Recipe Talk

Just got the following request for help.

re recipe for whole wheat focaccia - what is "basic sponge" ??? Please explain.
thanks V

Can anyone help her out?

Am still trying to find the recipe she's referring to on the site.

Baking better bread:
Basic sponge starter method
Posted on | June 15, 2009 |

Baking bread is one of the most economical things you can do in your kitchen. For literally pennies, you can make a loaf you’d pay $3.00 or $4.00 for at the grocery. But it’s easy to be turned off by basic bread recipes that scarcely resemble–in taste or texture–the crusty loaves of our dreams.

The easiest way to step up your bread making game is to use a starter. A starter is simply a mixture of yeast, water, and flour that’s given the yeast a head start. Sourdough starters are one variety, but they’re more complicated and time consuming and worthy of their own post. But even with this simple sponge starter, we’ve seen improved results in the flavor, crust and texture of our bread.

To make a basic sponge starter, mix together:

1/2 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon yeast

Stir until yeast has dissolved.

Add to mixture:

3/4 cup flour

Stir with a spoon until the paste-like mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on the counter for 6 hours.

After 6 hours, the starter should have risen by about 3 times and be shiny and bubbly (see picture).

Mix into the starter:

5 cups flour (more if dough still sticks to your hands)
2 cups water
1 tablespoon salt

Knead by hand on a floured surface or with dough hook and electric mixer for between 5 and 10 minutes. Place dough in a large bowl coated lightly in olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about 2 hours. Dough should be about doubled in size.

Punch the dough back down on a floured work surface. Cut dough in half and form each portion into long narrow loaves. Don’t worry about a little imperfection. Place the loaves onto a baking pan sprinkled with corn meal. Cover with a lightweight towel and leave in a warm place to rise for another 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Score each loaf diagonally with a knife 5 or 6 times. For an even better crust, use a spray bottle to mist the oven a few times with water just before and after the bread goes in. Keep an eye on the bread and pull it out between 30 and 40 minutes when it’s developed a perfect golden brown crust. The loaves should sound hollow when tapped with a finger.

Let the bread cool on a rack almost completely before slicing and devouring.

This recipe makes two large loaves. We usually wrap one in two layers of plastic wrap and one of aluminum foil to freeze it until we’re finished with the first loaf.
basic bread sponge
Yield
1 Servings
Measure Ingredient
¼ teaspoon Active dry yeast
1½ cup Water -- 105-115 degrees
4 cups All-purpose flour --
Unbleached
Whisk the yeast into the water. Allow to sit for about three minutes. Add the flour, mixing for another three minutes. Place in a nonreactive bowl and cover. Allow to sit in a draft-free spot until it rises and gets thick and sticky. This will take about eight hours. Use a spoon to stir the sponge down before measuring for use in a bread. Once risen, refrigerate for up to three days. Allow to come to room temperature before using. If it goes beyond three days, discard all but 1 cup of the sponge and make the recipe, adding the reserved sponge with the flour. Stir for two or three minutes before using. For all of the breads based upon this sponge, allow two days since the doughs require overnight refrigeration. For the best results, use as little of the kneading flour as possible. To allow yourself to slide the loaves into the oven, form them on a baking sheet without sides or on the bottom of one with sides that is turned upside-down. If you do not have a stone or tiles, bake directly on the baking sheet(s) upon which you formed the loaves (be sure to use either cornmeal or parchment between the dough and the sheet). All of the breads based upon the sponge can be frozen for up to two weeks. Don't freeze until the bread has cooled thoroughly - then wrap in foil and freeze. When ready to use, thaw them, still wrapped, at room temperature overnight. Then, unwrap and warm at 350 degrees for 5 or 10 minutes. Alternatively, you could warm the frozen and wrapped loaves at 300 for 35 to 40 minutes.

This is really very time cosuming but also should be done with keen observation and focus as, there is a perfect amount for every ingredient which is good.

Thanks!!

I am not the original poster, but I came here looking for the very same answer. Thank you for your precise and detailed instructions. I bought a book from Cooking Light, and they expect those of us with XY Chromosomes to just know what a Basic Sponge is without explanation. Thanks again.