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Scottish Sponge Bread

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Making Sponge Doughs Suit Your Timing

TO PREPARE THE SPONGE

Dissolve the yeast as you would for a normal dough, using whatever amount is called for to make the sponge. It is necessary to dissolve the yeast according to the manufacturer’s directions in warm water, but if your sponge is to stand for more than a couple of hours, you will want to use as little warm water as possible so that the sponge will not be too warm and ferment too fast.

Stir the yeast mixture and the other liquid into the flour, mixing thoroughly to the desired consistency, and then knead only briefly, about five minutes: enough that the dough can hold the gas generated by the yeast, but not completely, since there will be more kneading later when the dough is made.

Put the sponge in a container that will let it rise quite a lot before it falls back—more than double, at least. Cover the container with a plate or a thick damp towel so that the contents don’t dry out and crust over; keep where it will be the right temperature, and protected from drafts.

TO MAKE THE DOUGH

Soften the sponge in the liquid called for in the recipe that has not already been used in the sponge and then add the rest of the ingredients according to the instructions in the recipe. If you want the dough to rise quickly, use warm liquid; if you want a more leisurely rise, cooler; but expect the dough to be livelier than it would be without the sponge, and if you use warm liquid, the dough will probably rise and be ready to deflate in about an hour. For a very fast dough, add an extra teaspoon of yeast; the first rise may take nearly an hour, but the second rise and the proof will be exceptionally fast. Keep this version very warm for rising and proofing.

If the sponge did not include the salt, don’t forget it now!

The Rising Place

Everybody’s home is different, and so each baker has to play sleuth to find the warm place or the cool one where the dough can rise best. Drafty log cabins with wood heat present the greatest of challenges because the heat is dry and prone to extreme ups and downs, but apartments boasting air conditioning and forced-air heating have their problems, too.

Some entrepreneur will someday invent and market a compact little warming box, good for breadmaking and also for incubating yogurt and tempeh. It will be well-insulated, use little power, be adjustable from 70° to 110°F or so, keep steady heat (oh, especially, let it keep steady heat!) and offer a method of humidifying the atmosphere inside in a controlled way. In our dream, this wonderful box is easy to clean and not too expensive, a home version of the commercial bakery’s proof box. Until the happy day this comes along, here is a very funky, very simple version you can construct.

Place a heating pad under a towel; put a cake rack on top and then the dough in a big covered bowl. On top of this structure set an inverted corrugated box or styrofoam ice chest. Stick the thermometer inside the dough’s snug house to keep tabs on the temperature. Adjust the temperature by changing the setting on the heating pad or by lifting the box a little to let in air. For the final rise you can get a humid atmosphere by putting the shaped loaves in covered casserole dishes, or in loaf pans in sealed plastic bags that have a little water inside.

Of course you don’t have to go through all this if you’re working with a dough that rises more slowly at normal room temperature, or if your house has a place like a sunny porch that is already just warm enough for your rising dough. Whatever the temperature, be sure to protect the dough from drying out by covering it with an effective lid, and from exposure to drafts with a layer or two of toweling or newspaper, a box, or some such.

OVEN RISING

If your oven has a pilot light or an incandescent bulb, the easiest thing is to set the dough in its bowl or pan in the oven to rise. But watch out! Most ovens are warmer than you might think