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Learn How to Learn How to make make your own bread your own bread with natural with natural leaven leaven The French Bread Contents 1

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Page 1: Learn How to make your own bread with natural leaven French... · your own bread with natural leaven The French Bread Contents ... sourdough bread and croissants, ... good taste and

Learn How toLearn How tomakemake

your own breadyour own breadwith naturalwith natural

leavenleaven

The French Bread Contents 1

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TextText

Henri GranierHenri Granier && Cathy GiraudCathy GiraudPhotographsPhotographs

Henri GranierHenri GranierTranslator Translator

Henri SauratHenri Saurat

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This material is protected by filing a copyright with the Copyright © France.com under No. 85581B3 in 164 countries. Its ISBN number: 979-10-90516-00-7.

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The following text in French, is the reference text.

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HenriHenriGranierGranier

At a turning point in his life, to get in touch with nature, this 45 year old, professional photographic journalist decided to manifest his passion for good genuine bread.

To make a starter, knead and shape the dough entirely by hand, bake the bread in a wood fired oven….

During the 90’s, Henri Granier researched, found and deepened a long-forgotten know-how, too often neglected. With joy and simplicity he has brought back to our time the art of making one’s own bread.

He is a real baker.

Anxious to share and pass on to everyone these sacred techniques, a true heritage of valuable wisdom, he created his web-site http://www.opain.com/ and wrote this book in 2002, together with Cathy Giraud.

These two means of communication bring together philosophy, advice and step by step recipes: all that one needs to know to make and produce a natural sourdough bread.

Making bread requires a genuine personal commitment. From the choice of ingredients to the baked bread, Henri Granier’s guide is the respect for life.

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Very quickly he leaves behind modern organic grains, increasingly transformed and with little character. He prefers using ancient grain varieties, which remain whole and have distinctive characteristics.

In 2003, he registered his concept under the name of « La Micro-Boulange® ».

From 2004 to 2010, he set up the professional bakery he had dreamed of; time flows only to the rhythm of work on a human scale.

In 2008, during his exhibition ‘Bread Portraits’, he successfully combined his two careers.

In 2009, he became member of ‘Réseau Semences Paysannes’ (network – seeds – small farmers).

Today and in the same spirit: ‘savoir-vivre’ and the art of creation, he runs training workshops and introductions to bread making.

Through the practice of baking, during the learning period, each student experiments with and expresses his or her talent to live according to his or her own inner journey.

Making bread is therefore also an adventure in better nourishing oneself and self-discovery.

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AcknowledgmentAcknowledgmentTo CathyTo Cathy

For her invaluable participation in writing this book.For her way of clarifying complex ideas and selecting suitable words.

For her presence and support in my research.For her help towards success in this life.

Everything would have been so different without her.For all this I am so grateful.

Thank you.

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The TranslatorThe Translator

Henri SauratHenri Saurat

Every Thursday Henri and Megan light up the wood fired oven in their rustic bakehouse which is surrounded by ponga tree ferns with uninterrupted views of the Pacific Ocean and the magestic Kaimai ranges, this is Katikati New Zealand.

The local farmers market is tomorrow and the daily bread needs to be replenished.This weekly ritual rose out of Henri's nostalgia for the taste and smell of real bread. In 2003 he journeyed to the Pyrenees and it was here in the context of teacher student

we met.Henri returned to New Zealand with increased vigour and reignited passion for “Le

Pain au levain naturel” with all its health benefits and intensely good flavour. He then set about perfecting his newly aquired skills and the very frustrating task of

sourcing suitable organic stone ground flour.

Now in 2011 Henri and Megan supply their local farmers markets with freshly baked sourdough bread and croissants, build efficient wood fired ovens, import Portuguese micaceous clay cookware for use in the ovens and teach the basic skills needed for the home baker to create their own loaves.Their mobile Pizza oven takes them into the homes and businesses of the local people where they enjoy sharing the taste of authentic Napoletana Pizza.Both their children Nathalie 23 and Jean 21 have grown up in the warmth of this culinary tradition where they have learnt to take time to source, prepare and share good food in their own backyard.

You can find more about Henri and Megan at www.breadnz.com.

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PrefacePreface

Making your own bread can rightly be considered a fundamental lifestyle choice.

With strength and softness, the different stages of bread-making bring out the essence of life.

This wise and sacred practice offers everyone the chance to rediscover their genuine roots: common sense, good taste and the art of living.

Bread, when it is good, challenges us and reminds us that the beauty of life lies in the simple things.

Through its smell, its shape and its flavour, bread portrays the characteristics of happiness.

This nourishment, not only in its consumption but also in its preparation awakens our perceptions and our senses, and colours them with every emotion.

When you are making your own bread you are intimately in touch with the simple reality of existence.

Every time, you are up-lifted and amazed, because it is in our caring hands that bread is created.

Under the powerful but delicate manipulation of our fingers, important elements such as air, spring water and ocean salt, mixed with wheat flour, find their balance.

It is at the time of kneading that the dough is born.Only then is our human heart at one with those noble elements

and ingredients, which we must remember to protect and preserve.If you make your own bread it is not only because you want to

improve your diet, but it is also your way of acknowledging your trust in humanity.

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Presenting the IngredientsPresenting the Ingredients

AirAir :: To make bread, the first important participant is the element air.

It is transparent yet inhabited by a multitude of fascinating living individuals.In it, minuscule flora and microscopic fauna dance and fly, following the

rhythm of the cosmic music.Invisible, omnipresent, the air intervenes throughout the bread making. The

outcome is a simple but vital process of exchange. The stretching and the aerating of the dough are primitive gestures full of unconstrained naivety. As your floured hands move in a controlled and consistent manner the air with its lively energy invades the doughy mixture.

The air then becomes a calm accomplice during the proving, when the fermentation brings about its transformations.

When using a wood oven, the air captures the perfume wafting from the glowing and fragrant embers.

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The bread while cooking, becomes impregnated with this perfumed air, its crust retains this discrete yet very recognizable and beyond comparison flavour of forest and smoke.

Once cooked the bread starts its cooling down period. It expels carbon dioxide and steam, to replace them with surrounding air.

The bread cells breathe in all the odours in the atmosphere.For these reasons and many others, it is imperative to carefully watch the

quality of the air and of the bread.The composition of air is out of our control. However, there are certain things

we can avoid: cigarette smoke… odours from products to do with health and beauty care, cleaning and maintenance and, of course, deodorising sprays… If they are artificial copies, their fragrances fool our sense of smell, poison our lungs, our blood, our body and our homes. The Greenhouse effect starts without us realising.

On an anecdotal note: not so long ago city bakeries were nearly always underground and often next to the latrines.

Proofed loaves and baker boys alike breathed a stale and fetid air. You can imagine how deplorable the bread tasted.

This goes without mentioning the water, which was often less than pristine. In Paris, bakeries close by the river Seine used its water in baking.

Like an open-air sewer, the Seine was at that time totally unhealthy.

Parmentier, a French army chemist, undertook at the end of the XVIII century to regulate bakeries, forcing the trade to change its habits.

Passionate about food hygiene, he proved conclusively, among other things, that the quality of water influenced the bread-making process.

In the same way, it would be appropriate today to take air quality into account.Bread made with healthy ingredients by a conscientious baker will be better if

it is fabricated in a “green area” rather than in a city centre.

Contrary to what happens nowadays, it is bread prepared, baked and cooled down in the mountains or in the open countryside that should be served in the cities and not the other way around.

If only simple common sense prevailed!

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Presenting the IngredientsPresenting the Ingredients

The WaterThe Water ::Water represents the most mysterious and the most enigmatic part of life.Shooting out of the earth, falling out of the sky, spring water or rainwater,

water organises life.It is the Mother, the Womb and the essence of existence.

It quenches our thirst and at the same time nourishes our body. Water is the most essential element of the planet earth: It constitutes the lakes,

rivers, streams, seas and oceans.

It is the dominant component of plants, animals and humans.Water bathes, hydrates and surrounds the cells, molecules and the continents. Water is the bread builder, simply yet splendidly, it creates the bread.We talk about “Eau de coulage” (hydrating liquid) to make bread. This term is

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also in current use in the French building industry.The proportions necessary to produce bread are calculated in relation to the

water and not the solid ingredients, as is the case in baking and pastry making.Rigorous and precise, this mathematics of hydration goes beyond the immediate results.

This is particularly specific to bread making, which only goes to confirm the superiority water has over the other elements.

Water plays a fundamental role in the existence of all life forms. From the beginning of time, water has been the environment in which life chooses to perform all its experiments.

In the wooden kneading trough, which is considered as the temple of manual mixing, the water runs freely, dissolving the salt, diluting the leaven and breathing life into the flour.

A prestigious binder, the water brings together and cements all elements present.

It carries their properties, preserves and magnifies them in its humidity, to restore them in value and virtue.

In its liquid form, the water is able to create a floury mixture, which under the influence of our bare and hesitant hands becomes dough.

It is also water in the form of steam that gives the bread its appealing golden aspect.

This was a secret jealously guarded by bakers in the past.For billions of years water has been continuously purified and revitalised by

the atmospheric and underground phenomena.These natural filters provide us with an efficient supply of marvellous drinking

water.If this is to continue, we should stop using air, earth and sea as our rubbish

bins.We obstinately refuse to apply the principles of health based on our knowledge

and respect for the environmental laws.We are the only living-species that produces non-recyclable waste.With a totally self-proclaimed “superior intelligence” our wisdom is disturbing

the order and the balance of drinking water.It is interesting to note that, by definition, water is drinkable if it can be drunk

without putting one’s health in danger.“Potable”, the French word for drinkable, comes from the Latin potabilis,

which in turn comes from potare: to drink.Knowing that our tap water is dosed with chlorine and its derivatives,

purification additives and synthesized disinfectants, all of which are undesirable for human consumption, the question is: what can we do or say about it?

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Presenting the IngredientsPresenting the Ingredients

Sea Salt:Sea Salt:Born in the ocean these little fragments of crystal hold magical powers.A talented alchemist, the salt dissolves and disappears hurriedly.Nobody can see where it goes or what it does.

Its piquant flavour seasons and enhances the succulent taste of food.In the correct proportion it offers the palate the opportunity to distinguish the

smallest nuance in the many tastes that are interlaced in the food.It gives depth to the very flavour of the bread.These qualities are not insignificant, though alone they do not justify the usage

of salt.In fact, this magician, who shows himself only in his magical geometric shape,

secretly masters some special effects.While outwardly the baker’s hands are busy at work, inside the salt attends to

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the good gestation of the kneading process.As soon as the three ingredients: natural leaven, water and flour come into

contact, the salt balances and organises their interactions.It tempers the natural enthusiasm of the bubbling leaven ferments.It increases the inner temperature of the dough by 1 or 2 degrees.Through its intervention, the salt facilitates an equal and even repartition of the

fermentation in all the dough.This is the perfect moment for the dough to build and develop its qualities:

springiness, manoeuvrability and homogeneity… During the cooking it also concerns itself with minor details such as

encouraging the crust colourization.But the main speciality of this seasoning is to look after the phenomenon of

hydration.If the bread, like the human body, starts to lack salt it becomes dehydrated.Salt is scrupulous in its precision, meticulously combining water to the flour

solids, stabilising it when the mixing is over and maintaining the hydration levels in the rising, cooking and conservation stages.

Despite its small proportion, it is in no way inferior to the other major ingredients that it attentively serves.

When it is all over, the transformations and the metamorphosis completed, it reappears with its nice salty taste just like a light sea spray on your lips. It is the taste of the ocean depths and all its mysteries, a taste of the unexplored.

Nature does things well.Salt reserves are practically inexhaustible, and for the time being salt extraction

doesn’t use polluting agents!Let’s make the most of that. We must remember that the dosage of salt must

always be sparing in order to be beneficial not only to our health but also to our palate.

And neither is it necessary to follow the dictates of modern fads using refined salt, chemically denatured, so fine that it can run through the very small holes of tiny salt shakers.

Salt, like star crystals, should be touched lightly and taken in your fingertips.In the kitchen coarse cooking salt should be kept in a wooden box.On the table use a small bowl for the “Fleur de sel”.It is evident that good habits are also often the finest.

Complementary information

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Presenting the IngredientsPresenting the Ingredients

FlourFlour ::

Pounded, beaten, crushed and ground, flour is the result of the cereal adventure.

Ceres, Roman goddess of “Cerealis”, protects her grain-bearing plants.Those plants, from the graminaceae family, with their grains organised in ears,

pollinated by the wind, hold in their fruits substances of a rare and high nutritional content.

Oat, wheat, corn, millet, barley, rice, rye… are all cereals designed to feed the human inhabitants of the earth.

