Medium
One
11 by 4 by 2½ inch high loafPublished 2014
I discovered this exceptional bread called speja (which translates as “scout” or “spy”) from an award winning Swedish book by baker
Plan Ahead Make the biga a minimum of 1 day or preferably 3 days ahead. (The longer amount of storage offers more flavor.)
VOLUME | WEIGHT | ||
walnut halves | |||
water, at room temperature (70° to 80°F/21° to 27°C) | |||
Biga | |||
Gold Medal bread flour (or half other brand bread flour, half unbleached all-purpose flour), see Note | |||
instant yeast | . | ||
fine sea salt | . | ||
golden raisins | full ½ cup | ||
A baking sheet lined with a 14 by 8 inch sheet of parchment | A baking stone or baking sheet
See recipe.
Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the middle level of the oven and
Spread the walnuts evenly on a baking sheet and
Forty-five minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack at the lowest level and place the baking stone or baking sheet on it. Place a cast iron pan, lined with aluminum foil to prevent rusting, or a sheet pan on the floor of the oven.
With a straight-edge razor blade or sharp knife, make three ½ inch deep by 2½ inch long diagonal slashes in the top of the dough. Start the first slash about 1 inch from the top end of the dough and start each of the following 2 slashes about 1 inch before the end of the preceding one.
Mist the dough with water. Quickly but gently set the baking sheet on the hot stone or baking sheet and toss a handful (about ½ cup) of ice cubes into the pan on the oven floor. Immediately shut the door and
Continue
Remove the bread from the oven and transfer it from the baking sheet onto a wire rack to cool completely, top-side up, at least 2 hours.
Bread Machine Method Into the container of the bread machine, pour the water. Use sharp scissors, dipped in water if it is sticky, to cut the biga into many small pieces, letting them drop into the water. Add the flour and yeast. Program the machine to mix for 3 minutes and set it to go through the 3 minutes of mixing. Let the dough rest (autolyse) for 20 minutes.
Program the machine to knead for 10 minutes. Add the salt and set the machine to go through the knead cycle, which will include 3 minutes of mixing and 7 minutes of kneading.
Let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Add the raisins and walnuts and reset the machine to mix for 3 minutes.
Stand Mixer Method Into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, pour the water. Use sharp scissors, dipped in water if it is sticky, to cut the biga into many small pieces, letting them drop into the water. Add the flour and yeast, and mix on low speed for about 1 minute, or until the flour is moistened enough to form a rough dough. Scrape down any bits of dough from the sides of the bowl. Sprinkle on the salt and knead the dough on medium speed for about 7 minutes. The dough should be very elastic and smooth, and sticky enough to cling to your fingers. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Add the raisins and walnuts and knead on low speed for about 1 minute, or until evenly incorporated.
Using a spatula or dough scraper that has been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray, scrape the dough into a 2 quart/2 liter dough rising container or bowl that has been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Push down the dough and lightly coat the surface with nonstick cooking spray. (The dough should weigh about
Using a spatula or dough scraper that has been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray, turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and gently press down on the dough to form a rectangle. Give it a four-sided stretch and fold (gently stretch out one side at a time and fold it into the center). Round the corners and set it back into the container.
Again, lightly coat the surface of the dough with nonstick cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap, and mark where double the height should now be after rising. (The dough will fill the container fuller than before because it is puffier with air.) Let it rise until it reaches the mark, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. If time allows, for extra flavor, give the bread the second rise overnight in the refrigerator instead.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and press the dough down to flatten it slightly. The dough will still be sticky, but use only as much flour as absolutely necessary. Cover the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes before shaping (1 hour if it has been refrigerated).
Gently flatten the dough into a 7 by 5 inch rectangle, with the longer side facing you. Fold down the two upper corners about 3 inches to form a triangle and press down the dough. Set the apricots in a staggered row lengthwise across the dough, under the triangle. Starting from the top, roll the dough to encase the apricots. When you reach the bottom edge of the dough, pinch it firmly against the outside of the dough to make a tight seam. The torpedo-shaped dough should be about 10 by 3 by 2 inches high. Set it on the prepared baking sheet.
Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with cooking spray. Let the dough rise in a warm place (ideally at 75° to 85°F/24° to 29°C) for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until about 11 by 3½ by 2⅛ inches high, and when pressed gently with a fingertip, the depression fills in very slowly.
Room temperature, 2 days; airtight: frozen, 3 months.
Copyright © 2014 by Cordon Rose, LLC. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.