The Power of the Poolish
Name any ingredient you can think of, and chances are you’ve seen it in a bread recipe. Seeds, fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, spices, eggs, oil, sugar… all make regular appearances in ingredient lists, and contribute to some wonderfully flavorful loaves.
And yet, at its simplest, truest, most essential core, bread comprises just four ingredients:
Flour. Water. Yeast. Salt.
Bread that sticks to these pedestrian ingredients can be sublime, the quintessential whole that far exceeds the sum of its parts. But don’t be fooled; simple does not mean easy to pull off. Coaxing maximal flavor from nothing more than a few handfuls of ground grain is a bread baker’s most fundamental challenge. If the challenge goes unmet, there are no supporting flavors to step in and pick up the slack.
Enter the preferment. In a preferment, a portion of of the dough’s flour is mixed with water and yeast (and sometimes other ingredients) and allowed to ferment for several hours before it is used in the final dough. This affords extra time for the production of organic acids, a main flavor component in bread. Preferments also make dough stronger and improve the shelf life of the bread.
There are several types of preferments; sponge, biga, and sourdough are some that may be familiar. One of the most common and easiest preferments is the poolish. Pronounced “poo-LEESH,” the name is thought to derive from the Polish bakers who invented and introduced it to Viennese bakers, who in turn brought it to France.
A poolish is a liquid preferment, usually equal parts water and flour by weight. It is a good choice when you want to add sweet, nutty, not overly acid tones to the dough. It is also a good choice when you want your dough to be extensible (easily stretched or rolled out), as for baguettes or croissants, but in any shape it yields a fine French bread with a light and open interior.
A poolish can be fermented, at room temperature, for as little as 3 hours, or as long as 12 hours or more. A longer fermentation yields a more complex flavor. For a shorter poolish fermentation, more yeast is used in the poolish, and less in the final bread dough.
The poolish is ready to be used when the surface is well-pebbled with bubbles and has several pronounced creases. It should not be frothy or have a very sunken appearance — this means it has fermented too long. This is what it should look like:
Many thanks to Ari for asking me to write this guest post! I usually blog about all things bread at Wild Yeast, and I’d love to see you over there too. –Susan Tenney
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Pain sur Poolish
Makes one large round loaf.
Poolish Ingredients:
- 140 g bread flour or King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
- 140 g water at room temperature
- 1/32 t. (a very small pinch) instant yeast (this is for a 12-15 hour poolish; for a 7 – 8 hour poolish, use 1/8 t.; for a 3 hour poolish, use 1/4 t.)
Final Dough Ingredients:
- 270 g bread flour or King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
- 140 g water at room temperature
- 5/8 t. instant yeast (1/2 t., 3/8 t.)
- 8 g (1-1/3 t.) salt
- All of the poolish
In a bowl, combine the poolish ingredients. Cover and let rest for 12 – 15 hours (7 – 8 hours, 3 hours).
In the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook, combine all of the final dough ingredients except about 10% of the water. Mix in low speed to combine the ingredients. Add more water as needed to achieve a medium-soft, sticky dough.
Continue mixing in medium speed until the dough comes together around the hook and the gluten has reached a low-medium level of development according to the windowpane test. This might take about 8 minutes, but will depend on your mixer. The dough will still feel sticky.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover and ferment for 1 hour and 15 minutes, with folds after the first 30 and 60 minutes.
Turn the dough into a lightly floured counter. Press the gas out assertively with your fingertips, then shape the dough into a tight ball. Let it rest, covered with a bowl, for 25 minutes.
Degas again and shape the dough into a tight ball. Place it, seam-side-up, into a basket that has been lined with a cotton or linen towel and dusted generously with flour.
Slip the basket into a plastic bag and proof the loaf for 1.5 hours at room temperature.
Meanwhile, place baking stone on the center oven rack. Place a shallow pan (a cast iron skillet is ideal but a broiler tray or baking pan works too) on the lower rack. Preheat the oven to 475F.
Turn the proofed loaf over onto a baking peel or the back of a baking sheet that has been dusted liberally with coarse semolina or fine cornmeal. With a sharp blade held perpendicular to the surface, slash a large X on the top of the loaf.
Slide the loaf onto the baking stone. With your hands protected by oven mitts, pour half a cup of water into the shallow pan below the stone. Quickly close the oven door and turn the temperature down to 450F.
Bake for 10 minutes. Open the oven door to vent any remaining steam, and remove th steam pan if there is any water left in it. Close the door and bake for another 25 minutes, until the crust is a deep brown. Then turn off the oven and leave the loaves in for another 10 minutes, with the door ajar; this helps the bread dry and yields a crisper crust.
Cool on a wire rack before cutting.
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I didn’t realize I want pronouncing it wrong! Thanks, good to know!
lisaiscooking´s last blog post -> Bibimbap
Sometimes it’s the recipes that require the most simple ingredients that are truly the best!