When gods and men were friends, the rural world lived according to the

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principles of the universe.Until the unknown became known, the peasant work of ploughing, sowing, and

harvesting was complemented by observations. The agriculturist read the stars, followed the moon and listened for signs, to get

inspiration for new perspectives.In the fields, the cereals orientated themselves, germinated, grew and undulated with peace, love, sun, rain, wind and freedom. And the soil perpetuated its abundant generosity.

Ecology was not, then, the philosophy of a political party: We were all in fraternal kinship with life: the trees, rivers, planets, grasses, animals, flowers, rocks…and we interacted.

From this harmonious and balanced interaction, from this constructive exchange, from this dazzling knowledge, from this serene and unique awakening, some people got tired.

Greed, war, rivalry, aggression… fertilizers, pesticides, chemicals, toxic herbicides and genetically modified organisms have all arrived.

As a result we are all suffering in a state of sad survival. Our fields and soil are depleted, and there is a feeling of utter hopelessness prevailing.

If some cheat, others carry on the research.Organic farming has grown out of a desire for fairness and respect for life in all

its forms.Organic products bear witness to a way of working in harmony with nature,

free from toxic products and restrictive techniques. Choosing to use these products is the best path to go down.Their certification guaranties that the grains are sourced from clean farming.From the earth to the table, the food rediscovers its nobility and can once again

fulfil its nutritional and medicinal functions. The care we take in doing our shopping directly influences our health.

The choice is ours.

Of course, we will always find those who try to unsettle us, these same people are the ones who close their eyes, manufacture, and sell poisoned foods. They will emphasize the imperfections and apparent aimlessness of organic production.

The reality is that they do exist, and this is why we must be vigilant, exigent and unwavering.

Because, if we are what we eat, the world is what we make of it

Amongst all cereals, wheat originating from the Oriental Mediterranean Basin and Occidental Asia occupies a royal and unchallenged place in the world of bread.

It is the only one containing sufficient gluten in its grain.

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*Note on gluten- Glutamic acid, diamide amino acid, is an excellent stimulant of the nerve cells.- Glutamine, monoacid of glutamic acid, is the most prolific amino acid in free

circulation in the blood.– Glutamate, an amino acid, constitutes about 9% of the amino acid protein of our

organism.It occurs more than the other 29 amino acids in the primary sequence of our proteins.Natural amino acids are essential for life. Determined by the basic sequence of DNA,

they are indeed the very essence of life.

This precious protein is indispensable to the bread-making process.

Mixed with water, gluten, which has a greenish colour, forms a glutaminic tissue with a constant holding power.

It gives the dough an elastic structure, which protects it from the inside against tearing under the pressure of the fermentation gases.

On the outside, the gluten also protects the bread from the numerous manipulations that bread making imposes.

The dough, thanks to the gluten, evolves intact through the successive steps of its transformation.

Rye contains a little of this exceptional vegetable protein, this is why it was always one of the bread flour mixes.

Other cereals contain some gluten, but not sufficient to constitute by themselves a good bread dough.

On the other hand it is possible, to imagine some gourmand variation, by incorporating other cereals in wheat or wheat-rye mixes.

The climate, soil and seed variety, all have a direct influence on the gluten content.

When we talk about wheat, we refer to it as Strong or Weak wheat.It is a judicious grain mix of both categories that gives the ideal flour for bread making.

This delicate work is the inherited and secret art of a true miller.It is a complete chain of trust and of love for what is well done that links the farmer, the miller and the baker.

And so it is thanks to these good fellows, their lands and their grain, the mill and the flour, the kneading trough, the oven and the bread it is sweet to share, the gods and the people are in friendship again.

Unfortunately there are, in non-organic bread making, chemical additives created to cover up the low gluten percentage of some flours.

These additives come straight out of laboratories, and are used to dope flour from fodder crops, which are essentially unsuitable for bread making.

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High yield wheat, designed for animal feed, can then be used for bread making.In all cases, the result is an imitation bread, which might have the aspect and

appearance of the genuine article but is not the real thing.

Today, ease of transport offers a wide diversity in our choice of products. We can find in the shops all types of flour from various cereals, aimed at making ready-cooked dishes, pastry, biscuits…

So it is common to see the term “flour” with the name of the given cereal: Rice flour, chestnut flour and so on.

In the past, the word flour, employed alone, automatically implied that it was made from wheat.

For example for our forefathers, 100 g of flour meant 100 g of wheat flour.

Flour in French is farine: fine particles of grain.

In Latin, farina, from far, is none other than the word for wheat.

We, in our time have to specify “Wheat flour”, thus showing once again how much we have forgotten and how far we have drifted away from the truth.

COMPARATIVE BOARD OF FLOURS

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Presenting the IngredientsPresenting the IngredientsThe three important points when choosing flour are:The three important points when choosing flour are:

Origin – Milling – Age

Once the cereal’s biological origin has been verified, the next concern is to look into the method of milling.

Apart from ancestral manual techniques, there is only one acceptable method of milling: stone milling.

This process respects the central almond configuration, the germ and the outer skin (bran).

The milling process should reinforce not alter the numerous and remarkable nutritional properties packed into a wheat grain.

These include lipids (non-saturated fatty acid), proteins, vitamins including the B and E, mineral salts, trace-elements including selenium, enzymes, fibres and bran.

After the milling process the flour is sifted according to the type desired.

Unfortunately flour types are not standardized from one country to the other. We consider the French classification the most precise so in this book we always specify it (T 150, T 110, T 80…T 45) when referring to a flour type.

T150 (Dark whole-wheat / Wholemeal) Extraction rate 95% Ash content 1.4%

T110 (Whole-wheat / brown) Extraction rate 88/90% Ash content 1/1.20%

T80 (Light whole-wheat / brown) Extraction rate 85% Ash content 0.75/0.90%

T65 (High gluten) Extraction rate 78/80% Ash content 0.62/0.65%

T55 All purpose & Bread Extraction rate 75% Ash content 0.50/0.60%

T45 Cake and Pastry Extraction rate 60/70% Ash content <0.50%

The type 150 (T 150) or integral: its name is self-explanatory, it contains the complete product.

The type 110 (T 110) or complete: it is very lightly sifted to extract only the large cellulose bran.

The type 80 (T 80) or light: it is sifted a little more, so has a little less bran but is still sufficient.

Concerning the T 110 or T 80, these flours don’t loose anything by being sifted, on the contrary, they improve by becoming more balanced.

Their dough increases in volume, and the intestine better tolerates bread made with these flours.

It has been noticed that too much bran can provoke, for some people, irritation and inflammation of the digestive system.

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Below that level of sifting (T 65, T 55, T 45) the flour is too light in germ, fibre and nutritional qualities to be reasonably encouraged. Once over-sifted they become starch powder.

Try using light flour (T 80) for your home pastries, you will be astonished by the success encountered, in the preparation as well as in the consumption!

Finally, let’s mention industrial flour, milled with metallic cylinders, and capable of producing such a fine and sad flour that it no longer contains any germ or vitamins.

And if the grains are also non-organic it will be loaded with pesticide, insecticide and preservatives.

The desire for a good flour seems to be a quest worthy of an initiation course.Though once the reasons for this requirement are understood and assimilated,

everything becomes quite simple again.It is this flour that you will desire and no other.The age of the flour is not a futile subject, it is unavoidable information that

should be taken seriously.The unsaturated fatty acids contained in the wheat germ are of oily consistency.With time it is that oil that oxidises making the flour acid and giving it a rancid

taste.The flour rich in germ is the most prone to oxidation, this is why the T 80, T

110 and T 150 must be used within a maximum of two months after being milled.

This is supposing that the milling date is written on the flour bags instead of the usual and presumed use by dates.

You can buy your flour in bulk from a specialized organic shop, where the milling date should be easily obtainable.

You can also buy your flour from a competent miller and, in this way, you will make your purchase in total confidence.

There are those who decide to acquire a small family mill (like the cereal mill from Oriental Tyrol) and mill their grains themselves. These small wooden mills with a millstone magnificently combine performance with the aesthetic, and in this way you may prepare your flour as and when required.

Just remember that while an old flour is more likely to oxidise, too young a flour (i.e. freshly milled) is not easily manipulated.

By letting your flour rest for eight to ten days you are giving it a little breathing space and so it will be ready for bread making in the best possible conditions.

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ConclusionConclusion

If we are to live at one with the earth we must consider the air, the salt and the flour from both the general and the detailed points of view already given.

We cannot obtain a 'well-made' bread unless we are first able to visualize it.

Which goes without saying for a lot of things in life.The facts and information leading to truth offer precious

opportunities to develop our thoughts and intellect.It is in recognizing and accepting them that we start our journey

and evolve.Because we are Homo sapiens, our hands are free and it is with

them that we work.If we put our hearts into it we will be pleasantly surprised with

our own performance.From air, water, salt, flour and love, the bread will tell us how

compassionate we have become.It is this that will nourish us.

“I know life is love.“I know life is love.When I contemplate a flower…When I contemplate a flower…

When the river sings,When the river sings,And friends laugh.And friends laugh.

When the rain drops dance,When the rain drops dance,When birds make their nests…When birds make their nests…

I know that life is love.I know that life is love.However, it is when I make my breadHowever, it is when I make my bread

That it becomes a reality.That it becomes a reality.

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Introduction to the day-to-day breadIntroduction to the day-to-day bread

It is no use trying to hide the fact that if you want to make your own bread, using natural leaven, time is essential.

This is not because it is complicated but simply because it requires a « certain savoir-faire ».

Today’s lifestyle means that we are all very busy and have very little time for ourselves.

There is, however, one recipe that is extremely easy to follow, and which has been passed down through the ages.

It is known as the day-to-day bread and could be the answer for those of us who are constantly on the move.

This pancake like bread takes only a few minutes to prepare, and is cooked just before or during the meal, according to your needs.

Deliciously fresh flavoured you simply tear off bite size pieces with your fingers. It may be served warm or cold, savoury or sweet, in fact whatever takes your fancy.

Whether you are an enlightened amateur or already passionately convinced, you will not only succeed but also have a lot of satisfaction from making your natural

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leaven bread, it will always be a pleasurable decision to make your daily bread.Unassuming and simple, it will more than satisfy your hunger. Easy and quick to prepare, in an instant, you have a meal for those unexpected

visitors.All over the world, people of every race and creed continue to enjoy and

appreciate this bread.Because borders exist, the day-to-day bread has different names and slight

variations, but the true art of making this bread is universal and unchanged.The hands move in the same manner as they did for our ancestors before us.

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Day-to-day breadDay-to-day bread

Ingredients Ingredients

100 g wholemeal flour (T 80 or T 110)5cl spring water.1 g (pinch) sea salt (for example the coarse salt from Guérande in France)Double the quantity depending on the amount of bread required.

Step 1: Prepare the doughStep 1: Prepare the dough

In a bowl, dissolve a pinch of coarse sea salt in 5cl of spring water.Add the flour and mix together.Using your fingers, work the dough until it has a smooth even consistency.Form into a ball and place in a floured bowl.Cover the bowl with a tea towel.

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Step 2: Proving timeStep 2: Proving time

Let the dough rest in a warm place for a minimum of one hour. 25 °C is an ideal temperature.If the temperature is lower than this, it will be necessary to leave the dough

resting for a longer period of time.If you prefer, you can prepare the dough the night before, so that you are ready

to cook your bread for breakfast or do it in the morning and serve it at lunchtime.In this case don’t forget to dampen the cloth that covers the bowl of dough to

prevent it from drying out.

Step 3: Baking Step 3: Baking

Flour your rolling pin and board.Flatten the ball of dough and then roll it out to form a circle that should be between 3 and 10 mm thick.Usually, the daily bread is quite thin, but the thickness varies according to individual taste and the region.

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Use a preheated griddle or heavy-based frying pan, which has not been greased.Put the disk of dough on the hot griddle.

Turn often to make sure it cooks through and the dough puffs up.

Watch that the bread doesn’t burn, it needs only a few minutes to cook.The day-to-day bread is ready.

« Bon appétit! »

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The LeavenThe Leaven

Flour and water mixed together will ferment spontaneously in a suitable environment. This transformation produces risen dough, which is known as natural or wild leaven.

Composed of a quantity of microorganisms, the leaven is sown into the bread dough.

The enzymes, which develop during the fermentation process, digest the starch in the flour.

These same enzymes are capable of releasing the various parts of a wheat grain that are used by the human body.

