Team Wild Yeast brought savory/sweet/sour sophistication to the game with “Semolina Sourdough with Fennel, Currants, and Pine Nuts” loaves! This bread, laced with delicious grown-up flavors, garnered many a vote, deeming it a true crowd favorite. Read about this competitor’s experience on the Wild Yeast blog, and continue reading for recipe…
Wild Yeast
Semolina Sourdough with Fennel, Currants, and Pine Nuts
Yield: 1000 g (2 loaves)
Ingredients:
195 g flour
195 g semolina flour
226 g water
10 g (1-2/3 t.) salt
16 g (3-1/2 t.) olive oil
172 g mature 100%-hydration sourdough starter
62 g pine nuts
4 g (2 t.) whole fennel seed
70 g dried currants
50 g caramelized fennel (recipe follows; this is approximately the yield from one medium bulb)
Method:
Prepare the caramelized fennel (see recipe below) and cool thoroughly.
In a small skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, toast the fennel seed until fragrant.
Remove from the skillet and cool.
In a small skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, toast the pine nuts until golden brown.
Remove from the skillet and cool completely.
Just before mixing the dough, soak the currants in cold water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, semolina flour, salt, olive oil, sourdough starter, and most of the water. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are well incorporated, about 5 minutes. As you mix, add water as needed to achieve a very soft dough.
Continue mixing on low or medium speed to a medium level of gluten development. How long this will take will depend upon your mixer.
Add the fennel seed, pine nuts, currants, and caramelized fennel. Mix on low speed just until all the ingredients are evenly dispersed through the dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover and ferment at room temperature for 2.5 hours, with folds after the first 50 and 100 minutes.
Turn the dough into a lightly floured counter. Divide into two pieces. Preshape it into balls and let rest, covered, for 20 – 30 minutes.
Shape the dough into batards and place them, seam-side-up, in a floured couche or floured, linen-lined baskets.
Proof at room temperature for 2.5 hours, or until the indentation left by a fingertip springs back very slowly. (Alternatively, the loaves can be proofed for about 30 minutes at room temperature, then placed overnight in the refrigerator.)
Meanwhile, preheat the oven, with baking stone, to 475F. You will also need steam during the initial phase of baking, so prepare for this now.
Just before baking, slash the loaves as you wish.
Once the loaves are in the oven, reduce the temperature to 450F. Bake for 8 minutes with steam, and another 20 minutes or so without steam. The curst should be a rich golden brown.
Then turn off the oven and leave the loaves in for another 10 minutes, with the door ajar, to allow the loaves to dry.
Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
Caramelized Fennel
Yield: about 50 g
Ingredients:
one medium bulb fresh fennel (approximately 225 g)
1/4 t. salt
1 T. olive oil
Method:
Trim any roots, stems, and fronds from the fennel bulb. Quarter it and cut out the core at the root end. Slice it crosswise into half-inch slices.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the fennel and salt and toss to coat with the oil.
Turn the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until the fennel starts to brown.
Turn the heat to very low and cook, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the fennel has caramelized to a very deep brown color and has lost almost all of its moisture. This may take an hour or longer. The fennel’s volume will be markedly reduced.
Cool thoroughly before using it in the bread.