bread, light and pillowy. I was about to put in the oven last night and the power went out, so I set it aside till the morning. It worked out, the extra proofing time really helped.

That looks great. I’d dive right into that muff.

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Muff Time

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twss

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I bet it would be great to duplicate if using one of Dorignac's St. Joseph's Bread loaves which is basically a French Bread with lots of sesame seeds on the outside.

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I had it once. Bread was hard and chewy. Maybe it was an off day.

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What recipe did you use for the bread?

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Pretty basic, I made a poolish with 5 oz water, 3oz flour and a 1/4 tsp instant yeast.

Waited a few hours, then in a mixer:
Poolish
20 oz bread flour
1 Tbsp yeast
8 oz warm water
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tbsp kosher salt


egg white
sesame seeds


I add the salt to the mixer last to keep it away from the yeast. Scrape the sides of the bowl as it blends to get a smooth but sticky
dough ball. Moist, sticky dough rises higher than a dryer dough.

After you kneed in the mixer for about 6 minutes, you have to use your judgement to know if the dough is right.

I use the mixing bowl to do the rise, remove the dough hook and dough, add a teaspoon of EVOO and coat the dough ball, cover
and let it rise in a warm place. In an hour it should double in size, There are a lot of variables here, the temperature, moisture
level of the flour to make the dough, the humidity. You might have to let it rise more than an hour.

Punch the dough down and let it rise a second time.

After rising. smooth out the dough into a ball, line a dutch oven with parchment paper, place the dough in the center and cover.

Check the dough in a half hour to see if it has risen about 50-60%, Use a very sharp knife or lame to slash the dough.
If you deflate it a little, no problem. Spray the ball with water and cover.

Place Dutch oven in a cold oven and set it to 450F.

After 25 minutes take out of oven and uncover. Mix the egg white with a little water and stir briskly until foamy.

Using a soft pastry brush, gently spread the eggwhite over the top of the dough, then sprinkle with the sesame seeds'

Place back in the oven, uncovered for 15 minutes. When done it should have a browned shiny top, if not bake another 5 min.

When the interior has a temperature of 190-200, its done.

After I lift it out of the oven, sometimes I turn the oven off and put the bread back on the rack to get the look I want.

I don't have this recipe printed anywhere, it's what I have developed after years of experimenting, I've learned that bread recipes
are nice, but there are so many variables you have to learn by failing. You learn a lot of what doesn't work as you learn what does work.

Bon Appetit.


That is my basic bread, sometimes I chop up a few cloves of garlic and add to the dough. Other variations, parsley, sauteed onions,
chopped spinach, parmesan, fresh basil, use your imagination.

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I will presume you know where to go from there.

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Well, that's kind of vague since different breads require different proof times in order to get good results.

I've had breads that needed to be in a warm place to proof (rise) for no more than an hour before beating down the dough and putting it in a pan to bake while other called for 2-3 rise times over multiple hour long periods before baking.

That looks great. I still miss a Muff from Pocorellos.

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I edited my post to give you as much info as I can to make it a successful adventure.

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Thank you, baw!

When I turn my phone sideways, it looks like the muff I normally eat