Like most cereals and pulses, wheat contains some phytic acid in its husk.This acid combines with calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc, which it finds in

the human body.While ingesting bread, insolvable phytates are created. These are, in turn,

eliminated and cause demineralisation.Luckily wheat contains phytase, an enzyme that is capable of breaking down

phytic acid. In order to act, the phytase requires a low pH and a long fermentation.

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Because the natural sourdough has a slow and partly lactic fermentation, it is a perfect answer to the requirements of the phytase.

The yeast with its fast and mainly alcoholic fermentation is not helping the action of the phytase.

Thanks to the leaven, the bread’s digestive and nutritive qualities are more suitable for human consumption.

NB: As a general rule, when you eat cereals and pulses (leguminous plants) you should soak them before cooking. This process of pre-germination causes the phytic acid to partly decompose.

The leaven also gives the bread a subtle and distinctive flavour.The bread will continue to improve for two to four weeks in ideal conditions.Nourishing oneself with such simple food is the essence of eating.The leaven does more than just enhance the bread: it reveals the powerful

presence of life. Like a signature, it shows its origins and its authenticity.

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How to make your leaven starterHow to make your leaven starter

The first leaven is the starting point for all the loaves to follow like a « mother ».

Born out of water and flour, its life cycle is predetermined.It will live as long as you treat it well.

To start with, remember to make it in small quantities, because each time you replenish it, the leaven will increase in mass and volume.

1- In a ramekin or a small sandstone bowl, use a wooden spatula to mix together one tablespoon of brown organic flour (T 110) or whole-wheat organic flour (T 150) and one tablespoon of spring water.

Cover with a cloth to protect this preparation from inevitable drying out.Put in a draft free position at a room temperature of between 20 °C and 26 °C if possible.This relatively high temperature range is suitable for the leaven.

It assists and accelerates the activity of both enzymes and natural yeasts. This is why you have more success with the “Starter” in summer than winter.Also, during the summer months, the air is full of airborne wild yeast, which makes the fermentation process easier. The “Starter leaven” obtained in this way is stronger and more resistant.

Be careful, not to overdo it, your starter shouldn’t be exposed to direct heat. The main objective is fermentation and not cooking!

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2-After two or three days, your mixture will have swollen, it could have even doubled in volume.

It is time to feed it, to “refresh” it.

This operation that you will have to repeat regularly, throughout the leaven's life, consists of adding to the base culture, water and flour in equal proportions.

Nourishing the starter Add one tablespoon of water to your mixture to dilute it.

If a crust has formed you should never remove it. Break it and mix it in when you add the water.

Then add a tablespoon of flour (T 110 or T 150) and mix it all in a homogeneous way.

You will have to feed your “Starter” every three or four days as indicated above.

How often you feed it will depend on such criteria as: temperature, humidity, season, storm, wind…

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Some of the signs are quite obvious.For example, if a starter suddenly has a very strong smell or the crust suddenly

becomes hard or liquid, this is a leaven that requires to be fed.

After a while you will become accustomed to the smell of fermentation. Your nose will tell you the condition of the starter leaven.

You will learn very quickly how to recognize the changes and the movements taking place.

Like a wave it evolves from highs to lows, some apogees, some perigees, births and deaths, it breathes life.

It acts in accordance with the surroundings. Happiness and arguments, good and bad thoughts or intentions, all affect the leaven.

You can believe or be unaware of the remarkable nature of the leaven: nevertheless it exists.

A leaven is made from water flour and feelings.May the leaven live peacefully under your roof.

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The LeavenThe Leaven

How to maintain your leaven starterHow to maintain your leaven starter

If you are away for a time and are not able to make your bread on a regular basis you can be comforted in knowing that a method from the mists of time exists to conserve it.

It is a very simple process all you need to do is dehydrate the starter leaven. This natural method will protect all its properties.When your starter is at the height of the fermentation, instead of adding water

add flour only, keep adding small amounts of flour until you obtain a pliable dough, similar to play-dough.

Using your fingers, make small balls, the size of marbles, until you have used up all the starter leaven.

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Dust with flour and put them on a dry cloth, making sure they are not in contact with one another.

Put them out in the sun or in an oven, which is cooling down, making sure not to cook them.

After a few hours, the leaven balls swell and burst.They lose their moisture, while keeping the active ingredients of the

fermentation. They are now dehydrated.You can store them away in a cotton bag or wrap them in a cloth. Close the

bag with a drawstring and hang it in a very dry place.Then, when you feel like making bread again even if it is after a few months,

all you will have to do is crush the balls with a rolling pin.Once crushed, mix together equal quantities of water and flour in a ceramic

bowl.Cover with a cloth and place the bowl in a dry draught free place at room

temperature between 20 and 26 °C.After two days your starter leaven should start to work again.Feed it as before, with equal quantities of water and flour. Your starter leaven

is unchanged and once again ready to begin its journey.

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The First BreadThe First Bread Using natural leaven, kneaded by hand and cooked in the kitchen oven.Using natural leaven, kneaded by hand and cooked in the kitchen oven.

The 1 kgThe 1 kg

The mathematics of bread making with leavenThe mathematics of bread making with leaven

Making your leaven bread what a blessing, a real festivity. Dream play dough, perfectly malleable. Fun and games emerge.Immediately, you know that these games are serious, intensive and interesting.It requires all your attention, all your concentration.It will take you on a trip within, to discover an art that is mastered by balance.Those famous elements, which are: air, water and salt, are always in motion but

constantly in balance. Balance, once more, of temperature, proportion, weight, volume and time.Balance of oneself, inspiration and expiration, until all your gestures become

harmonious.Dancing with joy, harmony and respect for the sky, the water, the earth, and

life's partnership.It is in this way that bread is made: from poetry, from fantasy, from hard work

and also from mathematics.

Hydration ratio (HR)Hydration ratio (HR)

The HR is the percentage of water incorporated in the flour to make dough of a certain consistency.

In bread making terms this water is called “eau de coulage” (hydrating liquid).It is the flour quality that determines the HR, it indicates the quantity of water

that the flour can absorb.An HR of 53% is ideal; your dough will have neither too much nor too little

water.This corresponds to 53 litres of water mixed with 100 kg of flour giving 153

Kg of dough.For 1 Kg of dough you will need:Water to mix: 53/153 = 0.346 l or 346 g;Flour: 100 / 153 0 0.654 kg, or 654 g.

If necessary, at a later stage when you have more experience you will be able to recalculate your HR according to your flour, your oven and working conditions.

(Retour)

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The leavenThe leaven

The amount of leaven needed to make your batch of loaves is calculated in relation to the water used.

400 g to 600 g of leaven is required per litre of water to mix.With less than 400 g, the dough rises very slowly.With more than 600 g, the bread risks acquiring a strong sour yeasty taste. With each batch that you bake, you gain experience, establish a routine and

experiment with the quantity of leaven you use, until you get the taste you desire. All this will also depend on the quality of your leaven. The following calculation is made on the basis of 600 g of leaven per litre of

water to mix.For 0.346 l of mixing water you require:(0.600 x 0.346) / 1 = 0.208 kg of leaven.The total dough weight (water, flour, leaven) is therefore: 0.346 + 0.654 +0.208

0 1.208 Kg.

Sea saltSea salt

35 g of sea salt per litre of water. Remember that in the dough (water, flour and leaven) there are two different

quantities of water.1 – The amount of water to mix the dough (water, flour) let’s say - 0.346 kg.2 – The amount of water used for the leaven, which is 0.104 kg (the leaven is

always made from equal proportion of flour and water).0.298 kg of leaven contains: 0.208/2 = 0.104 kg of water.The total amount of water in the dough (water, flour, leaven) is: 0.346 + 0.04 =

0.50 l.The salt required would therefore be: (0.035 x 0.450)/1 = 0.01575 kg that we

round up to 16 g.During cooking, a bread can lose between 15 and 20 % of its initial weight

through evaporation.For example, 1.200 kg of dough (water, flour, leaven, salt) gives, after cooking,

a bread weighing a little over 1 kg.The longer you keep your bread the lighter it will become.This natural phenomenon is more obvious with small loaves (50 to 500 g),

because they dehydrate faster than large bread (2 kg and more), which is able to hold its moisture.

We find the same result with both long and round bread, the larger loaves tend not to dry out as much.

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A little reminder about the quantities used to produce a 1 kg loaf, from approximately 1.200 kg of dough:

HR is 53 %346 g (or ml)Water to mix (eau de Coulage) 654 g Flour 208 g Leaven

9 g Sea salt

TemperaturesTemperatures

In bread making the temperature is predetermined, you cannot bend the rules. It is one of the secrets of a well-made bread.

These three temperatures must be controlled:Room temperature;Water temperature;Flour temperature.

The dough will never work better than when its internal temperature is 25 °C. The framework is then in place to achieve an excellent bread. The following basic calculation will give you the correct temperature.

Major rule: The base temperature (BT) is equal to 75 °C.It corresponds to the sum of all temperatures: room, flour and water.BT = Room T°, Water T°, Flour T°75°C = 25 °C + 25 °C +25 °C (for 28°C, BT= 84°C)

It is obviously difficult to obtain and maintain such a strict temperature restriction as stated in the rules.

Knowing this you must always try to take the best decision concerning the temperatures.

Don't lose sight of the contents, as stated in the major rule, and respect the characteristics of each element.

You should also keep in mind the following minor rule.

Minor rule: The maximum difference of temperature between flour and water cannot exceed 15 °C.

This rule remind us that excessive temperatures, low or high, must be avoided. They block the process of fermentation and stress the ingredients.It is the water temperature that has to compensate for the flour temperature. One is easier to heat than the other.

To warm up flourFill up a bottle with hot water and seal. Slide it into the flour or pour the flour

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over it.Do not put the flour in the oven or over a direct fire as you could burn it.

In practice, the best conditions and the best results are obtained with the following temperatures:

Room T° 26 °CFlour T° 20 °C 22 °CWater T° 29 °C 27 °C

BT 75 °C

Or

Room T° 26 °CFlour T° 22 °C 24 °CWater T° 36 °C 34 °C

BT 84 °C

Those two examples are very close to each other. They respect all bread making temperature rules while remaining within the laws of balance.

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The First BreadThe First Bread

Advice and foresightAdvice and foresightThe art of thorough preparationThe art of thorough preparation

HygieneHygiene

To wash your hands and brush your nails, choose a natural product with as little perfume as possible.

The dough readily absorbs odours, even after rinsing meticulously; the bread would pick up the smell of your favourite soap.

Use your utensils, cloths and tea towels exclusively for bread making.To wash, use only hot water, no detergent whatsoever.

LocationLocation

Make your bread in a room where the temperature is about 26°C and there is no draught.

If necessary, on bread day install a floor to ceiling curtain to isolate a small area of your kitchen and use an auxiliary heater.

Remember that you will have to maintain this temperature as constant as possible for 4 to 5 hours.

This is the time between the preparation of the leaven and the placing of the bread in the oven.

There are ways and tricks to preserve the temperature in the FAQ e-book of the Internet site : www.opain.com

MaterialMaterial

Large salad bowl instead of a kneading troughBowl, preferably made of sandstone for the “Starter” leavenWater thermometer to control all the bread making operations: water, flour,

dough, room…Measuring jug for the flour and the waterWooden spatula, rubber spatula and a dough cutterClock and timer to check times, for kneading, proving, cooking…Scale (such as a letter scale, precise to the gram) for the saltBaking dish from the home kitchen ovenMetallic recipient with a coffee mug capacity, which is oven-proof, or a teapot

of water to produce steam

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Round breadbasket (small basket without a handle made of natural material like reeds) lined with a doubled thickness of cotton linen mix material for the dough’s second rising

Flour placed in a bowl that will be used to flour the table, the cloth and the dough if it becomes too sticky during the manipulation

Fine sieve to sprinkle flour on the dough roll before the cutMixture of flour and durum wheat also in a bowl, used to help slide the dough

roll into the oven.

Some cotton / linen mix tea-towels like our grand mothers had, to cover the leaven, the dough roll and to conserve the bread once it has cooled down

Scoring blade or a scalpel kept in a container of water, used to score the surface of the dough roll without tearing it

Wooden peel to lever the dough rolls into the oven (a small plank or a piece of cardboard can do the job).

Heat proof gloves or an oven mitt, old rags will also doA brush (like a vegetable brush made of coconut fibres) to brush the underside

of the bread.

IngredientsIngredientsWaterWaterUse only spring water (not mineral water).The following is a short list on spring water from various French districts (there are many others):

Auvergne : Mont-Dore

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Alpes : Montclar, Roche des écrinsAlsace/Vosges : Valon, CarolaCentre : Source des Chesneaux, Terres de Flein.Ouest : Fiée de Lois, Pierval.Midi/Corse : Mont Roucous, Rosöe de la Reine, La Provencale.Nord/Ile-de-France : Saint-Lambert, Chantereine.Pyrénées : Montcalm, Pyrénéa.

