Poolish Ingredients:
Bread flour (or whole wheat flour): 70g
Yeast powder: 2 grams
Cocoa powder: 7 grams Medium-sized egg: 1 piece Milk: 85 grams Milk powder: 12 grams Sugar: 30 gramsButter: 30 grams
Cranberries: 60 grams Walnuts: 60 grams Salt: 2 grams Mix all ingredients of the Polish starter until no dry flour remains, then seal and ferment. The dough has visibly expanded, and the internal structure shows a honeycomb-like texture, indicating the fermentation is complete. Add all main dough ingredients except butter into the mixing bowl. Add the Polish starter into the stand mixer bowl as well.The stand mixer operates from low to high speed. After 6 minutes of mixing, the machine automatically stops for the addition of butter. During the final 2 minutes of mixing, add nuts (walnuts should be pre-crushed) to ensure better integration into the dough. Once kneading is complete, manually incorporate any scattered nuts from the bowl into the dough. Seal the dough for fermentation (for this batch, refrigeration overnight was used; room temperature fermentation is also acceptable). Personal observation indicates that refrigerated fermentation results in larger and better-risen bread loaves. In the morning, the dough should be fully proofed (proofing is successful when an indentation from a finger does not spring back). Transfer the dough to a work surface. Without kneading, press directly to release gas and divide into 2 equal portions (or 3 equal portions, if preferred). Cover and rest for 15 minutes. Shape directly into long strips (detailed shaping techniques are available in the cover video). Alternatively, shape into shorter, thicker strips for a plumper final product, which is convenient for making breakfast sandwiches with cheese and spreads. Longer, thinner strips yield smaller slices suitable for tea snacks. The dough can also be shaped into rounds with a single slash on top. Multiple shapes are possible according to personal preference without affecting the final texture. Perform a second proofing until the dough reaches 1.5 times its original size. Score the surface of the proofed dough pieces before baking.
Place it in an oven preheated to 190°C for 5 minutes, then bake at 180°C for 24 minutes (baking time may vary depending on oven size and characteristics; specific time should be flexibly adjusted according to your own oven conditions). After removing from the oven, take a photo for documentation! A single loaf fills the entire basket! The texture is sweet and soft; pairing it with a cup of coffee makes for an excellent snack.
