Dutch bread

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 162 g wheat flour type 550
• 0.2 g fresh yeast, a piece about the size of a lentil
• 162 g water
• 204 g milk (any – I used 1.5% skimmed milk)
• 200 g spelt flour type 630, alternatively wheat flour type 550
• 123 g wheat flour type 550
• 36 g wheat bran
• 11 g rye malt (coloring malt) for the dark version
• 3 g malt flour, enzyme-active
• 11 g sugar
• 16 g butter
• 10 g fresh yeast
• 11 g salt
• 5 g starch flour (baker’s starch or potato starch)
• 500 g water

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 15 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 16 hours 5 minutes

Dutch bread – brrr, I always thought of it with horror, too. They dye their bread brown and even throw bran into it! And then I remembered the sandwiches I used to eat as a teenager while sailing on the IJsselmeer, and with great pleasure. When the discussion here in the CK Forum, after some advice about the baking temperature and time, turned to modifying the recipe, I decided to try it myself. And lo and behold, the result was absolutely delicious, the best sandwich or toast bread I’ve ever baked! The bran adds a bit of “bite.” They always say you need Tarwebloem flour for Dutch bread. I used a mixture of regular bread flour and spelt flour, but I’m convinced you can also use pure wheat flour 550. The “odd” measurements come from subtracting the original flour quantity from the thread at the time. Not a problem if you weigh to the exact gram anyway. If you feel more comfortable with that, you can round up to the nearest 10 grams. 0.2 g of yeast is a tiny amount; you don’t need to weigh it: it’s a piece the size of a lentil. The coloring malt really only serves the purpose of browning the bread. You can just as easily leave it out. But that should be enough for a start. Mix a pre-dough from the first three ingredients (flour, water, yeast), cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it mature at room temperature for 12 hours. Once the time is up, add all ingredients to the mixer and knead slowly for 4 minutes, then quickly for 5 minutes, until you have a smooth dough with a well-developed gluten structure. Let this dough rest for 60-70 minutes. It should roughly double in size. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and degas thoroughly, pressing out any large bubbles with your hand. Shape it into a ball and let it relax for 15 minutes. Shape it into a tight and even cylinder. Place seam-down in a well-greased baking pan. Proof for 80 minutes at 30-32°C; check on it after 60 minutes. During this time, the dough will rise well above the pan and begin to form the desired mushroom shape. You need to wait until it is almost fully proofed. In the meantime, bring the water and cornstarch to a boil and set aside. Brush the bread with this mixture and place it in the oven preheated to 240°C. Do not pierce or cut the bread. Steam well and reduce the temperature to 210°C after 3 to 5 minutes. Bake for about 35 minutes; a probe thermometer should measure 96-98°C (nearer the edge/nearer the center). The bread should not be too dry, and the crust should not be too thick or too dark.