Phi Bread

By glomcrae

This is a recipe from The Diet Code. "It is an original Fibonacci loaf from almost 2 decades ago. This bread, linking 3,000 years of human history, is built on a Genesis-like outline of seven days of creation. Just try to wait and eat it until the 7th day of rest.

The dough ferments without refrigeration, so it is best made when ambient room temperature is between 70 and 80 degrees. The finished product will keep for 5 days in a bread box or waxed paper bag -- it's what my friend the food critic John Thorne would call 'the durable loaf,' designed to age like wine or cheese, command respect and deliver real sustenance.

The standard recipe flows, but first check out this chart below which shows off the use of the Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, . . . ). (It may no be obvious from the recipe, but even the amount of salt reflects phi: multiplying the total amount of flour (32 oz) times 0.01618 gives you 0.52 oz, or 2.5 teaspoons (1 teaspoon of salt is approximately 0.21 oz).

Ingredients

• Day 1: 1 oz. water, 1 oz. flour, (weighs 2 oz)
• Day 2: Add 1 oz. water, add 2 oz. flour, (adds 3 oz)
• Day 3: Add 2 oz. water, add 3 oz. flour, (adds 5 oz)
• Day 4: Add 3 oz. water, add 5 oz. flour, (adds 8 oz)
• Day 5: Add 5 oz. water, add 8 oz. flour, (adds 13 oz)
• Day 6: Add 8 oz. water, add 13 oz flour, (adds 21 oz)

Preparation

Step 1

To make the soudough sponge started, in a 10-12-inch ceramic or plastic bowl with a fitted lid mix:
1 oz. (1 tablespoon) cool water
1 oz. organic whole wheat, rye or spelt flour
Cover and let stand overnight.

The next day, add to the bubbly sponge formed by natural hearts:
1 oz. (1 tablespoon) cool water
2 oz. organic unbleached or partially sifted wheat flour
Cover to keep dough from skinning over and drying out, and let stand overnight again.

On day three, mix in:
2 oz. (2 tablespoons) cool water
3 oz organic sifted wheat flour
Cover and let stand another night.

On the following day, mix in:
3 oz. (3 tablespoons) cool water
5 oz. organic sifted wheat flour
Cover and let stand overnight.

Then add:
5 oz. (5 tablespoons) cool water
8 oz. organic unsifted wheat flour
Cover and let stand one more night.

On the sixth day (BAKE DAY!) of the process, add:
8 oz. (8 tablespoons) cool water
13 oz. organic sifted wheat flour
2.5 teaspoon sea salt

Knead for 1 minutes, then rest dough for 21 minutes.

Knead dough again briefly (1 minute); cover and rest 34 minutes.

Scrape out of bowl onto lightly floured surface, round into a ball, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap or a cotton cloth, and let rest 55 minutes.

Gather up and re-round loaf. Place seam side-up into a bowl lined with a clean cloth dusted with flour. Cover with cloth and let rest 89 minutes. (1.5 hours)

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet on the middle rack. (Using a pizza stone is definitely preferable; it gives the bread more spring and better crust development.)

Flip the loaf from the bowl onto a wooden peel or a thin, wide board dusted with bran or cornmeal. Cut a cross into the top of the loaf. Slide off the peel onto the pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven.

Bake 55 minutes to a dark caramel color.