Mark-
First, let me say that you did the right thing starting with Peter's
BBA. He's the best. I need to know what type/size stone you are
using to completely understand your situation but I'll proceed anyway.
I have made pain a l'Ancienne numerous times, have even made the
focaccia version several times and have taught it to several
friends. I believe it is the best tasting bread I have ever
eaten. That recipe is EXTREMELY FORGIVING. You can do all sorts of
stuff with it. However, I recommend that your first few times you
follow Peter TO THE LETTER. That way you'll know what to expect. I
assume you've done that.
Further, I simply do not believe that the bread structure will
support those huge holes in the lower part. That's more a function
of gravity than your kneading. Big holes on top gradually decreasing
toward the bottom is normal and I don't believe any of us (except
maybe Peter) can change gravity. As far as the browning is
concerned, I think that's more to do with your stone than anything
else. I bake mine on parchment completely (using the Hearth-Kit Oven
Liner-$200 worth of indestructible stone) and the bottoms are, maybe
too brown at times. Use lots of steam (I don't believe you can get
too much steam in the oven). I usually spray the loaves directly
(but if you have a normal stone you can break it with water so be
careful). The disadvantage is that it causes some objectionable
spotting on the loaf which I don't mind for myself.
When I was last at Summerloaf in Portland (maybe 2 years ago) I spoke
with two guys (Peter knows who they are but I forgot their names) who
run commercial bakeries on the west coast. Both said (independently)
that they barely mix and basically never knead their commercial
batches. On the other hand Rose Levy Beranbaum (a great lady who
wrote The Bread Bible) has a focaccia recipe in which she machine
kneads for 20 MINUTES. Take your pick!
I have made pain a l'Ancienne at both ends of that spectrum with
hardly any noticeable difference so I believe you are looking for
something that will not happen. I have also played with the
hydration from 19-24 oz of water for the loaves and up to 30 oz for
the focaccia and poured it into the pan so I don't believe you have a
hydration issue.
Are you using Bread Flour? I think the higher percentage of protein
in bread flour contributes to the color and flavor. If you want more
"brown nuttiness" then just leave the bowl of dough in the
refrigerator for another day or two for it to develop. Yes, I would
move the stone down to the lowest setting but leave room for a pan of
water on the oven floor. You could also play with the baking times
and temperature but be sure to cut the temperature after the oven
spring. You may just need to leave the loaves in longer. I get 6
small loaves from a batch of pain a l'Ancienne, all pretty much the
same size and you do need to handle it carefully. I cut the dough in
half and then thirds, baking 3 at a time. It helps to turn them
halfway through, too. You know what? Even a bad loaf of pain a
l'Ancienne is terrific! Sorry to be so long, hope this helps!
Later, rich-in-nc