Avoid:Avoid: Tap water: chlorine is as harmful to sourdough ferments as it is to the nutritional value of the ingredients.Distilled water: it certainly has no impurities, but no life either, so it isn't suitable for bread making.

FlourFlourTo start with, use light whole-wheat organic flour (T 80).Leave the more sophisticated mixing of different flours for later. In France the “Biocoop” (local co-ops) and supermarkets that stock organic

food and organic products prefer to use locally produced goods and handicrafts.They also like to abide by the principals of “Equitable trade”.You will have no problem finding good quality flour in any of these places.

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The Sea SaltThe Sea Salt

Use coarse sea salt like the one extracted on the Atlantic coast (Guérande, Noirmoutier, Île de Ré, Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez…)

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Bread making dayBread making dayBread fabricationBread fabrication

You have, up until now, learned (- perhaps had to “unlearn”), accepted or rejected a philosophy on the art of leaven bread making and its mastering.

Once you have reached this stage, an urgent sense of duty takes over.You feel the need to live through all the different stages of the bread-making

scene.

At this point I feel I should remind you to always keep the following in mind:

- Deep down inside, you can already see your perfect bread.

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- Your spirit will rise from those finely tuned instruments - your fingertips.

- Finally your bread is born in the making.

All the temperature calculations and the weights and measurements necessary for a 1 Kg loaf are developed and classified in a previous paragraph. “The mathematics of bread making with leaven”.

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Bread making dayBread making dayBread fabricationBread fabrication

I : The LeavenI : The Leaven

Prepare the leaven for your batch of bread two or three hours before kneading starts. The room temperature should be around 26 °C.

1 – Preparing the leaven.1 – Preparing the leaven.

Take your leaven starter (p. 26) and weigh it.Using a rubber spatula, take care to transfer all the leaven into the kneading

trough.Add equal quantities of flour and water, in order to obtain 208 g of leaven for

your bread, plus a small amount for the future “Starter leaven”.Using a wooden spatula mix together flour, water and leaven, you should now

have between 250 and 300 g of leaven.

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As soon as you have finished mixing, and before doing anything else, take out the starter.

In the kneading trough, keep only the 208 g required to make the bread.Keep the other 50 to 100 g in a ceramic bowl. Cover it with a cloth.This leaven portion doesn’t need to be stored at 26 °C; its evolution will be

slower. You will need to feed your new starter leaven in about two or three days’ time.I strongly recommend that you take out your future starter leaven before adding

the salt and not afterwards.Its strength and individuality will be kept from one bread batch to the next,

regardless of age.A salted leaven is no longer a starter leaven; it is some sourdough ready for

kneading.

2 – The leaven rising To get back to the leaven left in the kneading trough: Cover it with a cloth. Let

it develop for about two hours at 26 °C. To start with, you will see bubbles coming to the surface and bursting, this indicates that the fermentation is actively taking place.

Then it will start rising and will expand until it has doubled in bulk, after that it will fall like a soufflé.

Observe carefully, as this is the leaven's way of telling you it is time to start kneading.

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At this stage you should have already dissolved 16 g of coarse sea salt in 346 ml of mixing water heated to between 27 and 29 °C.

Immediately, pour the salty mixing water into the 208 g of leaven. Using the wooden spatula, mix until the leaven is completely liquid.

Next add the flour, which must be around 20 – 22 °C.

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Bread making dayBread making dayBread fabrication Bread fabrication

IIII : The bulk dough: The bulk dough

Keep a bowl of flour close by. Get into the habit, when you manipulate the dough, of always cleaning your hands with a dusting of flour never water…

1 – Manual kneading1 – Manual kneadingMixingUsing the spatula, blend 654 g of flour into the salty leaven. The mixture starts

to develop.Plunge your hands into the dough, mix, turn it over and knead in a harmonious

and compassionate way.Calmly and skilfully, continue mixing, maintaining a flowing motion.Contact with water causes the gluten proteins and starch granules in the flour to

bind together. The dough forms a tangled elastic mass around your hands. Firm unbroken pushing and pulling movements give the dough magma a sense of shape.

With care, the dough takes on a smooth and uniform appearance.This exercise lasts about 5 minutes.

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Stretching (étirage)Stretching (étirage)Now take the dough with both your hands and lift it.Breathe out and stand firm, draw your arms outwards and stretch the dough

without tearing it as if you were playing a piano accordion. Return it to the kneading trough.

Repeat this movement no more than three or four times. This whole operation should take no more than two minutes.

RestingResting

Let the dough rest in the kneading trough for ten minutes.

During this time the gluten finishes absorbing the water. The dough stabilizes its elasticity and flexibility.

Use this time to check the internal temperature, which should be between 25 and 27 °C.

Aerating (soufflage)Aerating (soufflage)

It is important to incorporate some air into the dough.

In order to do this, take the ball of dough as if it were a soccer ball: thumb resting on top, hands directed towards the floor, palms turned inside.

With your fingers, slowly create a cavity in the underside as if you wanted to turn a pocket inside out.

Once again form a ball to close over the hollow, which will have filled up with air.

Repeat this process four or five times at the most.

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This should take no longer than two minutes.

You will notice that your dough has increased in volume.

Making the Dough rollMaking the Dough roll

Making the dough roll comes just after the aerating process. This is the last time you will knead the dough.

It is not advisable to work the dough in depth any more.Lightly sprinkle flour on your hands and in the kneading trough.In one minute, and two or three movements, turn the dough into a pretty, soft,

smooth, round ball.Use your fingers to tuck the edges under, and then pinch them together to make

a tight ball.

Place the dough roll in the mixing trough, sealed side downwards. The sealed side is the closing point of the ball of dough.

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Cover the dough roll to prevent it from drying and forming a crust.

2– First rising (pointage)2– First rising (pointage)As soon as the dough roll is completed, the fermentation starts. This will

spread over a period of 2 or 3 hours.It is the first major fermentation of the dough.It is this period that determines whether the dough roll will develop into a

bread of quality - good taste, aroma and appearance.A room temperature of 26 °C is crucial at this stage.Under the effect of lactic and alcoholic fermentation, the gluten strengthens

and the dough gets stronger.It doubles or even triples in volume. The first rising appears to be an inactive

stage in the process of bread making, but in fact the dough accomplishes a huge amount of work on its own during this time.

The dough rolls must remain in contact with each other in the kneading trough so as to work together as a whole.

Naturally for a 1 Kg loaf this is not an issue.

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Bread making dayBread making dayBread fabrication Bread fabrication

IIIIII : Shaping the dough: Shaping the dough

Lightly flour your hands, the dough roll and the working surface.Slide your hands flat between the bottom of the dough roll and the kneading

trough.Take out your dough roll and place it on the floured table.

1 – Shaping (façonnage)1 – Shaping (façonnage)

• WeighingWeighing (pesée)This is not necessary for a 1 Kg loaf, as the quantity of dough was calculated to make only one loaf.For larger quantities of bread you will have to cut and weigh the pieces of dough with the dough scraper according to the size of the loaf required.

•• Creating a dough roll (boulage)Creating a dough roll (boulage)

Gently flatten the dough with the palm of your hands. This will liberate some of the carbon dioxide produced during the fermentation process.

Now fold the dough back onto itself, so as to trap some air in the dough for the

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last time.You may now shape it once again into a ball.Sprinkle flour onto the linen cloth to prevent the dough sticking to it. Lay the

ball in the basket, with the sealed side facing upwards. Fold the cloth loosely over the dough roll.

This cloth protects the dough roll so that it can rise without restriction and it also prevents a crust from forming.

This operation shouldn’t take more than 1 minute.

2 – Second rising (proofing – l'apprêt)2 – Second rising (proofing – l'apprêt)

This is the second and last fermentation period, the temperature should be maintained at 26° C.

The dough roll is left to rise in the basket for 1 to 2 hours. It will then go in the oven to be baked.

The longer the first rising (2 to 3 hours): the shorter the proofing or second rising (1 h 15 to 1 h 45).

The first rising should be longer than the second, not the other way round. Bread prepared in this way will be superior.

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25 to 30 minutes before the second rising finishes, preheat the gas or electric home oven to 250 °C (482 °F, gas mark 9).

The dough roll must not be kept waiting, the temperature of the oven and the readiness of the dough roll should be synchronized.

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Bread making dayBread making dayBread fabrication Bread fabrication

IV : From dough to breadIV : From dough to bread

Unfold the cloth covering the top of the dough roll. Leave it in the banneton, without touching it.

1 – Loading the oven1 – Loading the oven (l'enfournement)

• DustingDusting (fleurage)Using a mixture (prepared in advance) of equal amounts of durum semolina

and flour, dust the visible part of the dough roll.The semolina-flour mix acts like a roller bearing between the peel and the

dough roll. When the time comes to put the bread in the oven it will slide with no risk of

sticking to the peel.

•• Transfer to the peelTransfer to the peelPlace the peel flat on the proofed loaf, still in its basket.

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With one hand hold the peel firmly, then place your other hand under the basket.

With one generous quick flexible movement flip the basket over.

Place everything on the table, then carefully lift the basket off and remove the cloth.

You should take great care not to knock or touch the proofed loaf. Laying on the peel, in its uncovered and unprotected state the proofed loaf is extremely sensitive.

Even though it is perfectly normal, in fact inevitable, that it spreads slightly you don’t want to find yourself with a loaf that looks like a pancake.

As soon as the basket has been removed, using a fine sieve, lightly sprinkle the smooth topside of the proofed loaf with flour.

• ScoringScoring (la coupe)

Scoring well done is both aesthetic and useful. By creating some openings you allow the steam to escape to the surface of the dough. It channels the release of

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the carbon dioxide and avoids the formation of disorganized and unattractive ruptures in the crust.It has an important impact on the success of the baking process.

Score the proofed loaf while it is still on the peel. Use a scalpel or a double-edged razor blade, which will have been placed in a glass of water ready for use.

To make a successful cut, you mustn’t hesitate; execute a clean direct slash. This is achieved by laying the blade on the proofed loaf, with the sharp edge on

a slant. The depth of the cut should be proportional to the maturity of the dough and

the stage of fermentation it has reached.For a well developed proofed loaf, which has gone over its proofing time,

make a shallow cut. For an underdeveloped proofed loaf, which hasn’t had enough proofing, the cut will naturally be deeper.

In an ideal situation, which, I might add, does occur, cut with moderate pressure.

The cuts must cover the entire upper surface of the proofed loaf.

Start with a classical cut: cross, star, lightning, and half moon, as shown in the

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photos below.Just as it is normal to visualize your cut before doing it, it is crucial that it is

carried out in a spontaneous and decisive manner.The proofed loaf on the peel cannot allow itself to wait for an eventual

inspiration as this could result in a catastrophic and irreparable collapse of the dough. This is the reason why the cut is the reflection of the baker’s art and spirit.

With time and experience, you will create your own design.Your own style will eventually take over.

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Put in the oven (enfournement)Put in the oven (enfournement)

Thanks to the dusting the proofed loaf slides on the peel without sticking, to end up in the oven. Unfortunately, sometimes, it ends up on the ground, and then it is ‘Bye Bye beautiful bread!’

To put the loaves in the oven you must move in perfect coordination. From head to toe your whole body is participating, so be focused, yet relaxed.

Using a balanced, flexible motion, stay in control. Guide the proofed loaf onto the peel as far as possible inside the oven and decide on its final place.

Give the peel a short sharp jerk from front to back. Let the proofed loaf slide onto the oven hearth. Promptly but always with gentleness pull the peel back towards you.

Immediately afterwards, close the oven door.If the proofed loaf was wrongly placed, do not attempt to rectify this

immediately.This is not possible.As soon as it touches the hot floor of the oven, a suction effect starts and makes

the bread immovable for at least ten minutes.

If you really must change the position of the bread, do so only after ten

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minutes, always keeping in mind that each time you open the oven door you lose precious heat needed for baking.

Once the bread is cooked, it is no longer necessary to keep the room temperature at 26 ° C.

When it first comes out of the hot oven, a warm room is recommended so as not to shock the bread.

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Bread making dayBread making dayBread fabricationBread fabrication

IV : From dough to breadIV : From dough to bread

2 – Baking2 – BakingThis is the moment you have been waiting for: the dough is about to change

into bread. Heat and humidity; humidity and heat.These two elements have exclusive authority over the cooking procedure. Their two actions are closely linked and their effects overlap. Clasped in an eternal embrace the fire and water create significant changes as

they modify the interior of the bread.• Some of the water contained in the dough evaporates. The bread “skin”

strengthens to become a resistant crust. The starch gels to form a springy, wide-open crumb, looking something like a honeycomb.

