galette perougienne

Being away all weekend watching fast motorbikes and then coming back to layoffs at work means that all I have wanted to do is have my hands in dough.  Notice that is not even a past tense!  My stomach was tied up into knots so hard this week that yesterday was the first day that I even felt like eating and it still did not settle well.  The whole building where I work feels pretty shell shocked.  It is very quiet.

Before we left for the races, I had borrowed a cookbook from the library, A Kitchen in France, by Mimi Thorisson.  I read her blog occasionally.  I come back to it every few months and read back to where I last read.  I love the pictures.  Most of the recipes do not inspire me to make but that is just me.  In the cookbook, there is a recipe for galette perougienne.  One of those very old fashioned bready cakes, medieval in fact.

 

I decided to give it a try.  And it was not an epic failure but the dough did not come together the way I thought it should.  I do make galette bressame.  They are similar.  And I used the weight measures which is normally pretty foolproof.  Not in this case, on this day for me.  But saying all of that, the cake was good enough that it all got eaten in days and I had ideas on how to improve it.

I used my sourdough recipe for galette bressame, using weights because I have been enjoying them since I picked up Bien Cuit for myself at Christmas.  I used a thicker levain because I do like the once that are almost a dough into themselves.  I brought brought the flavor of lemon and the topping from Mimi Thorisson's galette perouginenne.  This is my type of cake.  The Tall Short Person would say this tastes even more like a sugar brioche so why not eat it for breakfast?  Or eat it with your favorite port after a lovely dinner.  It may be tacos but why not cake and port after dinner?  Just why not?

galette perouginne

Note:  The inspiration comes from Mimi Thorissen, A Kitchen in France.  The recipe was very close to my galette bressame recipe.  I did use a levain, of course.

sourdough starter

75 grams (about 1/2 cup) whole wheat flour

75 (about 3/8 cup) grams water

170 grams flour plus extra for kneading (1 to 2 cups)

1 egg

80 grams (about more then a 1/3 cup) butter

30 grams (2 tablespoons) sugar

zest of one lemon

1 pinch salt (two finger)

up to 75 grams (6 tablespoons) sugar

up to 60 grams (4 tablespoons) butter

8 to 12 hours before you wish to start mixing the dough, combine the sourdough starter, 75 grams flour, and 75 grams water in a large bowl.  Cover and let ferment.  This is a cake that is nice warm after dinner.  Sitting a few minutes after baking to eat.  Start it in the morning to eat after dinner, if you chose to skip the refrigeration step.  I do silly things like that!

After 8 to 12 hours, remove a bit of starter for next time.  In the remaining sponge, mix the 20 grams sugar,  80 grams butter, egg, lemon, and salt.  Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough.  Knead for until smooth, less then five minutes.  Put in a large plastic bag and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.

After refrigeration, cover a baking sheet with edges with parchment paper.  Roll the dough out until it is 1/2 inch thick and about 9 inches across.  Cover and let rise for two hours or until very puffy in a warm spot.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sprinkle the 6 tablespoons of sugar on top.  I found this was too much but go for it!  Dap with the 4 tablespoons of butter.  For the size I made, this was also too much for me but why not!

(Honestly, I just need more cake and it has been a week.)

Bake for 15 minutes. Until the butter is carmelizing.

Cake.  I could live on this cake with tea.  I need to make more cake.