Mill Loaf - A French classic
Learning Objective
You will learn to make a classic French Torte De Meule. This is a mill loaf, and the recipe introduces you to a T80 stoneground flour.
Makes: | 1 x 2kg or 2 x 1kg |
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Level: | Beginner |
Created Over: | 3 days |
Kind of Bake: | Retarded overnight – San Francisco Style – mixed in the morning, retarded in the fridge overnight, baked at any point the next day |
Diversity Score: | 2 |
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Prebiotic: | Blackcurrant jam is full of polyphenols |
Probiotic: | Cultured Butter |
Recommended For: |
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Equipment
- Medium bowl for mixing leaven
- Clean tea towel or wax cloth
- Large mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Dough scraper
- Lame
- Baking cloche
Tin Size
- No Tin
Suggested Starter
- any starter (as long as the refreshment is timed so it is very lively)
Status of Starter
bubbly, lively second-build starter
DDT
25°C (77°F)
To Ferment Your Dough
- 250g T65 flour
- 250g water at 14°C (57°F)
- 100g starter
For The Dough
- 1kg T80 flour
- 700g water
- 23g sea salt
Baking Time
1 hour, plus more to suit your taste
Oven Position
middle shelf
Preheat Oven To
240°C/220°C fan/475°F/gas mark 9
Bake At
220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7
Baking Tips - During/After Baking
- At the end of the baking time, remove the cloche lid and bake for another 10 minutes before removing the loaf from the oven and leaving on a wire rack to cool.
- For a really crusty loaf, turn off the oven at the end of the baking time and leave the bread in there with the door open as it cools.
- For soft crusts, remove the bread from the oven at the end of the baking time and place on a wire rack. After about 5–6 minutes, wrap the loaf in a clean tea towel (or a sheet of greaseproof paper followed by a tea towel if you have added butter).
Tutorials
Step | Timings |
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Refresh starter (first build) | Day 1, 10am |
Refresh starter (second build) | Day 1, 10pm |
Plan your bake | Day 2, 9am |
Make leaven | Day 2, 11am |
Mix flour and water to autolyse | Day 2, 11.30am |
Add the leaven and the salt | Day 2, 2pm |
Mix | Day 2, up to 2.30pm |
First stretch and fold | Day 2, 3pm |
Second stretch and fold | Day 2, 4.30pm |
Shape | Day 2, 5.15pm |
Put in the fridge overnight at 5°C (41°F) | Day 2, 5.45pm |
Bake | Day 3, 10am |
Analyse and recalibrate | On eating |
Guidance, tips & techniques
Scoring Tourte de Meule from Vanessa Kimbell on Vimeo.
Probiotic Serving Suggestion
Cultured butter and blackcurrant jam
How to Store
I store mine in a clean dry tea towel.
Learning Outcome
You will be able to make a classic French Tourte De Meule, and become familiar with using a classic French flour.