Best Pane Casereccio Homemade Bread Recipes

PANE CASERECCIO (HOMEMADE BREAD)

Steps:

• Mix dry ingredients in bowl of stand mixer, using the paddle.
• Add water in a drizzle until a very sticky dough has formed.
• If dough seems dry, than add a bit more, a spoonful at a time.
• Take bowl from mixer and cover with a towel and leave in a warm (but not hot) place over night.
• Scrape dough out of bowl with a spatula onto a lightly floured surface.
• Flour your hands and form the mass of dough into a ball without kneading.
• Gingerly lay the dough on a lightly floured tea towel, then fold ends of the towel on top of the dough.
• Let the bread rise again until doubles in size, which can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours.
• About 30 minutes before second rise is over, preheat oven to 400.
• Put a 4 12 or 5 1/2 quart cast iron casserole (about 10" in diameter) with its cover in oven to preheat along with the oven itself.
• For the next step: Make sure you have heavy oven mitts (it'll be tohot for a towel and proceed with care).
• Take casserole out of oven using oven mitt and lay on a heat resistant surface.
• Remove cover and lay aside.
• Take the towel with dough and quickly flip dough into casserole (it will go in "upside down" which is fine).
• Shake casserole, if need be to center dough and then quick re-cover it.
• Put casserole back in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
• Take out of oven and remove cover (the bread will be ever so slightly browned).
• Put casserole back in oven, uncovered and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until bread has developed a beautiful golden brown crust.
• Turn bread out onto a cooling rack and leave until it has completely cooled.
• When coolded completely, after about 45 minutes to an hour, it is ready to enjoy.

PANE CASSERECCIO RECIPE - ITALIAN COUNTRY BREAD

Steps:

• Create the biga preferment the day before. If using dried yeast follow the instructions below, otherwise, add the yeast to the water and whisk until it's dissolved. Add the biga flour and lightly mix with a dough scraper or your hands until it's incorporated which should take about 2 minutes. Cover, and leave at around 18-25C (64-77F) for 12-18 hours.
• The next day, weigh the ingredients. Add the biga to the water in a large mixing bowl. Now add all the ingredients, excluding the 2nd water and the olive oil, to the bowl or a dough mixer.
• Using a dough scraper (or your hand in a claw shape) in a circular motion, mix the dough to evenly distribute all the ingredients. After a minute or two, take the dough out of the bowl and stretch it slowly on a worktop. Continue this for 5 minutes. Return to the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a bag and place it in the fridge for 10 minutes Using a dough mixer: Mix for 6 minutes at a slow speed. The dough should feel soft and have visible long gluten but it wont be very strong.
• Take the dough back to the worktop and knead for 10 minutes. Start off slowly and gradually get more intense. the stretch, slap and fold technique shown in the video is preferred here. Cover again and place back in the fridge for another 10 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and knead fast for 7 minutes on the table. Put the dough back in the bowl and add the second water. Keep folding the dough into the water, it may take a while but it will absorb!. After the water is incorporated, add the olive oil with the same method and knead a couple of minutes more on the table. The dough should look smooth, even and strong.
• Put the dough back in the bowl, cover and take a temperature reading. If it's above 26C (79F) and it's warmer than this in the room, put it in the fridge for 1 hour. If it's cooler than this, leave it on the worktop for the same amount of time.
• Complete a stretch and fold, or simply knock back the dough and return to the bowl.
• Take a temperature check, if above 28C (82F) put it in the fridge, if it's under, the kitchen table is fine. Leave to rest, covered for another hour.
• Complete another stretch and fold or knock back, but this time flour the worktop before hand and after the stretch and fold, let the dough rest in a square shape on the table.
• Left to rest for 20 minutes on the worktop.
• Divide into two equal weights of 650g. Try to keep the square shape, so there is no need to mould. Just divide and position them onto a lightly dusted board or peel.
• Leave them to proof for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours. Preheat the oven with a baking stone and a lipped baking sheet below it to 250C (480F).
• Use the poke test to judge when they are ready to bake. When ready, transfer them onto a peel by sliding one underneath.
• Cut using a bakers lame with a square design, 2 inches away from the edge.
• Slide the loaves into the oven using the peel. Add a cup of hot water to the tray below to create steam (oven gloves should be worn to prevent burning yourself) and quickly shut the door. Turn down the temperature to 220C (430F) and bake for 35-40 minutes. Open the door after 20 minutes to release some of the steam.
• Once the bread has turned a nice light golden colour, use a peel to remove it and allow to cool. You can bake it for longer if you want deeper aromas.