Friday, August 22, 2008

Pane di Genzano Returns

One of the wonderful things about bread baking is that, especially in an uncontrolled home environment, the same recipe turns out something different every time. The whole experience, from starter to kneading, varies with temperature, time, flour content, human error, and many other variables.

I have made this Pane di Genzano a few times now with a few recipes, and while it has been different every time, it has never disappointed. It's moist, light bread, with a near-burned rustic crust (check out the patterns the dish towel made on this one), and some heft. Perfect for soup-sopping and bruschetta making, or just eating.

This loaf was started with the liquid levain, the dough incorporated one cup whole wheat flour, and now that I remember it, I actually made only half the starter, planning on a smaller loaf. Forgot about that when it came to dough mixing, though. This is a forgiving recipe. It rose overnight in the refrigerator, and I baked it on Wednesday morning.

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