Pugliese

Which really should be this:

Which looks disgusting.

Pugliese is another vague Italian bread that Peter insists on finding distinction in.  Admittedly, this bread is made with durum flour, which I couldn't find.  So, you can make it with semolina flour, which I also couldn't find.  So, you can make it with normal bread flour.  So, that's what I did.  So, basically this bread is like every other bread, I guess.  Except I get to use a proofing bowl!  I think this is my first time doing this.

I slacked a bit with pics at the beginning of this process, so yeah:

This is flour + salt + yeast + biga + water.

And here was the fun part:

You stir/ knead this dough by hand, dipping your hand in cold water as you do so.  The dough was so glugly by this point.  It was nice to knead.  Especially while listening to Willow.  I whipped my hair back and forth.

So, basically this is exactly like ciabatta.  Peter spends the bulk of the intro to this bread saying how it's totally not and everyone thinks it is, but per usual, they are all wrong.  Peter is GOD.

Slipper!

Slipper pulled, stretched, and folded!:

And, because I have no life, obviously, thanks for pointing that out, Pete, stretched, pulled, folded again:

So, this sits for two hours.  I wanted to do my laundry.  But, that didn't happen.  I was still productive though!  Be proud of me, young readers.  Proud of your mother baker.  Haha.  Best euphemism ever?  Yes.

I'm trying to hit the hotel with two girls that's wide awake.  And that DC shit I rep all day.  ALL MOTHERBAKING DAY.

Here it is, sitting for two hours:

It looks limp.

Never mind!  Okay, actually, it still looks limp.  But it is obviously now turned on.

And look!  It's ready to proof it its little proofing bowl!  It's like a nice home.  Made of an unused pillowcase that went with a duvet cover I recently threw away.

I have such a dirty mind.

This sits for 60-90 minutes (warm setting on the oven = half an hour, bitches!  Gotta love technology.).

Big again!  And look, this is what it really looks like!

Baking bread is basically exactly like a makeover show and as such, I feel that I should critique its process.  Perhaps next quarter I will have my students analyze my blog for me.

Score!

Bakes for twenty to thirty-five minutes.  I love having nothing to do.

And!

It was only in for fifteen.  But, it looks delicious.  Ah!  I have to wait forty minutes to cut into this, but I'm leaving the house, so it'll probably be longer.  Ah!  I might end up seeing y'all tomorrow.  We shall see.

Okay, I lied.  I decided I didn't feel like postponing this, so I cut into it ahead of schedule!!

Ah!  Ah!  This was crazy good.  CRAZY GOOD.  I also now understand the waiting part.  Peter's right.  You do lose the flavor b/c the heat burns your taste buds.

SO YEAH.  5/5, much?!  <3