Sat, 19 March 2022
Chef: Patrick Ryan
There is a great bread to serve to friends and family. It is a tear and share bread which is smothered in oil, butter, garlic, parsley, and salt as it comes out hot from the oven.
The dough is four simple ingredients flour, water, salt, and yeast. The flavour in this dough is developed using a sponge which is a type of preferment which is made the night before. For the sponge simple mix, the water, half the flour and yeast together. It will resemble the consistency of pancake better and is kept in the fridge overnight. The sponge will be used as the base upon which to build the final dough.
Ingredients:
Strong white Flour 400g
Water 260g
Fresh yeast 10g
Salt 10g
2 cloves of garlic finely diced
50g butter
50g olive oil
10g sea salt flakes
Small bunch of chopped parsley
Method:
For the sponge mix the water, 200g of strong white flour and yeast in a clean bowl. Cover the bowl and leave in the fridge to ferment overnight.
Remove the sponge preferment from the fridge and add to it 200g of strong white flour and 10g of salt. Combine everything together to form a rough dough. This can be done using a mixer with a dough hook or by hand. Once the dough comes together knead for 4 to 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should pass the windowpane test.
Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover and leave to prove for at least an hour.
When the dough has doubled in size, turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knock back the dough. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions approximately 85g each. Roll each portion of dough into a tight ball. Arrange the dough on a baking tray. Place one piece of dough in the centre with seven loosely touching around the outside.
Prove the dough for 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 230c. Place a baking tray into the oven to preheat. Place the bread into the preheated oven. To create steam within the oven which will help the oven spring and give the dough a better rise pour boiling water into the preheated baking tray. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes
While the bread is baking prepare the garlic that will be brushed over the bread once baked.
Melt the butter and to it add the oil, garlic, sea salt and chopped parsley.
When the bread is baked brush the bread generously with the garlic butter and oil mix.
Serve warm.
The bread will pull apart exactly as the dough to rolled.
