Sourdough Morel-Garlic Bread

Instructions

1. This recipe is suitable for all types of dried mushrooms. Avoid the use of fresh mushrooms.

2. Use garlic that has been roasted or confit or sauté the minced garlic in mushrooms as suggested.

3. Always calculate the amount of starter needed for your daily baking accurately, ensuring you have enough to carry forward for future batches. The day before mixing bread, combine water, natural starter, and flours in a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Mix on low speed for 3 minutes until the ingredients come together. Then increase the speed to medium-high and continue mixing for 7 minutes, or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Form the dough into a tight ball (no extra flour needed) and place it in a large bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let it rest at room temperature for 2 hours. Then, refrigerate it overnight. Alternatively, the dough can be stored overnight at 12-15°C (59°F).

4. Chop the drained, rehydrated mushrooms. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms, fat and garlic until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper (a fair amount of pepper as suggested, pepper is mushroom's best friend). Deglaze the pan with chicken stock to halt the cooking process. Allow the mixture to cool completely before incorporating it into the bread dough.

5. Remove the portion of leaven needed for the mushroom bread. Use the remaining leaven to refresh your starter, then discard any leftover portion after feeding. Add stocks into the mixer bowl along with the yeast and the starter. Add the flours and begin to mix on low speed for 15 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the hook periodically. This helps incorporate the ingredients more evenly and allows the dough to come together into a cohesive mass more quickly. After 15 minutes mixing, add the salt and knead for 15 minutes more (reduce the kneading time by two if mixing on second speed). After mixing, the dough temperature should be around 72°F (22–23°C). For a long fermentation process, it is best to keep the dough below 24°C (75°F). This slower start to fermentation helps maximize the development of aromas.

6. A successful windowpane means the dough can be stretched thin enough to become translucent without tearing. This indicates the gluten is strong, elastic, and well-developed. If it tears easily or won’t stretch thin, the dough needs more kneading. Add the mushroom-garlic mixture into the dough; mix until fully incorporated.

7. For the bulk fermentation, let the dough rest, covered, for one hour.

8. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide it into four 600g portions.

9. And pre-shape each one into a loose oval. Cover them and let them bench rest for 20 minutes to relax the gluten.

10. For the final shape: place a portion seam-side up. Brush off any excess flour from the top. Gently press to degas it.*In bread making, "degassing" is a crucial step that occurs after the first rise (bulk fermentation) and before shaping the dough. It literally means to gently remove the large pockets of gas (primarily carbon dioxide) that have built up during fermentation. However, when dough is leavened with a natural levain, the gas pockets are typically smaller and more fragile. They can be difficult to re-inflate during the final proof if they are excessively flattened during shaping. Therefore, it's crucial to handle the dough gently throughout the entire shaping process. Then, perform two letter folds, elongating the dough with each fold. Finally, roll and taper it into a 12-inch (30 cm) bâtard—which is about half the length of a traditional baguette. Arrange each loaf over the floured bakers couche, and seam side up. Cover loaves with damp fragrance free kitchen towels to prevent a crust from forming. No need to cover the bread if using a controlled fermentation chamber.