• Another part of the water combines with the dough starch, and becomes concentrated on the surface of the loaf. The sugar contained within caramelises and gives the crust its first golden tinge.

• The remaining water is stored in the cells and is vital in keeping the bread correctly hydrated, assuring a well-cooked bread that will keep. Once your

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bread is in the oven, do not alter the oven setting of 250 °C (487 °F, mark 9).

Only in the last ten minutes, after the half turn of the bread, and only if the oven is looking really too hot, may you turn the thermostat down slightly.

The cooking time for a 1 Kg loaf is normally 40 to 45 minutes. This time can change noticeably depending on the type of oven used.

SteamSteamThe concept of using steam in bread making is a secret carefully guarded by

those in the trade.This mist of steam makes a significant difference. Without it even a well-

cooked bread will appear dull and pale.With steam, the crust becomes golden and shiny.

This extra water, when it lands on the dough, takes on the role of helping to caramelise the sugar. The crust starts to take on a tarnished copper aspect.

It is that little “plus” which for a long time was reserved for the professionals.The thin layer that covers the proofed loaf enhances the cut. It intensifies its

outline and it acquires some relief. Once cooked, the bread has its own authentic stamp - its own “Grigne”. The “Grigne” is a French word for the ears of crisp crust created by the blooming of the loaf along the slash marks.

To be effective, the steam must be present during the first minutes that the proofed loaf enters the oven.

With the oven door slightly ajar, pour cold water from a teapot into a metallic dish and then quickly close the oven door to stop the steam escaping.

Alternatively you can fill a metallic recipient with ice cubes and place in a hot meat dish just after the proofed loaf has been put in the oven (a non-metallic recipient wouldn’t resist the sudden change of temperature).

Under no circumstances put water directly on the proofed loaf.It would contract, lose some of its volume and a massive untimely release of

carbon dioxide would occur.A fine mist of water diffused in the hot space of the oven and not on the loaf

skin respects the very nature and sensitivity of the proofed loaf. The steam is sufficient to soften the external cell walls.

The carbon dioxide can then push outwards without encountering resistance. The dough swells freely.

The bread’s half turnThe bread’s half turn After 20 to 25 minutes cooking, the colour of the bread starts to change and it

becomes a rich golden brown.The heat in an oven is seldom evenly dispersed. After the bread has been

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cooking for 30 minutes, change its position.Rotate the side nearest the door to the back of the oven. Always use the peel or

a set of gloves, because the crust will be burning hot - close to 200 °C.

3 – Taking the bread out3 – Taking the bread outAfter baking for 40 to 45 minutes, the bread will be a perfect golden brown

colour, and thoroughly cooked. You just have to take it out of the oven.This instant is a sight to behold, something to celebrate and enjoy together.Using the peel and gloves, extract the bread from the oven and put it on the

table.Close the oven door to keep in the heat.Verify that your bread is correctly cooked before turning off the thermostat.With a gloved hand, hold the bread upright with one side resting on the table.With your other hand, not gloved, knock the underside of your bread with your

knuckles as if you were discreetly knocking on a door. A cooked loaf replies with a hollow sound echoing from within.If this is the case, you may now switch your oven off. The bread is cooked.On the other hand, if there is no answer - only a dull heavy sound -

immediately return your bread to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Then take it out and knock again. The sound should now be right, and the bread cooked. You can switch the oven off.

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When you make your first bread there is always that concern that you may overcook it. Don’t mistake a dark coloured crust for an overcooked bread.

Short of burning it, it is better when in doubt to take the risk of overcooking rather than under doing your bread. If it is cooked a little too much you will still be able to eat it. On the other hand an uncooked bread is not fit for consumption.

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Bread making dayBread making dayBread fabrication Bread fabrication

IV : From dough to breadIV : From dough to bread

Brushing Brushing (brossage)

After the knocking comes the brushing of the bread.Keep the loaf in the same position, on its side, slightly tilted and with the rough

side towards the exterior.

With a hard brush made of vegetable fibre, vigorously rub the underside of the bread.

The flour and durum wheat dusting mix that is stuck or burnt onto the bread is brushed off and your bread is left clean.

4 – The Cooling down 4 – The Cooling down

Once cooked, the bread will slowly awaken over a period of 4 to 6 hours. During this time it sweats and loses its moisture. It is important that the period

after baking takes place in the very room where the bread was born and baked. This room has to be free from draughts but well ventilated.

Verified-knocked, cleaned-brushed, carefully place your bread upright on a shelf.

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When the bread comes out of the oven it is extremely hard and burning hot. The crust, surprised by the difference of temperature, gives off small but

perceptible cracking noises. Then the crust softens with the evaporation of water.As the cooling down progresses the bread starts to become crusty.Still hot and fragile, the bread can deform or flatten out, if not properly

shelved.It still needs to breathe from as many exposed surfaces as possible.As long as it is not completely cold, carbon dioxide continues to escape from

the small cavities in the bread, to be replaced by the surrounding air. Make sure that once on the shelf, the air can circulate freely around the loaf.

Give the bread time to cool down. Some people are over eager to eat the bread while still hot and full of moisture. By being greedy you get what you deserve, a stomach full of carbon dioxide and that heavy feeling that goes with it. Though our nostrils and taste buds find hot bread delicious, it should only be eaten cold.

Once the cooling is over, you have the freedom to choose without compromising your health: cold, reheated or toasted.

It is interesting to note that the longer the bread takes to cool the longer it will keep.

One of the criteria for quality bread is its ability to have a prolonged shelf life without loosing any of its goodness.

Ageing, storing and sampling (Rassissement, conservation et dégustation)

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After the cooling down, the ageing process, which is a perfectly normal phenomenon, begins.

It is a sign of a good quality bread – a living bread.With time, the amount of moisture in the bread drops and, although

evaporation does continue, it is slowed down considerably.The crust is no longer crunchy and crisp, instead its previously stretched skin

becomes soft and wrinkly.The crumb dries and starts crumbling. Slowly the bread begins to break up and

become hard.To reach this stage it would take quite a few days for a natural leaven bread,

which has been hand made with natural, healthy ingredients and the correct conservation procedures.

For example a 4 kg bread will still delight an educated customer after two or three weeks.

Taste-wise these breads are not at their peak just after cooling.

A 1 kg loaf is at its best after 2 days, it takes 3-4 days for a 2 kg, 5-6 days for a 3 kg and one week for a 4 kg.

The main ageing factor for bread is the evaporation of its moisture.As a general rule three factors are responsible:

1. The bread shape. A round loaf will keep better than a long loaf.2. Weight and volume. A large loaf will keep fresher than a small loaf.3. The humidity level of the air in which the bread is kept.

The over heating which dries and stales the atmosphere of our living areas,

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contributes to and accelerates the ageing process. On the other hand too humid an atmosphere will encourage the growth of mould.

Some of the early ageing is caused by poor bread making skills. They can easily be corrected, it is just a matter of not repeating the same mistakes.

The most common mistakes are:• the mixing water being too hot;• not enough salt;• too firm dough caused by over handling;• the dough not being left to rise long enough;• the bread being left in cool storage.

Your bread will have a longer shelf life if it is well balanced. This means: not

too covered, nor completely naked; neither too cold, nor too hot; not too dry, nor too humid; out of the draught, but in the fresh air.

Once cooked the cooled down bread continues to live. In a plastic bag it would quickly asphyxiate.

The bread will age best in a cotton-linen bag.The natural fibres act as a filter and reduce its contact with the air outside, at

the same time allowing it to breathe. The cotton-linen mix is perfectly suited to this task.The closeness of the weave acts in such a way as to hold in just enough of the

humidity expelled by the bread. It is comforted by the micro-climate that exists in the bag.Its qualities are preserved, prolonged and intensified until it finally becomes

completely hard.If you wish to help keep your bread fresh for as long as possible always cut the

cob loaf a quarter at a time, this way it maintains its identity and keeps its volume and freshness much longer.

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Choose a knife without a serrated edge for example a butcher’s knife.The blade will cut without tearing the crumb.The rest of the bread will be kept intact and last longer.

The clean-cut slices will be aesthetically pleasing and could be cut thinner if wished...

Remember to put the bread back in the cotton-linen bag after every meal and leave it on the table, as this is possibly the place that it feels most comfortable.

To care for the cloth simply wash it in boiling water, brush it and hang it out to dry. No soap or washing detergent please! It will absorb the perfume and transfer it to the bread.

No cold water rinsing or ironing either, the fibres would shrink or stretch.The material’s capacity to breath would be altered so that the bread would find

itself in unsuitable temperatures and storage conditions.

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A brief look at deep freezing breadA brief look at deep freezing bread

The bread ageing process is slowed down when the bread is on the hot side, between + 60 to 100 °C or on the cold side below – 7 °C.

On the other hand it is accelerated and very active between + 3 to – 7 °C.To properly freeze bread it should:1 - pass from + 3 to - 7 °C as quickly as possible2 - quickly freeze right through to a temperature of between - 20 to - 25 °C 3 - then stabilize and be kept at between - 15 and - 20 °C.Nowadays, only some professional deep freezers allow the possibility to do

this.The standard deep freeze doesn’t guarantee the home-owner this option.Keep in mind that, even in the best conditions, the bread, while defrosting,

would once again be exposed to the damaging range of temperatures from -7 to + 3 ° C.

As far as I am concerned, freezing bread is beyond comprehension. .Why try to preserve a product which, when properly made, can stay naturally

alive for a long period of time.

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Overall view on bread makingOverall view on bread making1 kg bread1 kg bread

Dough Stage Baker at work Processing Nature at work Time

Leaven1

Prepare leaven for the batch of bread

5 minutes Leaven rising 2 hours

LA

PETRISSÉE

L

A

F

O

U

R

N

É

E

The dough in bulk

1Manual kneading:

MixingStretching

Dough resting:Aerating

Dough rolling

20 minutes2

Fermentation:First fermentation

in the kneading trough

2 to 3 hours

Shaped dough

1Shaping:Weighing

Making ballsShaping

2 minutes

2ProofingSecond

fermentation of the shaped dough in the basket(s)

1 to 2 hours

Bread dough

1 – Loading the ovenDusting

Putting on the peelSprinkling flour

Scoring Into the oven

2 minutesLA

C

U

I

S

S

O

N

2 –BakingAdd steam

Bread 180 ° turn in the oven

45 minutes

3 - Taking outKnockingBrushing

1 minute

4 – Cooling downAfter bakingTotal cooling

4 to 6 hours

It is interesting to note how baker and nature take turns to work on the bread.Regardless of the number of loaves to be made, the times of direct intervention change only according to the amount of dough prepared (leaven preparation, kneading, shaping, putting in and getting out of the oven). The times of non-intervention stay constant (leaven rising, fermentation of the bulked dough, shaped dough fermentation, cooling down).The baking itself is the only step where human intervention and a lot of natures work overlap and merge. The baking time may vary a little according to the weight of the dough and the type of oven used.

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Fabrication tableFabrication tableFor bread from 1 kg to 4 kgFor bread from 1 kg to 4 kg

1kg Cooked Bread

1,5kg Cooked Bread

2kg Cooked Bread

3kg Cooked Bread

4kg Cooked Bread

HR 53,00% 53,00% 53,00% 53,00% 53,00%

WATER 0,350 0,500 0,660 0,950 1,250

FLOUR 0,650 0,943 1,245 1,792 2,358

LEAVEN 0,208 0,300 0,396 0,570 0,750

DOUGH 1,206 1,743 2,301 3,312 4,358

SEA SALT 0,009 0,013 0,017 0,025 0,033

ReminderReminderIf it is practical, round numbers off with a few grams difference up or down for the mixing water, the flour and the leaven, but you must never do it for salt.To remember properly the sequence of gestures and the timing for a batch of bread, stay in the 1 kg or 1,5 kg range and use T 80 flour. Those weights and this type of flour will facilitate the learning experience and the results.Once at ease with the procedure you can start, if you wish, to produce a 2 kg from a combination of flours.Then, if the size of your oven permits (a normal home oven can cook a 2 kg maximum), discover the 3 and 4 kg (be aware of the much longer cooking time required for these loaves).

The Flour MixesThe Flour Mixes

The ideal bread flour mix is: whole-wheat (T 110), light whole-wheat (T 80 known as bise in France) and rye.

It allows you to consume it on a permanent basis. It should be the mix for the homemade bread of our time.

