Pane Casareccio

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Kitchen scale for precise measurements
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Bench scraper for handling dough
• •Proofing basket (banneton), 9 to 10 inches
• •Lame or very sharp blade for scoring
• •5 to 6 quart Dutch oven with lid
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare your starter

   Your starter must be active and vigorous. Feed it 8 to 12 hours before you plan to mix the dough. When ready, it should have doubled in volume, smell pleasantly sour, and pass the float test: a small spoonful dropped in water should float. If it sinks, the starter is not ready. Wait, or feed it again. Do not proceed with a sluggish starter. It will produce a sluggish loaf.

   A healthy starter rises predictably and smells of ripe fruit and mild acidity. If yours smells of nail polish or tastes aggressively sour, feed it twice daily for a few days to restore balance.
2. 2

   Mix the dough

   Combine both flours in a large bowl. Add the water and mix with your hands until no dry flour remains. The dough will be shaggy and rough. This is correct. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 to 45 minutes. This rest, called autolyse, allows the flour to hydrate fully and begins gluten development without effort on your part.

3. 3

   Add starter and salt

   Add the active starter to the dough and squeeze it through your fingers to distribute it evenly. Then add the salt and continue mixing, folding the dough over itself and pressing it together, until the salt is fully incorporated. The dough will feel tighter, more cohesive. This takes 3 to 4 minutes of working by hand.

4. 4

   Bulk fermentation with folds

   Transfer the dough to a clean container and cover it. Over the next 4 to 5 hours, perform a series of stretch and folds every 45 minutes to one hour. Wet your hand, slide it under one side of the dough, stretch it upward, and fold it over the center. Rotate the container and repeat three more times, once from each direction. After 4 sets of folds, leave the dough undisturbed for the remaining time. The dough is ready when it has increased by 50 to 75 percent in volume, feels airy when you lift it, and shows bubbles beneath the surface.

   Fermentation time varies with temperature. In a warm kitchen (24 to 26 degrees Celsius), 4 hours may suffice. In a cool kitchen (18 to 20 degrees), you may need 6 hours or more. Watch the dough, not the clock.
5. 5

   Pre-shape the dough

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Handle it gently to preserve the gases you have cultivated. Using a bench scraper, fold the dough from the edges toward the center, then flip it over so the seams are underneath. Let it rest, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes. This rest relaxes the gluten and makes final shaping easier.

6. 6

   Final shaping

   Lightly flour the top of the dough and flip it over. Fold the bottom third up, then the top third down. Now fold the right side to the center and the left side over it, creating a rough rectangle. Roll the dough toward you, using the edge of your hands to create tension on the surface without tearing it. The finished shape should be a taut round or oval. Place it seam-side up in a well-floured proofing basket.

   Surface tension is essential. A slack, shapeless loaf will not hold its form in the oven. The shaping should feel like you are wrapping the dough in itself, creating a tight skin on the outside while preserving the airy structure within.
7. 7

   Cold proof overnight

   Cover the basket with a damp towel or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 to 14 hours. This long, cold fermentation develops flavor that cannot be achieved any other way. The acids produced during this time create the complex taste and the keeping quality of true country bread. You may bake it directly from the refrigerator. Cold dough scores more cleanly and holds its shape better in the initial heat of the oven.

8. 8

   Prepare the oven

   One hour before baking, place a Dutch oven with its lid inside your oven and heat to 250 degrees Celsius (480 degrees Fahrenheit). The pot must be screaming hot. This creates the environment of a professional bread oven: intense bottom heat and trapped steam that allows the crust to expand before it sets.

9. 9

   Score and bake

   Remove the basket from the refrigerator. Carefully turn the dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Using a lame or very sharp blade held at a 45-degree angle, score the surface decisively. One long cut down the center or a pattern of your choosing. The cut should be about half a centimeter deep. Do not hesitate. Hesitation creates ragged edges. Lower the dough into the hot pot, cover with the lid, and bake for 25 minutes.

   The score allows the bread to expand in a controlled way. Without it, the crust sets before the interior has finished rising, and the loaf will tear unpredictably. A decisive cut creates the ear, that ridge of caramelized crust that marks a well-baked loaf.
10. 10

    Finish the bake

    After 25 minutes, remove the lid. The loaf should have risen dramatically and begun to color. Continue baking, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes more, until the crust is deeply browned, almost mahogany. Do not underbake. A pale loaf is a timid loaf. Remove the bread and let it cool on a wire rack for at least one hour before cutting. The interior continues to cook and set as it cools. Cut it too soon and the crumb will be gummy.

Chef Tips

• •Weigh your ingredients. Bread baking is not approximate. A kitchen scale is not optional equipment. Volume measurements introduce too much variability, and bread dough is unforgiving of imprecision.
• •The whole wheat flour adds flavor and color, but you may use all bread flour if you prefer a lighter loaf. Do not exceed 20 percent whole grain or the crumb will become dense.
• •If you lack a Dutch oven, bake on a preheated baking stone with a metal pan of water on the rack below. Remove the water pan after 20 minutes. The result will be acceptable, though not quite as good.
• •True Italian country bread keeps for several days without staling. Store it cut-side down on a wooden board. Do not wrap it in plastic, which traps moisture and softens the crust. To refresh a day-old loaf, run it briefly under water and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.

Advance Preparation

• •Your sourdough starter must be established and active before beginning. Building a starter from scratch takes 7 to 10 days of daily feedings.
• •The dough requires 4 to 5 hours of bulk fermentation and 10 to 14 hours of cold proofing. Plan accordingly. Begin mixing in the afternoon, shape in the evening, refrigerate overnight, and bake the following morning.
• •The baked loaf keeps well for 3 to 4 days at room temperature. It may be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and refresh briefly in a hot oven to restore the crust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 75g)