Almond Crown with stiff starter
I have baked this bread many times at Bloom Bakery and also presented it during courses with Jana Balažová in Zvolen. It has always been well received.
Its visual character comes primarily from the scoring, inspired by the work of the British baker Wayne Caddy. I also baked this crown during a pop-up at the Parisian bakery Petite Île, where it was equally appreciated.
This is a bread that speaks both through structure and gesture.
Ingredients
- 90 g ripe Lievito Madre
- 310 g wheat flour T650 or bread flour
- 40 g whole wheat flour
- 250 g water
- 3 g dark malt powder (optional, but recommended)
- 40 g roasted almonds
- 40 g dried figs or apricots
- 10 g salt
- 1 thin slice of apple, for decoration
Method
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the Lievito Madre, malt, flours, and water. Mix until a smooth dough forms.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 45 minutes. Add the salt and continue mixing for about 7 minutes. The dough should become smooth, with well-developed gluten. Add the chopped almonds and dried fruit and mix briefly, just until evenly incorporated.
- Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled container. Cover and allow it to ferment for about 2.5 hours, performing two folds during this time.
- Turn the fermented dough out onto a floured surface, shape it into a round, and place it seam-side up into a proofing basket. Final proof takes about 2.5–3 hours at room temperature, or alternatively 9–10 hours in the refrigerator at 7 °C.
- Before baking, score the dough with a sharp razor blade as shown in the reference image. Place a thin slice of apple in the center of the crown.
- Bake with steam on a baking stone or in a cast iron pot with a lid. Bake for 20 minutes at 250 °C, then reduce the temperature to 210 °C and bake for another 20 minutes without steam or lid. The stone or pot should be thoroughly preheated. Bake using convection (fan) mode.
Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack.
