Poolish Bread

A Poolish is a pre-ferment usually combing equal parts of flour and water (by weight) with some yeast.

The origin of the term Poolish is that it is named after a method used by Polish bakers around 1840 when it was brought to France.

However – Poolish is an old English version of Polish and this term seems to be most used in France where polonais is the word for Polish – strange!

Fermentation is carried out at room temperature for some time – long enough for the Poolish to bubble up and increase its volume. This can take anywhere from 3 to 24 hours.

Using  Poolish is said to give a light texture to the dough, develop a sweetness of flavour and also give a good colour in the crust.

This recipe is adapted from Bake it Better  – Bread – edited by Linda Collister, Hodder & Stoughton, 2015.

The original amounts made two very big loaves so I the second time I made this,  I cut it down, to make two small loaves – these are the instructions below.

Ingredients – Day One

• 25g wholemeal flour
• 150g strong flour
• 10g fresh yeast (5g dried)
• 175ml water
• 1/4 teaspoon of sugar

Method – Day One

• Mix the yeast, water and sugar in a jug
• Leave for about 5 -10 minutes.
• Mix the two flours together in a bowl.
• Make a well and pour in the yeast mixture.
• Bring it all together to make a thick lump free mixture.
• Cover the bowl (a shower cap is good)
• Leave a room temperature for 20 – 24 hours.

Ingredients – Day Two

• Poolish from day one
• 125ml water
• 250g strong flour (maybe a little more)
• ½ tablespoon of salt

Method – Day Two

• To the Poolish add the water and mix to make a smooth batter.
• Add 125g of the flour and mix it in by hand.
• Add the salt.
• Gradually add the rest of the flour until you have a soft but not sticky dough.
• Add more flour if necessary.
• Knead the dough for 10 minutes (set a timer).
• Put back into a large bowl and cover (a shower cap is good).
• Leave to rise till double in size – around 3 hours.
• When it looks nearly ready – line a baking sheet with grease-proof paper.
• Knock back the dough with your knuckles to deflate it.
• Cut the dough into two pieces.
• Leave them to rest for 5 minutes.
• Knead each piece for 1 minute.
• Shape each piece and put it on the baking sheet.
• Dust them lightly with some flour.
• Cover loosely and leave to prove for 1 to 1½ hours.
• Pre-heat the oven to GM7 220°C
• Put a roasting tin at the bottom of the oven to heat up.
• Cut 3 slashes in the top of each loaf (oops I forget the 2nd time!).
• Put the loaves in the oven.
• Quickly pour a glass of water into the roasting tin (the steam helps to give a good crust).
• Close the door and bake for around 30 minutes.
• Leave to cool on a wire cake rack.