Mix type and quantities:Mix type and quantities:62.5 % of light whole-wheat flour (T 80)25 % of wholemeal flour (T 110)12.5% of rye flour (T 130)

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If you feel more at ease using the standard metric cup (125 g) to measure quantities you will obtain 1 kg of bread flour from the following mix:

2.5 cups of light whole-wheat flour (T 80)1 cup of wholemeal flour (T 110)0.5 cup of rye flour (T 130)

Light whole-wheat flour (T 80) is the balanced flour. Being neither in excess nor deficient, light whole-wheat has all the nutritional qualities of wheat.

Malleable and well performing, it is the easiest flour to use in bread making.The whole-wheat flour (T 110) is much richer in wheat’s vital elements.Its presence, though not in large amounts, brings the advantage of

concentration to the mixture while avoiding the possible inconvenience for sensitive people who can find whole-wheat flour quite aggressive.

It would, nevertheless, be sad not to take advantage of its many contributions to good health.

As for rye flour, it complements the two previous flours perfectly.Its legendary gentle digestive and laxative qualities are very real.In small quantities, it gives the bread a subtle perfume and taste of walnuts.In larger proportions, it brings out the rudimentary delights of life at a time

when we were close to the earth and the fields.From this comes the perfume and taste of “pain de campagne”.This mixture can vary according to preference, age, needs…For example it is perfectly possible to obtain a flour in harmony with the

rhythm of the seasons. You just have to change the proportions slightly while respecting the mixing volumes and the composition.

Mix for the solsticeMix for the solstice

Winter: 2 volumes T 80, 1 and 3/4 volume T 110 and 1/4 volume rye T 130.Summer: 2 volumes T 80, 1 volume T 110 and 1 volume rye T 130.

Mix for the equinoxMix for the equinox

Autumn: 2 volumes T 80, 1 and 1/2 volume T 110 and 1/2 volume rye T 130.Spring: 2 volumes T 80, 1 and ¼ volume T 110 and ¾ volume rye T 130.

Those subtle and limitless variations create flour mixes with energy: values that will either warm or refresh you.

This is something that connoisseurs recognise, look for and appreciate.

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The wood bread ovenThe wood bread oven

Very old or very modern, basic or sophisticated, genuine wood ovens all have one thing in common: bread cooks superbly in them.

Such ovens have a common origin of construction based on mathematics, rules and ratios; they are established with wisdom (just like Fours Grand-mère).

The gradual cooling and heat conduction are important factors in baking bread in a wood oven.

After heating the oven hearth, arch and interior walls it will slowly return its stored heat. The temperature will level out to provide an ideal atmosphere: hot, intense and stable.

Nearly all the heat required to bake bread comes from the oven hearth.

A wood oven is by far the most technical of all bread ovens. It is also the most uplifting.

When under the arch the fairy flames play, dance, and slide in colourful

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arabesques. When the small logs of ash, beech, pine or fir sing with their perfumed ambers. Orange, blue, silver, this extraordinary sound-perfume and light leads us by the

hands to a lucid and peaceful space: a time of calm complicity between man and

nature. How to improve a home oven while waitingHow to improve a home oven while waiting

to build or buy a wood oven. to build or buy a wood oven.

Making a brick oven hearth Making a brick oven hearth Fix a steel frame onto the oven grill. It should be 10 cm narrower than the grill

(5 cm on each side).The heat must be able to circulate in an oven: around the top and the underside

of the hearth.Place standard red building bricks on the grill within the frame. I recommend

size 230 mm x 115 mm x 75 mm and not refractory.

Do not use refractory bricks. They contain too much alumina for baking bread. The bottom of the bread would be burnt or hard, long before it started to cook.

Piece the bricks together dry; without grout or spacing.Your oven hearth is ready. You have just to slide it into your home oven on bread baking days.Thanks to this simple but efficient modification, your bread will be cooked by heat conduction in a falling temperature.

How to use it How to use it Once the grill has been installed, preheat the oven to 250 °C (487 °F, mark 9), for approximately 1 hour. This is the time required for the bricks to absorb the heat needed to cook the bread.When ready, put the bread in the oven. Leave the oven at 250 °C for ten

minutes in order to compensate for the heat lost when the door was opened to introduce the bread.

Now turn the thermostat down to mark 4 or 5 (180 / 190 °C) until the cooking is over. It is the heat given out by the oven hearth that will cook the bread. It is therefore not necessary to heat the oven to its maximum.

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Do not forget the water for the steam, nor the bread's half turn.Apart from the brick hearth adaptation, the preheating time and the modified

cooking temperature, all the other steps: preparation, cooking and cooling remain unchanged.

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Bread... with a differenceBread... with a difference

On festive days, lazy mornings, for blissful afternoon teas, at any time… just enjoy.The bread comes disguised, hiding within, delicious surprises.The fantasy breads are prepared following the same method as the 1 Kg.

Only a few steps require special attention and specific intervention according to the ingredients introduced.

The presence of products that do not belong to classical bread make the dough different.

To give it a chance to cook right through, it is advisable to make small breads and to use exclusively light whole-wheat flour (T 80).

For the same reason the moisture content is slightly increased, the ideal HR (hydration ratio) being 55 %.

To make the following types of bread, once again use the same method as for the 1 Kg bread after rectifying the points indicated in each recipe.

The quantities for each preparation correspond to a 1 Kg cooked bread, to be made into two 500 g loaves or five small 200 g breads.

Chapter IIIChapter III – Shaped Dough

1 – Shaping1 – Shaping (le façonnage)Weighing: split the dough either in two, or five portions.

Creating a dough roll: Follow your imagination, give your small breads an interesting and decorative shape, as a ball, elongated (French sticks), as a crown or plaited. Place them sealed side up in their baskets.

If baskets are not available, put the small breads in between the folds of a

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cotton-linen cloth, which will have the appearance of a piano accordion.Keep close together to preserve their shape and to stop them spreading and

flattening out. Cover, to protect them while proofing.

Chapter IVChapter IV - From dough to bread – Loading the oven (enfournement)

Don’t flour the top of the proofed loaf when it is on the peel. The fantasy ingredients along with the scoring are the dominant decorative elements.

Cooking: whether you have chosen to make two or five breads always cook them together.

Cooling: place the bread flat on a wire rack to cool. The smaller breads lose their moisture and cool down faster, approximately 1 hour.

Note: Originally, the French stick (baguette), which today is the symbol of French bread, was nothing more than a fantasy bread.

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Bread... with a differenceBread... with a differenceRizÔpain RizÔpain - (RiceÔbread)

This bread with rice added is delicious. It is a successful pact between the cereals from the rising sun and the falling sun.

Ingredients for two 500 g loaves:300 ml water 545 g light whole-wheat flour (T 80) 180 g natural leaven 7 g salt 60 g organic short grain brown and white rice mixed together

For the RiceÔbread, the amount of salt per litre of water is half the usual quantity.

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7 g of salt for 300 ml of water is the correct amount for this particular recipe.

The day before bakingCook the 60 g of rice in water. As rice triples in volume while cooking, you

will end up with approximately 180 g. Drain off the water and leave to cool.

On baking dayChapter IIChapter II –– The bulk dough

1 – Manual kneading Combine the ingredients in the following order: dissolve the salt in the water,

add it to the leaven, then incorporate the cooked rice and finally the flour.Return to the 1 Kg procedure.

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Chapter III – ( Shaping the dough

1 - Shaping Because the RiceÔbread dough is stickier, it is recommended to cook it in a mould.

The wooden mould (like Panibois) made of natural materials is a light structure lined with greaseproof paper making it perfectly adapted to this task.

After the final aeration the dough is shaped to fit the mould that will accompany it to the oven.

Once shaped, put the dough rolls, sealed side down in the mould with a cloth to cover it during the proofing.

Chapter IVChapter IV – (From dough to bread)

1 – Loading the oven (enfournement)

Remove the cloth (couche) covering the proofed loaves.

It is not necessary to dust and place the bread on the peel.

Without using flour proceed directly to the scoring.

Put the moulds in the oven by hand.

Cooking time for the two loaves is about 55 minutes at 250 °C.

Cook for approximately 45 minutes, then take the moulds out of the oven and remove the bread from the moulds.

Return the loaves to the oven for 10 minutes.

This way the underside will finish cooking, harden and take on a rich and golden glow.

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Bread... with a differenceBread... with a differenceÔpaintimarronÔpaintimarron

This festive bread will always surprise you by its taste and colour.Not forgetting to mention the linseeds, which give it an appealing glitter.

Ingredients for two 500 g loaves.300 ml water.This calculation is simply used as a reference to work out the quantities of

leaven, flour and salt.In this recipe it is the potimarron‘s flesh (Potimarron from the cucurbitaceous

family is also known as Hokkaido squash or Red Kuri), which will replace part of the water so you will only need about a quarter of a glass of water to dissolve the salt.

635 g light whole-wheat flour (T 80) 210 g natural leaven 16 g salt 2 tablespoons linseedsOne egg yoke for the glaze.

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It is difficult to recommend a precise weight of squash (potimarron) for this recipe as the consistency of its flesh varies from one cooking session to another. Because you are going to use the skin always choose an organic squash between 1.5 to 1.8 kg.

The day before bakingPrepare the potimarron: clean it and scoop out the seeds.Leave the skin on and cut into 2 cm by 2 cm cubes.Cook over a low heat with a little water and a tablespoon of olive oil.The pieces of squash should keep their shape and be neither too hard nor

mushy.Sieve and leave to cool down at room temperature.

On baking dayChapter IChapter I – The leaven2 – The leaven rising

The leaven should have now doubled in size.

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Dissolve the 16 g of salt in a quarter of a glass of lukewarm water, and add it to the leaven.

Incorporate some of the warmed potimarron, it should be between 27 and 29°C.

Mix thoroughly.

Chapter IIChapter II – The bulk dough

1 – Manual kneading

Add alternatively small amounts of flour and potimarron until there is no flour left.

Use your own discretion as to how much potimarron you add, remembering that the resulting dough must be firm, homogeneous and not sticky.

Stretch it a little and proceed as for the 1 kg bread.

Chapter IVChapter IV - From dough to bread

1 – Loading the oven (enfournement)

After dusting and setting on the peel don’t flour the topside of the bread as you want to glaze it.

With a pastry brush dipped in egg yoke diluted with a little water, brush the smooth and visible side of the proofed loaves.

Sprinkle with linseeds (about a tablespoon per proofed loaf). Then score the loaves immediately.

Cooking time: 35 to 40 minutes for the two loaves at 250 °C.

You may enjoy this bread not only on the day of baking but also over the next few days, or toasted for a real treat.

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Bread... with a differenceBread... with a difference

ÔpainKroutÔpainKrout (CrustyÔbread)

This is the only bread that can be eaten hot, straight out of the oven without risking an upset stomach.

This crusty bread, without crumb, does have one disadvantage (if you see it that way) in that it hardens quickly.

Its appeal is in no doubt linked to the desire to eat it immediately.Ingrained in our subconscious, the smell and taste of hot bread evokes intense

feelings of joy and well-being. This unrivalled sense of pleasure is traditionally prepared with 100 to 150 g of

dough leftover from a batch of loaves.You would have to have an insatiable appetite to consider making a batch of CrustyÔbread knowing that its shelf life is limited.

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Chapter IIIChapter III - Shaping the dough1 – Shaping

When you have several loaves to bake you will frequently find yourself with 100 g to 150 g of leftover dough, this is used to create a miniature loaf.

Make a ball with this small quantity ready for proofing.Chapter IVChapter IV - From dough to bread1 – Loading the oven

Go through the dusting process and transfer this small ball to the peel.While still on the peel flatten it with a rolling pin until you reach a thickness of 1.5 cm.

Don’t flour the top.Immediately create a square scoring pattern, being careful not to cut through

the thickness of the dough.Put it in the oven.Cooking time: 35 minutes at 250 °C. It is delicious served with jam, honey, chocolate, ham, cheese, European

sausage…

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Bread... with a differenceBread... with a difference

Seed and Spiced BreadSeed and Spiced Bread

For those special moments serve individual dinner rolls or dipping breads.

Whether they are served with an aperitif, a cheese board, or as an entrée, their presence is always greatly appreciated.

Seeds used: sesame, poppy, aniseed, sunflower, caraway, nigella…Spices used: cinnamon, cardamom…

The quantity of dough required for five small 200 g rolls is identical to that of a 1 kg bread.

Have available:8 to 10 tablespoons sesame seeds

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3 to 4 tablespoons poppy seeds2 to 3 tablespoons aniseeds1 tablespoon caraway seeds1 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 to 2 teaspoons cardamom

Those quantities can be modified according to your taste and culinary habits.

You have two options for these breads: flavour only the inside, or both the inside and outside.

