100 Great Breads: Bread #6 – Cottage Loaf

Everybody has a nemesis. Whether it is another person; an inanimate object that you always bang your toe on; a fence that needs repainting; a crossword you just can’t finish – everyone has a nemesis. My nemesis is this damned cottage loaf. The principle seems simple enough: make the dough, shape into two balls using 1/3 of the dough for one and 2/3s for the other. Place the smaller ball on top, and bake – easy peasy! Yeah, or so Paul makes it sound anyway.

I must admit I have come to hate the cottage loaf. I hate everything about it. The highly buttery dough that lulls you into a false sense of security with its sweet smells, the quick rise in just one hour (hmmm everything seems to be going so well), the wonky shape it makes (mocking me with the smug knowledge that I have done something wrong, but don’t really know what), oh and of course the asymmetrical bake that reveals a different loaf with every turn of the baking sheet – tricking me into thinking I have made a nice looking loaf at first. I hate it all!

First Attempt: A.K.A. Timber!

First Attempt: A.K.A. Timber!

But, because this is not T.V. land and this challenge is being done in the real world and a in real kitchen (oh which reminds me, our oven no longer closes fully as the door has dropped, so . . . keep that in mind when judging the next few breads), I will show you my first attempt which went horrendously wrong!

After the first fiasco I tried it again. To be fair, the first loaf tasted fine but it was far from a success.

Mixing and Kneading

As we have already learnt – white flour=easy knead. And this really was simple. I even used fridge-cold butter (contrary to Paul’s instructions, which do not take into account that I am forgetful and not very organised) and the kneading went off without a hitch. When using butter I prefer to use Paul’s own way of kneading which is to flatten the dough into a rectangle, roll it up, throw it onto the work surface with the seam facing upwards, flatten until the seam disappears, roll up, repeat. It makes sure all of the butter is properly incorporated into the dough.

Paul then tells you to chuck it back in the bowl to REST (I learnt to pay more attention after the last loaf) for 1 hour. This is another bread which only has one ‘prove’, I am starting to get suspicious that perhaps he forgot to include the second prove. But, taking into account my poor track record for cottage loaves, I was not in the mood to argue with the book.

The Bake

Hmmm, I tried to learn from my first attempt how to line up the two balls. I made sure the top ball was as taut as possible (so it doesn’t have an uneven rise, causing it to topple: theory no.1), I also made sure it was in the dead centre of the larger ball (so it did not topple if the bottom one had an uneven rise: theory no.2), finally I made sure that I held the oven door shut for the first few minutes (for the first exposure to high heat, keeping it regular for the entirety of the dough allowing it to all rise at the same time whilst forming its crust as well: theory no.3).

Cottage Loaf

Cottage Loaf

Cottage Loaf Crumb

Cottage Loaf Crumb

It seems to have worked, which is a pleasant surprise. The bread has maintained the characteristic shape and the crust has taken a nice amount of colour – although less than I would expect for 230 °C, but that may just be the oven. The taste is fantastic and the crumb is denser and chewier than normal white loaves. I am starting to suspect that the shorter proves create chewier bread and the single prove Paul uses seems to produce bread that tastes like it is from a bakery (not like the longer proves which produce an unequivocal taste that can only be described as home baked).

It makes terrible toast, but it is brilliant to dip into French Onion Soup that my wife has made us for dinner. M.D. likes it a little bit too much! She seems to enjoy ripping it apart and eating it with some lumps of cheese.

History of Bread

Today, in honour of my in-laws returning from Italy, I have found an image of the remains of a bakery at Pompeii. [Those objects to the side are the millstones]

pompeii bakery

pompeii bakery

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4 Responses to 100 Great Breads: Bread #6 – Cottage Loaf

  1. Richard Bunn says:

    I made this bread and thought Paul omitted the proving stage by accident too so I actually proved it after shaping before baking. Turned out a treat.

  2. Malin says:

    My Cottage Loaf keeps collapsing, the book mentions a 30 min rest after you shape it and even then it remains it shape perfectly. Its the oven that is my downfall, any ideas what it cause ?

    • owen says:

      Hi Malin, I think that it could be one of the two issues I had. Either your two rounds are not taunt enough when shaped (so you do not get an even growth when the steam let off within the dough expands your bread) or maybe the ‘hole’ is not central? For me it was all trial and error, my problem was most likely the first, the balls were not shaped well enough. Let me know if you have any luck! Owen

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