Baguettes next batch! Grine… snapping and crackling
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Incredible crumb . I’m using my stored YW starter not even building a levain. Can’t believe how great these are coming out.
am embarking on a journey to get a consistent baggie. This is my first batch. If I can keep this up I will be well pleased. Ease of making the dough, shaping, scoring, baking , crumb and most importantly flavor … everything went very well.
I used the formula from the French baker video that was posted here a while back. He compared 3 French flours . I have T 65 so used that. I followed another baker’s method. I wanted very little hands on and I got it.
400g T 65
7 g salt
1.2g ADY
40g active liquid starter
264g filtered room temp water ( +10 g if needed)
Whisk water yeast salt starter very well. Fold in flour till all very evenly wet. add 10g if needed. Cover rest 30 min. Fold on itself several times return to covered bowl. I very lightly dust countertop and dough. 30 min do folds again. Should be non- sticky already and very extensible. 30 min do one last time. Dough should pull a window . Let rise til double. Covered retard in fridge overnight. Preshape 2 360g baguettes. Rest 30 min. Shape into 15-17” long rolls. Floured couche covered til puffy . Preheated 500 degree baking steel. Transfer loaves razor blade for scoring and cover with a large lid( I used my graniteware roaster lid). Turn oven back to 460. 13 min covered . 10-12 min uncovered.
I don’t know how to post a video but the crackling and snapping was amazing! Fantastic flavor. Had ham and Swiss po boys. Just took two more out of oven and have a batch resting for tomorrow. 
Comments
these look really good. And they'll only get better with practice. Do you have a deep oven to accommodate the length of these, or do you load them sideways as our much missed baguette ace Geremy (kendalm) does?
I'm fairly certain you've seen it but we put together a PDF of four of the baguette bakers' journeys during our baguette CB from several summers ago. Perhaps a good reference point. http://www.thefreshloaf.com/up/tfl-baguette-community-bake.pdf .
alan
Yes I saw the post but it’s so long! I loved the video I mentioned. It’s all in French but he’s definitely a master baker. The flour is a game changer. I’m going to get the T 80 when all the 65 is gone. I load two sideways and cover with my graniteware roaster lid. Perfect and makes steaming so easy . No fuss no muss is my motto! Thank you again. Oven is preheating now for another batch.
If anyone watched Bewitched, they know what I mean. I haven't been climbing Mount Everest but have been trying to get in here on occassion on my phone where I had been trying to recall my password where upon each try I'd get an onslaught of tests to prove I'm human. I know many users are frustrated by the intensified Captcha and I understand the need to weed out the riff-raff but for me it's more unsettling the fact that my computer is administering the Turing test back at me !... oh the horror, the horror !
So alas, I've finally busted out my old PC which had the password cached.
TBH, I thought you (Alan) may have quick or gone into hiding so I'm thrilled to see a good Baguette post complete with Benito as well.
This Baguette looks great. I immediately wanted to jump on this thread because obviously this is an advanced first pass. This effort should evolve fast and the more practice the better. I'm looking forward to see the evolution.
Btw, I am still baking regularly but since the onset of Covid we've been doing huge renovations and my bread oven is stored under the stairwell until some other construction is completed. As such I've been doing a lot of pastries. I may post later today but great to see you all. Alot has happened since my last post including the passing of my beautiful doggie Baz - so very sad. Look forward to chatting with you all soon !
Glad you are alive and well albeit renovating! My front porch is missing all its floor boards as we try a 2 nd time to get a finished usable attractive surface… much like the baguettes 😂. I gave the one with a big grine to my neighbor hot from the oven. We cut the second while still warm and buttered it and added aged cheddar and tomato slices… oh my Heavenly! The crunch and the fullness of the flavor delicious. So I’ve made three batches… one per day. I decided to build a fresh levain with my YW starter so it’s in a warm place and will stir up a new batch tomorrow to be baked Monday. I’m on a roll!
Construction is the worst. Good luck with that ! Regarding the hot-out-of-the oven (just throwing this out there). Personally I would rather eat this bread after it has sat at RT for 1-2 hours. The flavors seem to develop even after the bake and from experience, I always prefer them at room temp a bit later because taste even better. For most breads it's such a joy to get it while it's hot but these a different. Give it try sometime !
For sure we have eaten it both hot and room temp. Can’t eat the whole baguette at one sitting 😳😂… well we could but we try to be restrained!
I don't post, even if I keep Ol' Betsy fired up with some regularity. My fat looseleaf of formulas is already bursting at the seams. And I have the habit of sticking with the standard Wheel of Dough Fortune of perhaps a dozen at most.
Nice to see that you came out of the crypt!
Sorry to read about the passing of your dog. Several of us on this thread have been there somewhat recently. They were our shadows who loved us unconditionally.