Flavour the outsideSprinkle the seeds or spices on the surface of the bread.For the seeds

Chapter III - Shaping the dough

1 – Shaping After the balls have been shaped and before putting them in the linen cloth for proofing, roll them in a bowl of seeds of your choice. This way they will stay attached to the dough.

For the spices

Chapter IV - From dough to bread - Loading the oven

Once the proofed loaf is placed on the peel, sprinkle it with the spices of your choice and proceed with the scoring.

Flavour the inside and outside

Chapter II - The bulk dough

1 – Manual kneading Add a small amount of seeds or a little spice to the flour.Mix well together before adding it to the salty leaven.

Cooking time: Place the five small breads together in the oven.Leave for 25 to 30 minutes at 250 °C.

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Bread... with a differenceBread... with a difference

Special small sweet and savoury breadsSpecial small sweet and savoury breads

With dried fruits: fig, apricot, currant, date, walnut, almond, hazel nut…With fish: salmon, sardine, octopus…With meat: chicken, pieces of streaky bacon….With vegetables: onion, capsicum, carrot, green peas, tomato, olives,

mushroom…

The quantities for five small 200 g dinner rolls are identical to the 1 kg bread, to which you add:

6 tablespoons of organic sunflower oil5 rounded tablespoons of your chosen ingredients cut in small pieces. Remember to take into account the extra liquid the oil provides and remove six

tablespoons of water.

The day before bakingFish, meat, vegetables…

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Dice them finely.Place all ingredients in a frying pan and gently sauté with a little olive oil.Add seasoning: pepper, salt, curcuma (white turmeric), coriander and mint

according to your taste.Leave to cool.

Dried fruits…Finely chop all dried fruits except for the currants.Lightly grill high oil content seeds in a dry pan, this way they will be easier to

digest.Leave to cool.When cool place 5 heaped tablespoons of your chosen ingredients in a bowl. Add 6 tablespoons of sunflower oil and leave to soak.

Baking dayChapter IIChapter II – Bulk dough

1 – Manual kneading

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Incorporate the high oil content ingredients to either the salty leaven just before you add the flour, or to the dough after the first resting (10 minutes) and just before aerating.

Take great care to mix the ingredients evenly through the dough.The oil in the dough makes the manipulation of the dough more difficult.Add a little flour if necessary but avoid adding too much.Make sure you respect the time allocated for each operation.The presence of oil forces you to put more effort into your gestures but this

shouldn’t result in a longer kneading period.Then proceed as usual.

Cooking time: 25 to 30 minutes at 250 °C for all small loaves.

Watch carefully, as the oil has a tendency to brown them very quickly.

This doesn’t necessarily mean they are cooked.

Variations: Be creative! Try different combinations.

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Bread... with a differenceBread... with a difference

ZestÔpainZestÔpain (ZestyÔbread)

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A very special small bread!To make this bread you need to eat some nice organic oranges as you are going

to use their skins. Before they become dried out remove the bitter white pith leaving the orange zest.

Cut the zest in small pieces.Leave it to dry in the sun or in a falling oven.Then put it in a paper bag and store in a dry well ventilated place.

To make five small orange loavesTo make five small orange loavesThe day before baking

Place five tablespoons of dried orange zest in a pot containing a little water and two tablespoons of honey. Cook over a very low heat until the zest becomes candied.

Leave to cool. Mix in six tablespoons of sunflower oil. Leave to soak.

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Baking dayBaking dayCooking time: 25 to 30 minutes at 250 °C for all small loaves.

Watch carefully as oil has a tendency to brown them very quickly.

This doesn’t necessarily mean they are cooked.

This small round loaf is really delicious, you will very quickly discover what to serve with it. Naturally anything on the sweet side goes down well, but why not try something savoury like hot goat's cheese…

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Bread... with a differenceBread... with a difference

ÔpainFourréÔpainFourré (StuffedÔBread)

This is an exceptional bread for important occasions.

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To make three loaves of about 330 gm each the procedure and quantities (mixing water, flour, leaven, salt) are identical to the 1 Kg bread.

While the dough is in the first stage of fermentation (Chapter IIChapter II - The bulk dough) prepare the following stuffing.

Cut 1.8 kg of pealed and cored apples into small cubes.Sauté in 100 g of butter until golden.Remove from the heat and mix in:350 g of dried currants;150 g of raw sugar;150 g of ground walnuts.Grill lightly in a dry fry pan:50 g of walnuts;50 g of pine nuts.Leave to cool before adding to the stuffing.Lastly mix in two tablespoons of cinnamon.

Chapter IIIChapter III - Shaping the dough

-1 – Shaping

After weighing, form into balls and flatten each portion of dough with a rolling pin until you reach a thickness of 1.5 cm.

You should obtain a dough strip longer than it is wide.

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Choose from the 2 following options:Choose from the 2 following options:- Rolls

Moisten the four sides of the dough rectangle with a pastry brush which has been dipped in a little water.

Spread a good layer of the stuffing on the surface of the dough.Roll up dough and stuffing in a single move.Gently press together the two extremities of the roll.Check carefully each end is properly sealed.

- Plaited loaves With the long side of the rectangle of dough facing you, take the dough scrape

to cut strands on the outer extremities of the dough as shown in the picture.

Place the stuffing in the centre along the length of the dough.Fold the strands of dough over the stuffing, and plait together without leaving

any spaces.

Proofing

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Place the dough roll or plaited dough roll on greaseproof paper or between the folds of an unrefined linen or cotton cloth.

Cover with a cloth.No scoring is required, the stuffing will spread and create its own openings.Place the loaves on baking parchment paper (greaseproof paper) and put in the

oven to cook.

Cooking time: 35 to 40 minutes for the three loaves at 250 °C.

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Bread... with a differenceBread... with a difference

Le GralléLe Grallé (Hallôbread)

Enjoy this soft bread, which is a cross between a bread and a brioche.Quantities for 1.650 kg of dough to make two 800 g loaves.350 ml water 850 g light whole-wheat flour (T 80) 300 g natural leaven 23 g salt 3 tablespoons olive oil 5 tablespoons sesame seeds: 1 egg1 egg yoke for the glazeFollow the same steps as for the 1 kg bread.

Chapter IChapter I - The leaven

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2 – The leaven rising When the leaven has doubled in bulk, dissolve the 23 g of salt in the 350 ml of

water at a temperature of between 27 and 29 °C.Pour the salty water on the leaven.

Add the three tablespoons of olive oil and the egg to the leaven and salty water, mix well.

Chapter IIChapter II – The bulk dough

1 - Manual kneading Continue to mix while adding in the 850 g of flour.Follow the 1 kg bread procedure.

Chapter IVChapter IV – From dough to bread

1 – Loading the oven (enfournement) Don't flour the proofed dough once on the peel. Use a pastry brush and egg yoke diluted in a little water to glaze the top of each

proofed loaf.Sprinkle with sesame seeds.Score and load the loaves into the oven.

Cooking time: 35 minutes at 250 °C for all the loaves.The Hallôbread fresh or toasted is outstanding with “foie gras”.

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Bread... with a differenceBread... with a difference

CroissÔpain et ChocÔpainCroissÔpain et ChocÔpain (CoissÔbread and ChocÔbread)

How to enjoy crisp flaky bread. This recipe makes five eight or ten small rolls.Follow the calculations, ingredients and method for a 1 kg bread, add 80 to 100

g of butter shavings and a handful of chocolate drops.

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Chapter IIIChapter III - Shaped Dough

1 – ShapingWeigh either five 200 g, eight 150 g or ten 100 g pieces of dough. Using a rolling pin flatten each portion of dough into a rectangular shape about

1 cm thick.Dot half of the surface with butter shavings. Fold the dough in half so the

butter is sealed inside.Repeat this process three times (again flattening the dough in a rectangular

shape dotting with butter folding and rolling).

For the CroissÔbreadFor the CroissÔbreadOnce you have incorporated all the butter, roll out the dough into a triangular

shape.Using a pastry brush and a little lukewarm water moisten the sides of the

triangle.Roll up the dough with a single gesture.

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For the ChocÔbreadFor the ChocÔbread

Once the butter is incorporated, roll out the dough into a rectangular shapeBrush the whole surface with a little lukewarm water.

Sprinkle liberally with chocolate drops. Roll it up.

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Verify that the dough roll seams are firmly sealed.

Place the rolls between the folds of a linen cloth (couche) for the second rising.

Chapter IVChapter IV - From dough to bread

1 – Loading the oven When loading onto the peel,

give a croissant shaped curve to the

proofed rolls to obtain some CroissÔbreads.

The ChocÔbreads should stay as they are. Load them into the oven without flouring or scoring.

Cooking time: 30 minutes for all the rolls at 250°C.

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The Gran’zzaThe Gran’zza

Bread dough and filling for the Gran’zza (Pizza).

There exists amidst the many culinary preparations, the one course meal.

This dish is capable of awakening all your senses.

We breathe it, we listen to it, we admire it, we taste it, our fingers carry it and finally we eat it.

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It is, indeed, the basis of fast food, nevertheless it is important that it is also harmonious, true and balanced. Quantities required for three Gran’zza (1.560 kg of dough):

HR = 54 %450 ml water 840 g light whole-wheat flour T 80 270 g natural leaven 12 g salt11 tablespoons olive oil: Have ready three 32 cm diameter oven trays.Prepare the dough following the procedure for the 1 kg bread.

Mixing: add the olive oil, just before the flour.

Weighing: split the dough in three equal portions, then make three dough balls ready for proofing.

At the end of the second rising: using a rolling pin flatten each ball of dough to a thickness of 2 cm with a

diameter of 30 cm.Mist the trays with a little sunflower oil.Place the disks of dough on the trays.Spread the filling evenly.Immediately load into the oven.

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Filling suggestionsFilling suggestionsPreparing tomato sauce for two Gran’zzaPreparing tomato sauce for two Gran’zza

500 g whole pealed tomatoes in their juice200 g tomato concentrate2 onions3 tablespoons olive oil1 glass of water½ teaspoon coriander seeds¼ teaspoon aniseeds3 whole cloves2 laurel leaves (bay leaves)Thyme or marjoramSalt and pepper

In a shallow saucepan, fry the thinly sliced onions, coriander seeds and cloves in a tablespoon of olive oil until they are soft and transparent.

Then add all other ingredients as follows:Then add all other ingredients as follows:

The whole tomatoes and the concentrate.

The two tablespoons of olive oil.

A pinch of ground ginger (to neutralize the acidity).

A few aniseeds, salt and pepper.

The laurel leaves, thyme or marjoram.

The glass of water.

Simmer on a low heat until you obtain a thick tomato sauce.

Leave to cool down.

You have only to assemble the ingredients differently, to obtain two tomato Gran’zza’s that don't taste or look alike even though the ingredients are identical.

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First combinationFirst combination

Layer the pizza toppings on the dough base:

Firstly spread on some cold tomato sauce.

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Next add thin slices of mushrooms (raw if using pink mushrooms (Champignon de Paris), cooked and seasoned with olive oil, garlic, parsley, if using (cepe (boletus), trumpet of death, chanterelle).

Followed by some small pieces of ham (smoked or cooked) or fried bacon.

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Add on top of this a little grated cheese, anchovies and olives.

Bake for 20 minutes at 200 °C.

Once cooked, take the Gran’zza out of the oven and cover it with a thick layer of grated cheese.

Remove from the pizza tray and return to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes, just long enough for the cheese to melt and spread.

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Second combinationSecond combination

Spread the dough base with a thick layer of cold tomato sauce.Spread the dough base with a thick layer of cold tomato sauce. Top with grated cheese (you may use up the leftover bits of cheese and the rind

but just remember to slice finely).Cover with a second layer of tomato sauce.Finish by covering the whole surface of the pizza with freshly sliced tomatoes. Decorate with anchovies or small sardines and olives.

Put in the oven.

Cook for 20 minutes at 250 °C.Leave to cool down for 10 minutes before serving.

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Third combinationThird combination

Preparation for an onion Gran’zzaPreparation for an onion Gran’zzaonionstablespoons olive oilSalt, pepper1 teaspoon coriander seeds, or fresh coriander leaves2 teaspoons ground curcuma (white turmeric)2 handfuls nettle shoots or young bramble leaves (in season)tablespoons currantsJasmine tea200 ml soy or fresh cream

The day before bakingSoak the currants in a little cold tea perfumed with jasmine.

On baking dayDrain the currants, keeping the juice.Add 80 ml of cream to the currants.Mix together the juice and remaining 120 ml of cream.Cook the thinly sliced onions in two tablespoons of olive oil until soft and

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transparent.Add the salt and pepper and a few coriander seeds or leaves.Colour and perfume the onions with one to two teaspoons of ground turmeric.

