Honey-Beer Miche
The traditional miche is a large country-style loaf made with sourdough
culture and a mixture of all-purpose and whole-grain flours. A staple of
community bread ovens, our version is large enough to qualify for miche-
dom but still small enough to be baked in a home oven. If it doesn’t
disappear quickly (try it in fat slices spread with butter), it’s got enough
staying power to be eaten over the course of a week. Serve your miche
grilled and rubbed with fresh garlic, griddled as French toast with orange
zest and plenty of syrup, or tucked into a lunch with sharp cheese and
British pickles. Says King Arthur baking ambassador Martin Philip, who
developed this recipe, “If I could only eat one [bread], this would be it.”
PREP BAKE T O TA L YIELD
1 hr 50 mins 19 hrs 1 large or 2
medium
loaves
Ingredients Instructions
Preferment 1 To make the preferment: For best results, weigh your flours; this
recipe was developed by metric weight. However, if you prefer to
1 cup (115g) King Arthur Organic work with volume measurements, please be sure to measure your
Pumpernickel Flour*
flour the King Arthur way: gently spoon the flour(s) into a cup, then
1 scant cup (115g) King Arthur sweep off any excess.
Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 In a medium bowl, mix together all the preferment ingredients.
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons
(207g) water, room temperature 3 Cover the bowl and set aside to rest at room temperature for 12 to
1/4 cup (46g) ripe (fed) 16 hours; overnight works well.
sourdough starter 4 To make the dough: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently
*Also known as whole rye flour. spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.
5 In a large bowl, mix the dough ingredients together until thoroughly
Dough combined and homogeneous.
all the preferment (above) 6 Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
3 tablespoons (46g) water*
7 To do a bowl fold: Use your wet hand to grab a section of dough from
299g dark beer, stout or porter* one side, lift it up, then press it down firmly into the middle. Repeat
2 1/2 teaspoons (17g) honey this eight to 12 times.
1/2 teaspoon (2g) instant yeast 8 Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
4 cups (500g) King Arthur
Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 9 Repeat the bowl fold. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for
30 minutes.
1/3 cup (38g) King Arthur Whole
Wheat Flour 10 To do a coil fold: With wet hands, reach under the dough, stretching
1 tablespoon (17g) salt the middle upward until the dough releases from the container. Roll
it forward off your hands, allowing it to coil on itself. Rotate the
*See "tips," below for details about container 90° (a quarter turn) and repeat.
the liquid temperature.
11 Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
12 Repeat the coil fold. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for
60 to 90 minutes.
13 To pre-shape the dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured
surface and gently form it into a rough round. If you’re making two
loaves, divide the dough in half and shape two rough rounds. Cover
and let rest for 10 minutes.
14 To shape the dough: For one large loaf, gently shape the dough into a
smooth round and place seam-side up in a pie pan lined with a well-
floured smooth cotton towel, like a flour sack towel. A smooth
cotton apron will also work. For best results, use whole rye or whole
wheat flour to dust the cloth.
15 For two smaller loaves, shape the dough as directed above, but place
each round in a standard (9”) brotform or lined brotform. If you
don’t have brotformen, use a couple of small bowls (about 9” top
diameter) lined with well-floured smooth cloths.
16 Cover the bread and allow it to rest at room temperature for 60 to
75 minutes.
17 While the bread is resting, preheat the oven to 475°F with a baking
stone or steel placed on a middle rack. Allow the oven to preheat for
about 1 hour to ensure it’s thoroughly heated.
18 To add steam to your oven: While the oven is preheating, place an
empty cast iron skillet on the oven rack below the stone or steel. If
possible, adjust the stone and pan so that the skillet isn't directly
under the stone, making it easier for steam to reach the baking
bread.
19 When the bread is proofed and feels light, almost marshmallow-y,
and a small impression remains when pressed with a finger, invert it
onto a sheet of parchment and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
20 Use a baker’s lame or razor blade to make a few swift slashes on the
top of the loaf to score it in the pattern of your choice.
21 To bake the bread: Place the loaf or loaves in the oven on the stone
or steel and pour about 1 cup of warm water into the skillet. Steam
will billow from the pan upward to envelop the bread; be sure to wear
good oven mitts to shield your hands and arms. Quickly close the
oven door to trap the steam.
22 Bake the single large loaf for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to
450°F. Bake for another 30 minutes, then turn off the oven, leaving
the loaf inside. If you’re making two loaves, bake for 15 minutes, then
reduce the heat and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes before
turning the oven off.
23 Allow the bread to rest in the oven for an additional 30 minutes,
monitoring it so that it takes on as much additional color as you like.
24 Remove the bread from the oven. Cool fully before slicing.
25 Storage information: Wrap the bread loosely and store it at room
temperature for up to a week; freeze for longer storage.
Tips from our Bakers
In warmer months (or when your indoor temperature is 70°F to
75°F), the liquid should be 80°F to 85°F. In cooler months (when
your indoor temperature is around 65°F), use 100°F to 110°F liquid.
The DDT (desired dough temperature) at the end of mixing is 74°F to
76°F.
The maximum temperature rating for parchment paper is below
500°F, and at temperatures between 450°F and 500°F parchment’s
exposed edges begin to char. To be safe, keep a close eye on anything
being cooked at temperatures above 450°F (especially anything on
an upper rack). Burned edges can also be minimized by trimming away
excess parchment before baking.
We're here to help. King Arthur Baker's Hotline: (855) 371 2253
