Billy Dough

This is an account of my pet dough, Billy. I kept him in an airtight container in my fridge, feeding him flour periodically over 4 days. Before each feed, I would deflate him a little, but he would always be bigger by the time the next feeding came around. With such tender loving care, he tasted really good. A  versatile white dough that tastes like a baguette. The long "growing" period pays off in the form of great flavour.

Here are his vitals, in case you want to keep your own Billy (you should. It's fun and he doesn't need supervision):

Day 1: In an airtight container, mix 112g bread flour + 2g yeast + 1g salt + 82g water. It will be like a sticky porridge. You may have to adjust the amount of flour depending on what brand you are using; I used Prima.

Day 2,3,4: Every day, add 5g (1/2 tbsp, leveled) bread flour, kneading it in for about 3 min. You can do this all in the container, just be sure to get to the flour at the corners too.

Day 5: It's time to bake Billy! Add 10g of bread flour, and knead in for 5 min. Divide into 6 pieces and shape into balls. Use up to 3g of flour during the shaping process, to prevent dough sticking to hands. Lay shaped dough on an oiled tray. Cover loosely with oiled cling wrap and let sit for 1.5 hours. Just before baking, cut 3 slits on the tops and brush with olive oil. If you like, push in some raisins. Bake at 220 deg c for 15min on the bottom rung, then shift to topmost rung till golden brown, taking care not to burn Billy.

My favourite flavour combination at the moment: cheese and raisins

Very crunchy crust, and flavourful inside.