Sagan´s last blog post -> The Run-A-Race-This-Summer Challenge
What a magnificent loaf! I love that crispy crunch!
Cheers,
Rosa
That is a beautiful loaf of bread!
Inspiration. Im going to start making it right now! Thanks for the recipe!
The crust on your bread is beautiful. I should start making poolish.
Hélène´s last blog post -> Artos/Christopsomos BBA Challenge
i have tried to make bread a few times and something always goes terribly wrong. bread and i don’t have a very good relationship.
Excellent post, Susan. You’ve written an easy-to-understand description of the most fundamental aspect of bread making. Once we learn to unlock the beauty of the flavors we realize it’s not the list of ingredients, but the manner in which we unfold them. Less is better!
I really like freshly made bread, hot right out of the oven and as soon as you spread butter it melts. Hmmm. This looks like just the right type.
The bread look awesome. I tend to bake bread all winter long then slow down in the nice weather. Now I am inspired to give this recipe a shot!
I look at this fabulous bread and I’m afraid to make it. I would eat it all at once. One day in the colder weather, I need to try this. I have never baked with a starter and I know my world will open up.
Thank you! This looks great…any chance you can provide conversions from grams in your recipe as well?
Just stunning! I would be in shock with myself if I was able to pull something like that out of the oven!
Culinary Wannabe´s last blog post -> Strawberry Gelato
Thank you Susan! With your fine tutorial there should be no fear. People need to just give it a try and be happily surprised at what they can do.
Man …look at the wholes in this loaf
I wish my loaf would turn to be as good as urs
That looks really good. I only have whole wheat flour (and a smidge of self rising) at home, but I might have to try this over the weekend. Anything that will give me a break from unpacking sounds extra good to me!
Seanna Lea´s last blog post -> mailing day
Beautiful post. Simple Flavors. Perfection.
MC´s last blog post -> Freshly baked by my niece Anne-Laure…
That crust looks utterly perfect!
Susan from Food Blogga´s last blog post -> A Delightful Recipe for Orange Delight Cookies
I’ve made different kinds of yeast breads many times. There is something so soothing in the process of making fresh loaves: soft touch to my palm, smell of yeast, breaking loaf hot out of oven with my fingers. Now I cannot wait to make this recipe.
I LOOOVE baking bread
Someone BRING me some balsamic & olive oil – looks amazing.
Darius T. Williams´s last blog post -> Quick & Easy: Fish & Spaghetti Remixed
It has been way too long since I baked a loaf of bread.
Carole´s last blog post -> Etsy Inspired #38 – Bacon Square Farm
I’ve just recently become serious about bread baking, so these terms are still new to me. But that boule looks so delicious! Thanks for the guest post, Susan!
Wow, what a beautiful loaf!! Nice and crusty
And Darius is right, this would be perfect in some olive oil. Yummm.
Sues´s last blog post -> Guinness Cupcakes
I love crusty breads! this looks divine
Please enter me in the draw for the book – it looks like a good one! Just found your blog and I reading through, getting to know it.
Glad you found me! I hope you enjoy the site & let me know if you have any questions.
As for the drawing, you can enter multiple times by commenting on any post that was published in the giveaway month!
NOW I understand! Thanks Susan..I’ve always been confused by what poolish is….this is an excellent post.
Bharti´s last blog post -> Instant Moong Dal Halwa
A magnificent bread!
Stefanie´s last blog post -> Vanillecreme-Torte
What a great guest post Susan. I’m intrigued with poolish, have tried it once & chucked it away. You are enticing me to try again…WOW!!
deeba´s last blog post -> FRUITS IN THE HIMALAYAS…& PEACH-ROSEMARY JAM RECIPE
That looks delicious, I’ve been trying to get my pre-ferments right for awhile and this definitely helps.
Hey Susan, nice to see you here too.
This bread reminds me of boule…is it the same because the composition seems the same?
New to bread baking with yeast…so all questions!! ;p
Navita´s last blog post -> "To cook or not to cook"…..with Sushi.
Yes, this is a boule! “Boule” is French for “ball” and it refers to the round shape of the loaf.
Susan/Wild Yeast´s last blog post -> Support Me, Cancer Research, and Your Photo Habit
Can’t say I’ve ever anything measured in 1/32 of a tsp before
That crackly crust looks so inviting. I think I need to get a poolish started right now.
Jude´s last blog post -> Mung Beans and Sticky Rice in Coconut Milk
This bread reminds me of bread found in Malta
Esmeralda´s last blog post -> Obama’s Blackberry Giveaway
Thanks for that illuminating explanation of poolish.
Are the terms sponge / poolish / biga used interchangeably or are they different animals?
Nate´s last blog post -> Ahi Limu Poke
Could anyone seeing this please tell me in cups what this recipe is, as I don’t know grams?