Birote (Mexican Sourdough) (Easy Difficulty)
\DBirote, otherwise known as bolillo, is distinct to Guadalajara, in the state of Jalisco, Western Mexico. It's a sourdough bread that has Denomination of Origin status, due to the unique taste and texture derived from the specific altitude (1,566m above sea level) and climate (humid subtropical).
That being said, we can only hope to do justice when we emulate birote and must always recognise that, while we'll make and bake it to the best of our ability, it will only ever be a 'representation' and not the original thing.
Birote dates from 1864 when Camille Pirrotte arrived in Guadalajara (Jan 6th 1864) as a volunteer Chef Sergeant in Napoleon III's army. He was of Belgian birth.
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| Sargento Camille Pirrotte |
Part of the Napoleonic strategy was to win hearts and minds and, for Pirrotte, this involved showing the locals the wonders of French bread through his skills as an amateur baker.
Unfortunately, yeast was non-existent, so Pirrotte fermented dough and used that as a leavening agent. Any of his crusty, sour-tasting bread left unsold after 24 hours had, by Order, to be distributed to the poor across the city. Over time, his bread grew in popularity and was both made to sell and also as a supplement for the poor,
By 1867, the French were ousted but Pirrotte stayed on and opened his own bakery and shop. It's rumoured that he didn't wish to go to Veracruz to catch the train that was taking all the troops out of the area to start their journey back home to France. Instead, he headed to San Geronimo on the Pacific coast to catch a boat that was heading to Belgium on the Antwerp-San Francisco route. The boat never arrived. Pirrotte turned around and headed back to Guadalajara where he stayed and was warmly accepted into the Guadalajaran society.
His shop and bakery were opposite the old Escobedo jail at the junction of Av. Ignacio el Vallarta and Av. Juaréz. The 'Pirrotte' gradually became the 'Birote' and, over the years, became a speciality of the city of Guadalajara.
Today, it's often served stuffed with shredded pork and raw onion and drenched in Tapatio hot sauce and spicy salsa. Some say it's a marvellous cure for a hangover. It's also used for lonches, hot sandwiches that are sold throughout the city and filled with pork leg or fried beef steak, chorizo, and panela cheese. Outside of Guadalajara, the same sandwiches are known as tortas but tend to use a different bread.
So, why is the Birote so unusual?
Well, first, it's the climate and the altitude and then the effect that this has on the bacteria and the yeasts, the fermentation time and the taste.
But, in addition, the dough also contains a light beer and lime juice. Melissa Johnson, the food writer, includes an egg in the preferment, but there is little original source evidence to support this as a necessity., so I'm omitting it in this formula.
Finally, it's traditionally hi-baked to develop a dark, thick crust.
So, vamos a hacer nuestro propio birote as they say in Guadalajara.
FORMULA
The Levain
90 gms tepid water
50 gms active and mature sourdough starter
The Dough
400 gms of bread flour of medium protein level (11.5% - 12%) - (T55 or All-Purpose flour would be ideal)
100 gms of strong bread flour (about 12.5% - 14%)
315 gms tepid water
100 gms active and mature sourdough starter
50 gms light beer
1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice (roughly the juice of half a lime)
10 gms crushed sea salt.
In addition, ask Alexa to choose some suitable mariachi music to listen to while you bake.
PROCESS
Making the levain
Stir the 100 gms of bread flour with the 90 gms of tepid water and the 50 gms of active starter.
Transfer to a bowl or a jar and leave in a warm place for about 3 - 5 hours to double in volume.
Making the dough
Into a large bowl, add the 400 gms of all-purpose flour/T55/medium protein bread flour (it depends on your own choice or availability).
Add 100 gms of strong bread flour
Add 315 gms of tepid water.
Mix and leave to autolyse for 40 minutes.
Now, add 100 gms of the levain, 50 gms light beer and one tablespoon of fresh lime juice.
Mix until all the liquid has been absorbed by the flour and you have a smooth dough.
Cover and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Step 2
Add the 10 gms of sea salt and dimple into the dough. Mix thoroughly, re-cover and leave for a further 30 minutes.
Step 3
Stretch and fold the dough, re-cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Repeat this process until you have completed three repetitions of stretch, fold and rest.
Cover the dough and leave in a warm place to bulk ferment.
Allow the dough to increase by 80% volume. This should take approximately 3hrs at 23⁰C. If it's warmer, it'll take less time; if it's cooler, it'll take more time.
Watch the dough - not the clock!
When the dough has bulk fermented to 80%, transfer the dough to the refrigerator and leave overnight (anywhere between 8 - 12 hours).
Step 4
Using semolina or rice flour, dust a work surface.
Gently tip the dough out onto the board and divide it into 200-gram pieces. Be gentle, we don't want to lose any air hiding in the dough.
Shape each piece into a boule and then into a roll.
You're aiming to create a well-tensioned small baguette-shaped piece of dough with pointed ends.
The link below leads to a video short that is excellent at showing you how to create tension and how to shape your birote. Place them on a couche or a well-prepared baguette pan.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fPb3693lZag?feature=share
Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for about an hour or so (maybe two) until the dough looks bubbly, has increased in size and has a spring when you gently press your finger into the dough.
Step 5
Preheat the oven to 240⁰C. Preheat (a) baking sheet (s) / oven steel/pizza stone or cordierite sheet - dust with semolina or rice flour before heating.
Mist the dough or provide a source of steam for the first 10 minutes.
Slash down the length of the birote using a blade.
If you are using a couche, transfer the dough to a peel or parchment sheet and place it in the oven. if you are using a metal baguette former, place that directly in the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Then, drop the temperature to 230⁰C and continue to bake for a further 15 minutes.
For the last five minutes transfer the rack to the highest point in the oven to try and develop the traditional hi-bake dark crust that is typical of a Guadalajaran birote. It may need more baking than you usually give to a sourdough.
Allow to cool on a rack for at least an hour before cutting.
Enjoy it as the base for a sandwich or soaked in oil or butter. Alternatively, slice and enjoy with jam or honey.
Happy baking...
PS - from the tastetester
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Feliz horneado..
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