MONTY’s PAN FRANCESE
SPONGE
104 g all purpose flour
104 g water
1/8 tsp yeast
DOUGH
460 g AP or Bread Flour
25 g whole wheat flour w/bran and center
1 ½ TBL Wheat germ
1 ½ tsp yeast
¼ tsp ginger (helps yeast work)
1 ¼ cup water luke warm milk
1 TBL olive oil
12 g salt
INSTRUCTIONS
For the sponge: Stir the ingredients in 4-cup liquid measuring cup with wooden spoon until well combined. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until sponge has risen and begins to collapse, about 6 hours (sponge can sit at room temperature for up to 24 hours).
2
For the dough: Whisk flour and yeast and ginger together in bowl of stand mixer. Stir milk into sponge with wooden spoon until well combined. Using dough hook on low speed, slowly add sponge mixture to flour mixture and mix until cohesive dough starts to form and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Cover bowl tightly with plastic and let dough rest for 20 minutes.
3
Add oil and salt to dough and knead on medium-low speed until dough is smooth and elastic and clears sides of bowl about 8 minutes. Transfer dough to lightly greased large bowl or container, cover tightly with plastic, and let rise for 30 minutes.
4
Using greased bowl scraper (or your fingertips), fold dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle. Turn bowl 45 degrees and fold dough again; repeat turning bowl and folding dough 6 more times (total of 8 folds). Cover tightly with plastic and let rise for 30 minutes. Repeat folding, then cover bowl tightly with plastic and let dough rise until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.
5
I purchased a 4” 30 guage dryer vent pipe and cut it to 20” – (See Pic) Line with piece of parchment paper. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter. Carefully make dough into 10 by 10 -inch square.,
6
Fold top of dough 1/3 of the square and roll toward bottom pressing seam gently to seal..
7
Gently slide your hands underneath each end of loaf and transfer seam side down to prepared dryer vent and parchment paper. Then cover loosely lightly floured dish towel and tuck a large plastic garbage bag around it. Let rise until loaf increases in size by about half and dough springs back minimally when poked gently with your knuckle, 30 minutes to 1 hour. I usually leave for at least an hour to hour and 15 min.
8
One hour before baking, adjust oven racks to lower-middle and lowest positions. Pre heat oven to 450 degrees.
9
Remove Plastic sheet and dish towel and cover dough loosely with aluminum foil blocking ends of dryer vent also – place into oven for 40 min – at end of 40 min remove foil and slide the loaf out of the dryer vent back into oven – it will be rather light in color – watch it closely because within a couple of min it will start to darken. Remove, brush with melted butter and let cool for 2 hours before cutting (If you can)