During the last minutes of cooking, add the nettle shoots or young bramble leaves.

Leave to cool down.

Assembling the onion gran'zzaAssembling the onion gran'zza

Just before you garnish the dough, reheat the onions in the fry pan and glaze them with the tea-cream mixture (do not cook them a second time).

Spread the dough base with a layer of onions.Dot with pieces of ham or cooked chicken and a little grated cheese.Cover with the remaining onions.Add a few teaspoons of cream and currants.Decorate with a few olives.

Put in the oven.

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While the onion Gran’zza is cooling down prepare the following side salad:Cut four figs, either dried or fresh into thin slices.Put them in a fry pan with 2 tablespoons of honey.Mix it with a rustic green salad (dandelion)

Poor over juice from half a lemon and some olive oil.Sprinkle with sesame seeds, which have been lightly grilled with a little rock

salt.Enjoy with a good cider, some honey mead or a cup of tea.

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EpilogueEpilogue

At the end of this apprenticeship,Hopefully you have understood it.

Though you may create new and different breadremember there is only one way to do it and that is to perfection!

I wish you good bread, a good life and good health.Then Demeter… and all the guardians of the universe,

could still in times to come,reflect and look upon the planet earth with a smile.

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French terms often used in bread makingFrench terms often used in bread making

Amidon Starch

Apprêt Final rising

Avoine Oats

Badigeonner Brush the dough surface with something

Baguette French stick

BâtardOblong shaped bread everything between a baguette and a boule.

Biologique Organic

Blé Wheat

Boulangerie Bakery

Boule Round loafBrioche Enriched bread, the most

famous one is the “Brioche à tête”

Chef First wild yeast leaven or starter.

Clé Seamed side of dough ball or shaped dough

Couche Proofing cloth

Coupe Incision on the surface of the dough, just prior to putting it in the oven

Coupe pâte Dough scraper Croissant Popular and unmistakable

crescent shaped pastriesCroûte CrustDécorer To decorateDoré (Dorer) Glazed

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Enfournement (Enfourner) Charging the ovenÉtirement (étirer) Stretching Fleurage DustingFormer To shape the dough

FougasseFlat bread with deep cuts, sourdough type, baked in a very hot oven.

Four OvenLevain Leaven, sourdoughLevure YeastMie Crumb (interior of a loaf)Mitron Baker's boyOrge BarleyPain rond CobPaneton Banneton or proving basketPanetier Panetier

Pain de campagnePopular all over France, sourdough, cooked on the oven hearth, usually boule shape but not always.

Pain de mieCooked in a tin, shaped like a British loaf, usually enriched, similar taste to brioche.

Pâton Dough roll /Proofed loafPointage First fermentation

PellePeal (paddle-shaped tool for moving loaves in and out of the oven)

Pesée (Peser) WeighingPétrin Kneading troughPétrissage (Pétrir) KneadingRafraîchir To feed the starterRessuyage Cooling period

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Sarrasin BuckwheatScarification Scoring or slashingSeconde fermentation (Apprêt) ProofingSeigle RyeSole Oven hearth floorSoufflage (Souffler) Aerating the doughTresse Plait

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Temperature conversionTemperature conversionFarenheit to Celcius: Celcius = (5/9) * (Farenheit - 32)Celcius to Farenheit: Farenheit = (9/5) * Celcius + 32

Oven settingsOven settings

Description Celsius Fahrenheit Gas marksCool 130 250 1/2

Very slow 140 275 1Very slow 150 300 2

Slow 165 325 3Moderate 180 350 4Moderate 190 375 5

Moderately hot 200 400 6Fairly hot 220 425 7

Hot 230 450 8Very hot 240 475 9

Extremely hot 250 500 10

VolumesVolumesImperial UKImperial UK

Units Mililitre Tea sp. Dessert sp. Table sp Fl oz. Cup Pint

Tea sp. 6.16

Dessert sp. 12.32 2

Table sp. 18.48 3 1.5

Fl oz 28.41 4.61 22.30 1.53

Cup 284 46.10 23 15.30 10

Pint 568 92,2 46 30,6 20 2

Litre 1000 162,23 81.17 54.11 35.21 3,52 1,76Fl oz = Fluid Ounce

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Imperial USImperial US

Units Mililitre Tea sp. Table sp Fl oz. Cup PintTea sp. 4.93

Table sp. 14.79 3

Fl oz 29.57 6 2Cup 236.6 48 16 8

Pint 473.2 96 32 16 2Litre 1000 202.83 67.61 33.80 16.90 8.45

LengthLengthMetric Imperial

1 millimètre (mm) 1 mm 0.03937 inch (in)1 centimètre (cm) 10 mm 0.3937 in

1 mètre (m) 1000 mm or 100 cm 1.0936 yard (yd)Imperial Metric

1 inch (in) 2.54 cm1 foot (ft) 12 in 30.48 cm

1 yard (yd) 3 ft 0.9144 m

WeightWeightMetric Imperial

1 milligram (mg) 0.001 mg 0.0154 grain1 gram (g) 1 g 0.0353 oz

1 Kilogram (kg) 1000 g 2.2046 lbImperial Metric

1 ounce (oz) 437.5 grain 28.35 g1 pound (lb) 16 oz 0.4536 kg

1 stone 14 lb 6.3503 kg

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Complementary informationComplementary information(The sea salt)(The sea salt)

Throughout the world, salt is of marine origin. It is cultivated in salt marshes or extracted from undisturbed deposits left when ancient seas evaporated.The salt works on the Atlantic and the Mediterranean differ in their extraction methods.On the Atlantic Ocean coast, harvesting is done progressively as a layer of salt starts to form.

The “paludiers” (French name given to salt marsh workers) work with their hands according to an ancestral tradition and understanding. On the Mediterranean, the salt is picked up mechanically in one operation when the salt deposit is several centimetres thick.

Their saltiness varies; in the ocean the salt concentration is 33 grams per litre and 37 grams per litre in the Mediterranean.The grey salt of the Atlantic is of remarkable nutritious quality thanks to the presence, in large quantities of Oligo-elements and mineral salt. It is perfectly suited to the dietary needs of both humans and animals.

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COMPARATIVE BOARD OF FLOURSCOMPARATIVE BOARD OF FLOURS

Type (American/French) Approximate Extraction Rate Ash Content

Cake & Pastry/Type 45 70 % (65 - 75%) < 0.5%

All Purpose & Bread/Type 55 75% (70 - 78%) 0.5 - .60%

High-Gluten/Type 65 80% (74 - 82%) 0.62 - 0.75%

Light Whole-Wheat/Type 80 82% (78 - 85%) 0.75 - 0.90%

Whole Wheat/Type 110 85% (79 - 87%) 1 - 1.20%

Dark Whole Wheat/Type 150 90% (90 - 95%) 1.4%

French Classification Extraction Rate Ash Content

Type 45 60 - 70 % < 0.5%Type 55 75% 0.5 - .60%Type 65 78 - 80% 0.62 - 0.65%Type 80 85% 0.75 - 0.90%Type 110 88 - 90% 1 - 1.20%Type 150 95% 1.4%

Italian Classification Extraction Rate German Classification

Type 00 50% Type 405 Type 0 72% Type 550 Type 1 80% Type 812 Type 2 85% Type 1200

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A big A big Thank youThank you

to Françoise and herto Françoise and her English friendsEnglish friends

for their valuable contribution in completing the translation

of this e-book.

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Les Fours Grand-MèreLes Fours Grand-Mère

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Four Grand Mere, located in the Vosges Mountains, produces a wide range of wood fired ovens for individual homeowners, professionals, bakeries, restaurants and Industry.

Four Grand Mere is made up of a team of 30 craftsmen.

Our design department can create a custom-made oven made especially to your specifications.

We have been developing innovative techniques since 1979. Our biggest ovens for example are completely assembled in our factory then disassembled, packed and shipped to as far away as Australia and Canada.

Wood ovens, Pizza ovens, Breadovens, Four Grand Mère ovens the manufacturer of wood fired ovens, Pizza ovens, wood ovens, gas ovens and wood and gas ovens, pro ovens, barbecue, and the largest range of wood fired ovens.

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Les Moulins d'AlmaLes Moulins d'Alma

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The mills of AlmaThe mills of Almaspecialized in Artisanale flourspecialized in Artisanale flour

Milling propose all the means of transformations allowing the valorization of cereals.

We fit thus in the short line between producer and consumer.

Much more than of the equipment the Mills of Alma propose economic surveys and normative councils technical and Mills of Alma, supplier of means of transformation to the short lines (stone grinding stone mills, decorticators German wheat, Artofex kneaders, machine with pastes, driers, bag-filling machine,…), our perfect currency for Agriculture, true return to the sure values: fresh produce, of season and room.

The Mills of Alma always have works for the respect of the environment and the healthy food by accompanying the producers in their project for the development by the short lines.

Our material adapted to small or great structures which makes it possible to develop workshops of transformations and sales outlets direct with the farm (agricultural short lines).Each project is single: The Mills of Alma personalize the material according to each project.All our studies are adapted and personalized for the needs for each producer.Material proposed: Decorticator of German wheat, stone grinding stone mill with tamiseuse, machine to make the pastes, drier with pastes, kneaders of the Artofex type, bag-filling machine….with raw materials resulting from Organic farming, a true production of products of the soil!… Earth with the Table, Corn with the Bread, Corn with the Pastes… Thus, the short line takes all its direction with a guarantee of a healthy food.

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Of CourseOf CourseYou can print thisYou can print this

bookbook

ButButPleeeease!!!Pleeeease!!!

Before you take actionConsider our wonderful

planet and our environment ...

Thank You !

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I

The French BreadThe French BreadA gift for youA gift for you

Be patientit also depends on your internet connection

high speed or notSorry

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More informationMore information

About e-book: The Real French breadSee: legal & copyright

About the website

www.opain.com

Owner: Henri GRANIER

25 rue des Rosiers 88700Xaffévillers - FRANCE

Creator: Henri GRANIER in 2002

Editorial & Publication Manager:

Henri GRANIER

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Contents (clickable links)

Copyright.........................................................................................................................................003Autor Henri....................................................................................................................................005 Autor Cathy.....................................................................................................................................007 Translator Henri ….........................................................................................................................008Preface.............................................................................................................................................009

Presenting the IngredientsAir.....................................................................................................................................................010The Water........................................................................................................................................012Sea Salt ….......................................................................................................................................014Flour.................................................................................................................................................016Your flour.........................................................................................................................................020Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................022

Introduction to the day-to-day bread Introduction to the day-today bread.............................................................................................023Day-toDay bread.............................................................................................................................025

The LeavenThe Leaven......................................................................................................................................028How to make your leaven starter..................................................................................................030How to maintain your leaven starter............................................................................................033

The First BreadThe 1KG..........................................................................................................................................035Advice and Foresight.....................................................................................................................039

Bread Making DayBread Fabrication..........................................................................................................................043I – The Leaven................................................................................................................................045II – The Bulk dough.......................................................................................................................048III – Shaping the dough.................................................................................................................052IV – From dough to bread.............................................................................................................055 Baking.................................................................................................................................061 Brushing.............................................................................................................................065 Cooling................................................................................................................................066A brief look at deep freezing bread...............................................................................................070

Overall veiw on bread making......................................................................................................071Fabrication Table............................................................................................................................072The Flour Mixes..............................................................................................................................073The Wood Bread Oven...................................................................................................................074

Bread... With a DifferenceBread … with a difference.............................................................................................................077Rizôpain...........................................................................................................................................079

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Ôpaintimarron................................................................................................................................082ÔpainKrout.....................................................................................................................................085Seed and Spice Bread.....................................................................................................................086Special Small Sweet and Savoury Breads.....................................................................................089ZestÔpain........................................................................................................................................092ÔpainFourré...................................................................................................................................095Le Grallé..........................................................................................................................................099Croissôpain et Chocôpain..............................................................................................................101

La Gran'zzaLa Gran'zza.....................................................................................................................................105 Filling suggestions...............................................................................................................108 First Combination..............................................................................................................109 Second Combination...........................................................................................................112 Third Combination.............................................................................................................113

Epilogue...........................................................................................................................................116French terms...................................................................................................................................117Température conversion................................................................................................................120Complementary Information........................................................................................................122Comparative Board of Flours........................................................................................................123Thank You.......................................................................................................................................124Publicity « Fours Grand-mère ». ...................................................................................................125Publicity « Les Moulin d'Alma » ...................................................................................................126Surprise...........................................................................................................................................128More Information...........................................................................................................................129

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