baguettes

San Joaquin Sourdough Baguettes

April 1, 2013

My San Joaquin Sourdough originated in Anis Bouabsa's baguettes which had won the prize for the best baguette in Paris in 2008. Bouabsa's baguettes departed from convention in utilizing a 21 hour retardation after bulk fermentation and before dividing and shaping. Jane Stewart (Janedo on TFL) and I initially modified Bouabsa's formula by adding a bit of rye flour and some sourdough starter for flavor. I then omitted the commercial yeast altogether and began using the modified formula to shape as bâtards. Over time, I have tweaked the formula and method in various ways, but have settled on the current one as providing the best product.

Today's bake takes the San Joaquin Sourdough back to its roots, so to speak. I used my current formula and method to make San Joaquin Sourdough baguettes. I am very happy with the results.

9.2% of the flour is pre-fermented

Method

1. Mix the levain by dissolving the liquid starter in the water, then add the flours and mix well. Ferment at room temperature, covered tightly, until the surface is bubbly and wrinkled. (8-12 hours)

2. Dissolve the levain in the water, add the flours and mix to a shaggy mass. Cover and autolyse for 30 minutes.

3. Add the salt and mix to incorporate.

4. Transfer to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly.

5. Bulk ferment for 3-4 hours with stretch and folds in the bowl every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours, then a stretch and fold on the board after 2.5 hours. The dough should have expanded by about 50% and be full of small bubbles.

6. Refrigerate the dough for 18-24 hours.

7. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and transfer it to a lightly floured board.

8. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and pre-shape as logs or round.

9. Cover the pieces and allow them to rest for 60 minutes.

10. Shape as baguettes and proof for 45 minutes, covered.

11. Pre-heat the oven to 500ºF with a baking stone and steaming apparatus in place.

12. Transfer the baguettes to your peel. Turn down the oven to 480ºF. Score the loaves and load them onto your baking stone.

13. Bake with steam for 10 minutes, then remove your steaming apparatus and continue to bake for another 10-12 minutes. (Note: After 10 minutes, I switched my oven to convection bake and turned the temperature down to 455ºF.)

14. Remove the loaves to a cooling rack, and cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

When tasted about 2 hours after baking, the crust was crunchy and the crumb was soft. The flavor was complex, with a caramelized nuttiness from the crust and a sweet, wheaty flavor from the crumb. There was some mild acidity but no discernible acetic acid tanginess. These are among the best-flavored sourdough baguettes I have ever tasted. Very yummy fresh baked and with great sandwich, crostini, toast and French toast potential.

David

Submitted to YeastSpotting

I am continuing to practice my baguettes.  This latest iteration shows some promise .  It seems my oven bakes slow.  I turned up the heat to 480F on the second batch and got some better results.  I also steamed and steamed for the first 10 minutes of the bake, then switched to convection bake, hoping the increased air flow would help to vent the steam.  One other thing I did was use 10% whole wheat flour in the formula from Txfarmer for straight baguette dough.  I also let the loaves proof a bit longer.  I will continue my quest.  I've ordered a good oven thermometer from Amazon to check the oven's temperature.  Better steaming apparatus is also in the cards - with a trip to Home Depot for some lava rocks. 

Baguette crumb -

First success!

I was finally able to produce baguettes that I am happy about.

(didn’t have the nerves to post here until I had something to show off )

Thanks to txfarmer , I flowed the formula he posted under

Straight Method Baguette - a good starter baguette to practice on 

(with title alteration on the flour parts)

This is my version, and what I did: 

Straight Dough Baguette
Note: makes 3 baguettes

400g bread flour

100g AP flour

375g water
salt, 10g
instant yeast, 2g

Mix everything together. No need for kneading. 

Bulk ferment for three hours, flood three times at 45, 90 and 135min. 

(these are an in-bowl-starch-and-fold )

After three hours pre-shape into 3 small boules. rest for 25 minutes.

Shape into Baguettes and proof at room temp for 40 minutes.

Bake at 460F(240C) for 25 min, with steam for the first couple of minutes.

Turn off oven, crack the door open, and keep baguettes inside for about 5 minutes. 

Take out and cool completely before attempting to eat. 

Note that I preheated my stone at 500F (260C) for an hour to make sure the oven is hot enough, only reduce the temp to 460F when the dough is loaded. 

Thats it! 

here are some photos 

I wanted to make some baguettes today. I had some excess active firm starter. I usually make sourdough baguettes with a liquid starter, and my best sourdough baguettes take two to three days to make, but why not try a formula for one day baguettes with firm starter?

I decided

1. To make 3 ficelles weighing 200 g apiece.

2. At 70% hydration.

3. Using 25% pre-fermented flour.

4. And to use a bit of instant yeast to have the baguettes done before dinner time.

Procedures

1. Mix the firm levain and ferment for 12-14 hours at 70º F.

2. Mix the flour and water in the final dough to a shaggy mass and autolyse for 30 minutes.

3. Add the salt, yeast and the firm levain is 12 pieces to the dough and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly.

4. Ferment at 70º F for 2-2 1/2 hours with folds at 40 and 80 minutes. The dough did not double but showed many tiny alveoli. (Visible through the walls of my glass bowl.)

5. Divide into 3 equal pieces and pre-shape as balls or logs.

6. Rest for 20 minutes.

7. Shape as baguettes.

8. Proof at 70º F for 45-60 minutes.

9. Transfer the loaves to a peel and score as desired.

10. Bake at 460º F with steam for 12 minutes then in a dry oven for another 8-10 minutes. Note: These are light and thin loaves. For larger baguettes, the baking time would need to be increased to a total of 22-25 minutes. If a lighter-colored crust is desired, the oven temperature should be decreased to 450º F.

