The Cheese Board by Cheese Board Collective Staff Read Free Book Online Page A

retard or slow the rising of a bread. If you need to leave the house, you can cover the rising dough or proofing loaves with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and place in the refrigerator. When you return home, bring out the dough or loaves and place in a warm, draft-free spot for 1 to 2 hours, until swelled and airy. Making bread takes all day, but you don’t have to sit and watch it the whole time!
     
    SHAPING
    The preliminary step for shaping most breads is to form the dough into a loose round: Turn the dough ball out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into the desired number of pieces. Expelling as little of the air from the dough as possible, gently shape each piece of dough into a loose round by tucking the dough underneath itself to create a smooth surface on top ( fig. A and fig. B ).

    Don’t try to seal the seam of the dough yet; that step occurs when you create the final shape. Cover the rounds with a floured kitchen towel and let them rest for 10 to 15 minutes, as specified in the recipe.
    Shaping a dough into its final form is like creating an air-filled ball; by pulling the outermost layer of dough taut around the inside, you capture the airy inner mass, giving the dough something to push against as it rises in its new shape. As you shape the following bread forms, you should feel a tension between the elasticity of the dough, the bottom edges of your hands, and the surface you are working on.
    Loose Round

    Large Round
    Cup your hands around the dough as if you were trying to hide the dough. Start to gently move your hands in a circular motion, keeping the bottom edges of your hands on the table ( fig. A ).

    Continue to circulate the dough ball while lightly pressing your hands down on the part of the dough that is closest to the work surface; this will draw down the outer skin of the dough, creating a seam on the bottom. You will feel a tension between the elasticity of the dough, the bottom edges of your hands, and the rolling surface.
    Next, seal the seam on the bottom by pinching it closed with your fingers ( fig. B ).

    Turn the dough so that the seam is back on the work surface, and using cupped hands, roll the dough back and forth while keeping the seam on the work surface to further seal the seam. Place the round in a prepared proofing basket ( fig. C ) or on a baking sheet, seam side up if using a basket, seam side down if rising on a sheet.

    Small Round
    Cup your hand around the dough and move it in a circular motion, resting the outside of your hand on the work surface ( fig. A ).

    Use your thumb to pull the outside of the dough underneath the round. As you become accustomed to the motion, you can use both hands to roll two rounds at once.
    Bâtard
    Flatten the dough into an oval. Working with the long side in front of you, tightly roll the dough into itself, creating a seam on the bottom ( fig. A ).

    Seal the seam closed ( fig. B ) and, with cupped hands, roll the dough into a rounded, blunt-ended oval ( fig. C ).

    Keeping the seam on the work surface, roll it back and forth, sealing the seam further. Place in a prepared proofing basket, seam side up ( fig. D ), or on a baking sheet, seam side down.

    Oval
    Flatten the dough into an oval. Working from the long side of the oval, tightly roll the dough into itself, creating a seam on the bottom (see bâtard fig. A ). Seal the seam closed and, with cupped hands, roll the dough into a tapering, football-shaped oval ( fig. A ).

    Keeping the seam on the work surface, roll it back and forth, sealing the seam further. Place seam side down on a prepared baking sheet.
    Loaf

    Flatten the dough into an oval. Working from the long side of the oval, tightly roll the dough into itself, creating a seam on the bottom (see bâtard fig. A ). Seal the seam closed and, with cupped hands, roll the dough into a slightly tapered, rounded length ( fig. A ).

    Keeping the seam on the work surface, roll it back and forth, sealing the seam