Making Bread is So Satisfying

I was testing bread recipes a couple of weeks ago, wanting to have some breads on hand over the holidays. One of these was the result of an accident. I made the wrong kind of starter for a recipe I intended to make. Then I was stuck with the starter and wondering what to do, and a though occurred, so I pursued this thought and it came out lovely and delicious!

Italian Style Bread as loaves

The accidental starter was a Poolish Starter, which is rather thin and runny in comparison to some others like Biga or Pâte Fermentée, both of which are more like a bread dough themselves. A Poolish is like some sourdough starters in consistency, which starts out like thick pancake batter and after fermentation turns out in long sticky strands. It generally uses an almost equal amount by weight of flour and water, with a little yeast to get the process going. The difference between a Sourdough starter and a Poolish is that the Sourdough is truly fermented and over time becomes soured. How sour it stays will depend on how much flour and water is added to refresh the starter. The Poolish on the other hand, is only just allowed to rise once, refrigerated, then used within 3 days. Its souring effect is mostly nil, but the pre-fermentation and then the cold storage unlocks a lot of flavors that would not be available to the bread if just made in a one day process.

Okay, so that is an explanation of what a Poolish does. Here is the recipe for a Poolish, enough for the Italian Style Bread recipe, below:

Poolish Starter

Makes about 23 ounces 

Make at least one day ahead

11.25 ounces unbleached bread flour
12 ounces water, room temperature
¼ teaspoon instant / rapid rise yeast

Stir the three ingredients together until all the flour is moistened. Cover the bowl with plastic film and set aside at room temperature until it is bubbly and about doubled, about 3 or 4 hours. Refrigerate the Poolish overnight or for up to three days.

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Italian Style Bread as Rolls

To make the Italian style bread out of this Poolish simply requires bringing the Poolish to room temperature on the day of making the bread, and then adding in the ingredients to make the final dough. Quite simple. Truly delicious. I have been mostly making whole grain breads for our general consumption, but some of our guests over the holidays do not care for the whole grain breads. From this bread recipe it is possible to get two long, freestanding loaves or 16 individual rolls of about 2.5 ounces each.

Italian Style Bread

Makes 2 long loaves or 16 rolls


All the Poolish starter
11.65 ounces / 330 grams / 2½ cups bread flour
0.20 ounces / 5 grams / 1½ teaspoons salt
0.15 ounces / 3 grams / 1 teaspoon instant yeast
0.5 ounces / 1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces <2 tablespoons / 3.5 ounces water

Windowpane Test

The day of making the bread, remove the Poolish from the refrigerator at least an hour ahead, or more, to take off the chill. Pour all the Poolish into a large bowl, then add in the flour, then add the salt to one side and the yeast to the other side. Pour in the olive oil and begin stirring, adding in the water to bring together. Use a wooden spoon at first, switching to hands once it becomes too difficult to stir. It may help to moisten hands while working with the dough. Once the mixture begins to come together in one mass, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and begin kneading for about 12 minutes, or until the dough passes the windowpane test as shown here. Taking a small piece of dough, stretch it gently until light can be seen through the thinned dough, without breaking or tearing. If it tears easily, knead some more, until this is achieved.

Oil a clean bowl and set the kneaded bread into the bowl, turning over once to leave both sides of the dough greased. Cover with plastic film and set aside to rise until just about doubled in size, about 2 hours, depending on ambient temperature. A finger lightly pressed into the risen dough should leave a small indent that still springs back - not completely, but mostly.

FOR LOAVES: Turn the risen dough out and lightly degas. If making two long loaves, divide the dough evenly into two pieces using a dough cutter. Flatten one half into a rectangle, then begin rolling up tightly, tucking either end in slightly as you roll. Once you reach the other edge, pinch the seam together, then set onto a large parchment lined baking sheet, on one side. Roll the second piece of dough and set at least 4 inches apart from the first loaf on the baking sheet. Mist with oil and cover with plastic film. Allow to rise again until almost doubled in size.

Have the oven preheated to 500 degrees. Have a heavy oven safe pan set on the broiler rack, and the other rack set so the bread is at about the center of the oven. Have 1 cup of hot water ready. When bread is ready to bake, slash the loaves twice lengthwise. Set the pan on the lower rack in the oven and pour the cup of hot water in the pan on the broiler rack. Immediately lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The bread should be nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Internal temperature should be at least 200 degrees F.

Italian Style Bread in Knots

FOR ROLLS: Degas the dough slightly, then begin measuring out pieces of dough of about 2.5 ounces apiece, or if gauging by eye, cut into 16 equal pieces. Form into taught balls for round rolls or form into taught torpedo shapes, setting the rolls onto a large, greased baking sheet or two as needed (or line the sheets with parchment). I formed my rolls into "knots."

To make "knots," roll each piece of dough into a long, 10 or 11-inch length rope. Begin to tie a regular knot by looping the ends round each other. There should be room in the center of the loop created. Take the two ends and loop each around the circle once more, so one end sticks out the bottom and one loop sticks out of the top. Set each finished knot onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between rolls. Allow the rolls to rise until nearly doubled.

Have the oven heated to 375 degrees with a rack towards the center of the oven. If desired use an egg wash to make the surfaced shiny. Combine one egg with a tablespoon of water and whisk briefly to combine. Using a pastry brush, carefully paint the tops of the rolls with the egg wash, being careful the wash does not run underneath the roll or it will glue itself to the pan.

Bake the rolls for approximately 15 minutes, or until golden and sounding hollow when tapped on the bottoms.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.