Really it’s called Vienna bread. This was the first time in bake shop we worked with yeast. Before I had only had experience with the dry active yeast commonly found at grocery stores, and limited experience at that.  In commercial bakeries there are 2 types of yeast commonly used: fresh, and instant. When using instant instead of fresh use a quantity of only 33%. Once opened fresh yeast has a shelf life of just a couple days. Instant yeast can last up to a couple months.

The Pullman Loaf

Recipe

Water 13 oz (370 g)

Yeast, fresh .75 oz (22g)

Bread Flour 1lb 6 oz (625 g)

Salt .5 oz (14 g)

Sugar .6 oz (18 g)

Malt syrup .25 oz (6 g)

Oil  .6 oz (18 g)

Eggs .9 oz (25 g)

Procedure Straight dough method

To Mixer add:

• Bread Flour (11.5% protein)
• Water
• Yeast
• Salt
• Malt
• Sugar
• Eggs

(everything but the oil, so the fat does not cut the protein strands too much)

Mix on speed 1 for 3 minutes, then mix on speed 2 for about another 10 minutes. After 7 minutes add the oil

*when adjusting for bulk, use ice water

Shaping:

• Flatten dough out with palm, fold into thirds
• Continue to roll and fold until it is the length of the Pullman pan seam down

Proof for 1 hour at 80 degrees

Marking the Vienna Bread:

• Use Lame to create lip

• Go quickly, like a surgical cut

Scoring releases the air so it the bread doesn’t spread randomly.

Bake at 425, with steam for the first 10 minutes.

When I was in third grade, my mom went back to work teaching and because of her schedule and a longish commute my dad took over the morning duties. I’ve never envied him the job of getting girls the ages of 6, 8, and 11 ready and off to school each day by himself, but he certainly was a trooper. When my older sister wanted her hair french braided he asked my mom to teach him. I don’t remember if he ever braided my hair or even if he succeeded in learning, but I love that he wanted to know how. I thought about this when we learned to braid Challah in class a couple weeks ago.

This will make excellent French Toast

Method

Note: you can ignore the bakers percentage information, as it is just here for when my Chef instructor views this for my portfolio. Hi Chef!

4 strands each at 5 oz = 20 oz dough

Bakers percentage:

Flour 100% = 11.053

Water 40% x 11.053 =  4.4212 oz

Yeast (instant) .94% x 11.053 = .1038 oz

Yolks 20% x 11.053 = 2.2106 oz

Sugar 7.5% x 11.053 = 8.290

Malt .6% x 11.053 = .066 oz

Salt 1.9% x 11.053 = .21 oz

Oil 10% x 11.053 = 1.105 oz

—————-

180.94

Conversion factor = 20/1.8094 = 11.053 oz

Mixing Method – Modified Straight Dough

• Add everything but oil at speed 1
• After 3 minutes slowly add oil
• up to speed 2 for 7 minutes.

Ferment @ 80 degrees for 1 1/2 hours

4 strand braiding method

• 4 over 2
• 1 over 3
• 2 over 3

After you move one stand over, the strands re-number themselves according to the position they are now in. This is the trickiest part to understand.

Crunchy on the outside, chewing on the midddle

With 30% Fermented flour (ferment 14-16 hours at 70˚)

Recipe adapted from Advanced Bread and Pastry by Michel Suas

Total Dough

100% Bread flour 29 lbs and 0.25ounces  (*Flour is always 100%)

65-68% Water 18 lbs and 13.75 oz

0.5% Malt 2.32 ounces

2% salt 9.3 ounces

0.5% Instant yeast 2.32 ounces

Poolish (preferment)

33% bread flour —- 10 lbs

33% water —— 10 lbs

.10% yeast ——- .16 oz

Then add:

100% Flour —-19 lbs Flour

52.24% Water —- 8 lbs Water

.7% Instant yeast —  2.16 oz Yeast

2.99% salt — 9.3 oz

0.75% wheat germ —- 2.32 oz

Bulk Mixing:

Use spiral instead of hook.

Speed 1-3 minutes

Speed 2- 7 minutes

Scaled to yield 3 baguettes at 13 oz for 20 students

Baguettes should be 21” long with 5 marks.