Poitevin twist


Poitevin twist
This short baguette, from the Poitou region of western France is soft-textured, made with walnuts, walnut oil and goat's cheese.

As the name suggests, the bread is twisted, rather than slashed, just before it goes into the oven.
78 K 3.8/5 (4 reviews)
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Last modified on: December 19th 2018
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For 4 baguettes, you will need:

Change these quantities to make:
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Times for this recipe
Preparation: 35 min.
Resting: 2 hours 5 min.
Cooking: 40 min.
All in all: 3 hours 20 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - ⌛ 15 min.
Poitevin twist : Stage 1
Coarsly chop 200 g walnuts and spread out on a baking sheet, then toast in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for 15 minutes.

Stage 2
Poitevin twist : Stage 2
Leave to cool completely.

Stage 3 - ⌛ 5 min.
Poitevin twist : Stage 3
Cut 200 g cheese into small dice.

Stage 4 - ⌛ 2 min.
Poitevin twist : Stage 4
TIp the toasted walnuts and diced goat's cheese into a bowl. Pour 2 tablespoons walnut oil over and mix thoroughly. This can be prepared the day before (or a few days earlier) and kept in the fridge, coverered with plastic film.

Stage 5
Poitevin twist : Stage 5
In bread-making, the water temperature is always important. It's not a fixed value, but related to 3 other temperatures: 1) the temperature of your flour, 2) the room temperature in your kitchen, and 3) the basic temperature of this recipe, which is 60-64°C.

You can calculate the temperature of the water for this recipe in one click, using this small calculator.

Stage 6 - ⌛ 10 min.
Poitevin twist : Stage 6
Put into a mixer bowl: 500 g plain white flour (French Type 65), 300 g water, 20 g yeast and 9 g salt.

Knead for 5 minutes on the slowest speed, then a further 5 minutes on the second speed.





Note: For the best way to knead, see: A few tips for effective kneading at home.

Stage 7 - ⌛ 3 min.
Poitevin twist : Stage 7
At the end of kneading, incorporate 4 tablespoons walnut oil a little at a time.

Stage 8 - ⌛ 3 min.
Poitevin twist : Stage 8
Tip in the walnut and cheese mixture all at once and knead for a further 1 or 2 minutes until well mixed in.

Stage 9 - ⌛ 2 min.
Poitevin twist : Stage 9
Tip the dough out onto a floured worktop...

Stage 10 - ⌛ 1 hour
Poitevin twist : Stage 10
...and gather into a ball.

Transfer to a large, clean bowl, cover with a plastic sheet and leave at room temperature to rest for 1 hour.

Stage 11 - ⌛ 20 min.
Poitevin twist : Stage 11
After resting, weight out into lumps of 250 g and shape into balls.

Cover these with a plastic sheet again and leave to relax for 20 minutes.

Stage 12 - ⌛ 5 min.
Poitevin twist : Stage 12
Shape the balls into short baguettes.

Stage 13
Poitevin twist : Stage 13
Lay in baguette tins or moulds...

Stage 14 - ⌛ 45 min.
Poitevin twist : Stage 14
...or in proving baskets (bannetons).

Cover with a plastic sheet and leave to rest for 45 minutes.

Stage 15 - ⌛ 4 min.
Poitevin twist : Stage 15
Just before putting the bread in the oven, twist each baguette enough turns to make a definite feature.

Stage 16 - ⌛ 25 min.
Poitevin twist : Stage 16
Bake for 25 minutes at 480°F (250°C).

Note: As when baking any bread, you should ensure that the oven is filled with steam for the first 15 minutes of baking. This page shows you how; it really is the secret of golden-brown, crusty loaves.
Remarks
It is best to use a fairly dry goat's cheese, as this will survive the baking better.

If you don't have any walnut oil, use olive oil instead.
And to drink?
To keep with the spirit of this recipe, try to find a wine from Haut-Poitou, such as a Sauvignon.
Keeping: Several days in a cloth bag.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe130 RDI=50 %520 RDI=50 %180 RDI=30 %4,200 RDI=210 %17,590 RDI: 210 %
Per 100 g9 RDI=4 %40 RDI=4 %10 RDI=2 %320 RDI=20 %1,330 RDI: 20 %
Per baguette30 RDI=10 %130 RDI=10 %40 RDI=7 %1,050 RDI=50 %4,400 RDI: 50 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman
Possible allergens in this recipe: Nuts, milk, Gluten
How much will it cost?
  • For 4 baguettes : 5.80 €
  • Per baguette : 1.45 €

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
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