Cheese Ploughman’s

Perfect after a morning hiking the hills – crusty, tasty, custom-built for great door-steps.

MAKES: one large or two small loaves

INGREDIENTS:

• 420g organic white flour (3 cups)
• 125g starter (½ cup)
• 260g dark ale or stout* (1 & 1/8 cup) ( Choose your favorite beer. Guinness gives great extra taste.)
• 8g salt (1½ tsp)
• 115g grated cheese** (1 cup) ( We use mature cheddar – Gruyère or Monterrey Jack work well too.)

INSTRUCTIONS:

STEP 1: MIXING THE INGREDIENTS

1. Weigh the flour, grated cheese, and salt into a bowl and stir.
2. Take the required amount of starter out of the fridge.
3. Add the starter to the ingredients in the bowl and mix well.
4. Take the dough out, rock & roll it until smooth, and check the temperature.
5. Set the dough aside to rest for ten minutes, then do another set of rock & rolls.
6. Place the dough in a bowl, cover, and put it in the fridge.

STEP 2:REFRIGERATING AND ROCK & ROLLING 

1. After a minimum of 24 hours (ideally 36 hours), remove the dough from the fridge.
2. Measure the dough temperature and prepare a banneton if using.
3. Roll the dough up, tidy it, cover it in rice flour, and place it in a tin or banneton.
4. Put the tin or banneton in a plastic bag and return it to the fridge.

STEP 3: BAKING

1. Preheat the oven for 11 minutes at 240°C / 464°F (or as hot as possible).
2. Take the risen dough out of the fridge and check its readiness for baking.
3. If using a banneton or bowl, turn the dough onto a baking tray.
4. Decorate and score the dough, then place it in the hot oven.
5. Adjust the oven temperature halfway through the bake and turn the loaf for even browning.
6. Check for doneness by appearance, crust crispness, and tapping the bottom.
7. Place the baked bread on a wire rack to cool.

NOTE:

• This recipe is for 36 hour bread, but you can experiment with timings to see what type of bread you like best. Shorter times give a softer crumb and milder taste. Longer times give a more resilient crumb and a stronger taste. You can do 48 hours, 60 hours all the way up to 96 hours or more. It is good to do the timing in 12 hour increments so that it is either morning or evening, and probably more convenient for you.
• Ideally, the starter should look active and bubbly. You can additionally test it by dropping a small portion of it into some water. It should float. This would mean that it is sufficiently ripe and strong and is ready to use.

TIP: 

• If you want to make enough mix for three large loaves, just treble the given quantities. If you mix the dough on the Monday morning, you will be able to bake your breads on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning. Each day your bread will be tastier and tastier. Try for yourself!

SCHEDULE EXAMPLE:

• Do Step 1 in the morning, let’s say Monday morning (3 minutes hands on).
• Then Tuesday evening, some 36 hours later, do Step 2 (1 minute hands on).
• Bake on Wednesday morning, straight from the fridge.