December 22, 2012 - 1:12pm
Hamelman's Poolish Baguettes - My first Try
After last week's failure at a first attempt at baguettes, I took advice from some of you and started out with an easier recipe. This time I followed it to the word. Hamelman's Poolish Baguette recipe promises a nutty tone, soft crumb with a thin crispy crust. I believe I achieved all of these qualities and am quite happy with the results. It may not be my absolute favourite style of baguette, but it will surely provide me the needed practice into a new journey in bread baking. Many baguettes, here I come.
Also, for those of you who haven't tried it, you must get some thinly sliced prosciutto de parma and lay a few slices on fresh out of the oven piece of baguette. And I thought french baguette and brie was the ultimate. Wow.
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and I'm sure it tasted great with some prosciutto de Parma, what a great idea, the bit of fat on the prosciutto, the taste of salt along with the warm crunchy baguette, yum! Great baking and it gives me the push I need to try a baguette again soon! My first attempt was no where near as pretty as yours!
Thank you linder. :)
Yes, it surprised me how well it went with the warm baguette. I just happened to have some in the fridge and was hungry so I tried it and was very glad I did.
Also, it was technically my second attempt at a baguette, but 1st try at this particular baguette recipe. My first one was not as nice. I made many small mistakes and one large one, which was not following the recipe.
Thanks again.
John
Very impressive, especially for only your second baguette attempt. Hamelman's Poolish Baguette is a great bread. You should be proud. No matter what varieties of bread I bake, there's always a special feeling of accomplishment I get when I turn out a fine baguette. Paired with prosciutto and a glass of blurred-label wine :), it sounds like a close-to-perfect snack.
Well done.
Thank you very much Sjadad. It was very satisfying to bake and eat. Again, I am more into the higher hydration type baguettes, but I will get there with some more practice.
It was a 2010 Chianti. Excellent pairing with the prosciutto.
John
That has to be some good tasting bread. Next time will be better yet. All it takes is practice, practice, practice. Scoring is better by far. The slashes need to overlap by 30%, be a little longer as a result of the overlap, and still more in the center. Other than that very nice!
Dabrownman. It is tasty as a typical baguette. Nutty, crisp crust, soft crumb. Unfortunately, other than the crust, it reminds me a bit too much of Wonder Bread. I like chewier, higher hydration crumb in my baguettes. However, no matter what my preference is, I can't complain with a freshly baked baguette in the house. Yes, I totally agree the slashes need improving. It is the one thing I didn't try too hard to improve this time. I focused more on the rest of the aspects of this bake. I was concentrating more on dough development. Next time I will plan out the slashes more carefully. Thanks for the tutorial! :) If I get my slashes half as good as yours, I will be a happy guy.
John
slashes anything like mine as yours are already better and my slashing is notoriously horrid. I am slashed challenged in that I know how to do it... but can't manage it after many attempts. But, I will get it eventually should I live long enough. To get better ears, crank that blade over to a little bit greater angle. Here are some sketches to help. One a plan view showing the slashes on the top of the baguette and the other a section showint the slash angle into the dough.
sketch showing the slash angle
Happy baguette making.
Thanks dabrownman. I find your past forums have some nice photos of scoring so I am not sure why you say that. I have the angle correct (probably inconsistent though through the slashes varying maybe from 30 - 40 degrees. It's the layout that I don't have down pat. Also, I am still using a utility blade and need to finally switch up to a razor blade attached to a stick. Eitherway, I am greatful for your tutorial. :)
John
to a very sharp paring knife, from a single edge razor blade, and my slashing instantly got 100% better. I almost feel deadly now and I know the baguettes are cringing ....eeerr.....gringing :-)
Those look pretty good, John.
You might be interested to read Ryan Sandler's 27-week foray into the world of baguettes, Saturday Baguettes. Here's the link: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/19920/saturday-baguettes-week-1
Paul
Thank you Paul. Sounds like a foray I would take part in! Have you tried this Hamelman recipe before?
John
Baguettes haven't been an area of great interest for me, although I have been a curious bystander of other's attempts.
Paul