11. Cool for 30 minutes (at least) before eating.

 I treated each of my three baguettes differently, as seen. I made one into an epi de blé, one into a seeded baguette and one was made as a traditional baguette.

The crust was crisp and the crumb was tender – just a bit chewy. The crumb structure was nice and open. The flavor was good, but not great. There was no perceptible sourdough tang and less sweet flavor and less complexity than I want in a baguette.

I think this formula, with the added yeast, resulted in a short fermentation that did not allow for full flavor development. In addition, the levain I used had been taken from my refrigerated stock starter and only fed once. 

My judgement is that this formula is worth playing with. Next time, I will use a starter that has been fed at least twice and will omit the instant yeast.

David

Another go at baguettes. Made this weekend. 70:20:10 (AP:Bread:Whole Rye); 68% Hydration, Overnight retardation at 50°F. Excellent wheaty flavor, with an edge (probably the Rye). All the Bread flour was prefermented feeding the levain builds. This dough is essentially the same as that I mix for sourdough batards; only difference being 45;45;10 (AP:Bread: Whole Rye) flour ratios.

David G

Today, I decided to try Txfarmer's straight dough baguette formula on this post http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/31945/straight-method-baguette-good-starter-baguette-practice 

OK, I'm hooked.  I am now, along with many others, on a quest to make a good baguette.  I made a bunch at the SFBI class Artisan Bread I and it was so much easier to get a nice brown crust on those baguettes with the professional oven.  Now I'm with my home oven and the browning just isn't happening.

Here is a picture of my baguettes to date -

-

Close up of the scoring (which could improve but getting better)-

I would like to get the bread to have a little more color.  Not sure what the issue might be.  I have a  gas oven. I used the towel steaming method that SylviaH explained in detail(thank you).  It helped open the scoring. Perhaps I didn't have the steaming loaf pans in the proper positions?  I also used quarry tiles on the top shelf over the baguettes in hopes of creating more of a brick oven effect.  Was that a mistake?  I would like more color on the baguettes.  Should I add some diastatic malt to the mix?  I was using KAF Bread flour not AP, would that do it?  Any and all ideas welcome

Tasty with everything, I think!!

Hmmm Apple cider….

You will love the spicy chilli chicken rolls at the end of the post!!

Now I am going to make it easy today….

I used this as a sort of base recipe.

http://greedybread.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/bonjour-mon-amis-greedybread-mini-french-baguette/

But there are a few tweaks to make it what it is now:)

Yummy in and out!

We still make the poolish but INSTEAD of using warm water, I have used a 4 month old apple yeast I had in the fridge.

You will need for the Poolish..

30g Rye flour

5g of dried yeast

1 cup of strong bakers flour

120g of warm water (use apple yeast/ juice)

I warmed it slightly  and carried on as you do:)

Now if you have no apple yeast, which most people don’t, use apple juice then….the sugars in the apple juice will give it a nice boost:)

So all the same for the poolish bar the liquid.

Dough going to prove….

What to do:

Warm water and add in yeast, allow to become frothy.

Mix the rye and plain flour together.

Pour in the water yeast mix and stir well.

Cover tightly and place in the fridge.

I think 12-18 hours is best.

Apple yeast….

Now the second change is this, where you use the bulk water below, use apple cider…..

Part two:

3 & 1/2 cups of strong bakers flour

Pinch of salt

10 g of dried yeast

30mls warm water

200-220 mls water (use apple cider)

Finished rising

Shape that dough!

Warm the water a little and add in the dried yeast as done earlier, allowing time to develop.

Pour into poolish from the day before and mix well along with the cider.

Add to flour (not salt yet) and form a dough, then add in the salt.

Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth, soft and elastic.

Place into lightly oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel.

Leave for 90 minutes.

Twist to shape….

Place dough on a lightly flour board/bench and cut into 4 pieces.

Take your piece and gently form a rectangle with the dough using your fingertips to spread the dough out.

Fold the end of the dough nearest to you to the middle (so it will be thirds) and then do the same with the further side away from you.

Fold dough in half, joining the seams by twisting them gently together with your thumb and finger.

Then gently roll dough with both palms to slightly lengthen the dough to the length you want.

I made mine about 15-20cms long.

Ready to prove…

Another small change was I did not leave this as long to prove, the added sugars etc doing their work:)

Place the dough in a lightly floured cloth (or actual couche if you are lucky enough) as above, allowing room to expand, making pleats in between them.

Cover the dough and leave for a further 60- 90  minutes.

Preheat oven 30 minutes before to 240 Celsius.

Proving, Proving, Proving…

Mmm, almost ready for cheese!!

No slashing with these ones….But you can if you want to!!

When proving is finished and you are ready to bake, sprinkle tray or stone with semolina.

Quickly place bread on the baking trays or peel.

Open the oven and quickly spray with the mister and place tray in the oven or bread onto stone.

Bake for 16 minutes or 20-25 if you make a larger loaf or 12 minutes if you make smaller, thinner baguettes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on racks.

Ready for ……whatever you like!!

Add in what ever you like!!

My husband made a chilli chicken and we had some of that left over, so in it went with lettuce .

Bacon and egg rolls, hmm, that would be nice….

Corned beef and ranchslaw….Yummy yum yum!!

Even just a nice wedge of pecorino or piece of salame.

Spicy chilli chicken and lettuce.

Yummy

Maybe ham, lettuce, chutney and cheese?

Dig in!!

P.S :I did not slash the top of these ones….

 http://greedybread.wordpress.com/2012/12/13/apple-cider-baguettes-tasty-with-a-piece-of-cheese/#more-2042