Was the culprit for making me want to write about my little dude. It's been about a month, I still look out the back at the lone incandescent bulb sitting on the dirt above him (I've rigged it to glow at night) and tear up for exactly that reason, he was my shadow especially in the last year as his hearing and sight deteriorated. Sorry to all out there in pet passing purgatory. Good to see you Alan
Ode to Baz -
As someone who has 3 rescue dogs and now 3 cats I share your pain as we just got back from our first vacation in a long long time to Vermont and our beautiful cat Cleo passed away 2 days later in the middle of the night. She was 17 but it’s never long enough. So sorry to hear about the loss of your beautiful puppy.
Ian
The pain and bewilderment of that void that is left just feels cruel. You try to take solace in the fact that (expecially as resues [like ours]) that they had full happy lives. But you still want them back. I'm glad you were back home at the time it would have been comforting for her :\
Sorry to hear about Cleo, Ian. You’re right, our pets are never with us long enough.
Benny
Appreciate your kind words.
Ian
It’s a terrible thing that “man’s best friend “ doesn’t get to live longer than they do.
prior to your loss, Don, as yours was somewhat on the heels of ours. Recall that a best friend said to me months in advance of the decision, that the day we take her in to say goodbye would be the worst day of our lives. And he was right. It took many months to not expect her to be there when we walked in the front door. To this day, three years on, I can't cut the skin off a slab of salmon or empty a tuna or sardine can without thinking about her getting her share.
Apologies for taking this in a sideways direction Caroline. But to set it back on track and full steam ahead - the Bouabsas are really fantastic and the easiest formula out there.
Alan
I still can't bring myself to remove his bowls. I buried him in his bed with his toys. Took his collar as my new bracelet but forgot about the bpwls. This is punishment and summed up here - https://youtu.be/BCnNIW3xxsU?t=180
Sorry about your loss Geremy, it is so hard to lose a loved pet like Baz.
Benny
I’m so sorry for the hole in your heart. May it be filled with all the wonderful memories of your times together. c
Bewitched was my favorite show growing up, loved it. Nice to see you pop up Geremy even if you’ve been without your bread oven. Enjoy your summer.
Benny
Ha ha, I got into a big argument that Bewitched originally aired in black and white. It didn't ! How do I recall that early Bewitched episodes with the earlier Darren were black and white ? Just the other night I had an 'oh duh' moment. I would watch it at my Grandparents place. They had a black and white television. What a complete idiot I am !
Funny I thought that the early episodes were black and white too! Benny
The first two seasons were black-and-white, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bewitched
Imdb says that there were colorized versions of the black/white episodes released on DVD.
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0057733/alternateversions?tab=cz&ref_=tt_trv_alt
That seems to explain the confusion. Re-runs, DVDs, and Youtube now have the _colorized_ versions of those early b/w episodes.
Mystery solved.
Very very nice Caroline, I agree with Alan, you’ll only improve both your knowledge and skills with each bake. Can’t wait to see your next baguettes.
Benny
I’m very happy with these. The flavor is outstanding! That’s the most important to me besides the crispness. I haven’t had a great baguette since France. Preheating the oven now for another batch. Will post soon. Thank you and hope you enjoyed Newfoundland!!!
Newfoundland was short but lovely thank you. Nice to get away even if it was short. However, the main reason for the visit was to see an in law who isn’t doing well.
Benny
As mentioned above, my oven is in storage but man this post is making me want to break it out soon. It's been a while. Glad you're enjoying !
Look forward to your postings. What kind of pastries if no oven? Countertop?
I was referring to my bread oven (there's a whole thread in here somewhere on the setup). I'm using my regular kitchen domestic oven for Pastries. I'm Caneles right now. Assuming I don't gaff it I will probably post later ...
The flavor of the T65 really comes out when it is used for baguettes. Nice to see someone else working with the same flour that I am using. I was amazed by the first bag that I baked with and when it ran out I ordered the same thing again. For some reason I have had a much more difficult time working with this latest batch. The flavor is still pretty good but the gluten is very weak and difficult to handle even at much lower hydration. Your results look much better than what I have been able to do lately. Maybe my flour wasn't a good vintage or whatever term they use to describe a good wheat crop. The recipe you used looks like it worked well for you but I still recommend that you to try the Bouabsa recipe if you like simple and reliable. I look forward to seeing your further efforts
Don
will have to look at the Bouabsa but I don't know how this could get any simpler. 3 min to stir together and 3 folds at 30 min. each and that's it . Bulk retard over night shape and rise 1 hr while preheat. Bake 12 min covered ...no steam pan etc needed and 10-12 uncovered and they have been perfect all 3 times. I have a 4th batch rising now with 10% Semolina Rimacinata . Will see how that changes things but so far the dough felt exactly the same .
I am sorry your second bag wasn't like the first. I too ordered the same not organic T65 from L'epicerie. I hope when I order the T85 that it is even better !! Thank you again .
https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/8242/anis-boabsa039s-baguettes. David's take on it. With his interpretation from Janedo of the original recipe. Mine is the same except for the 40g of SD to make a hybrid loaf I use the 1/4 tsp ADY. I need less hands on than he did with the gloppy dough. I do let it rest 30 min after stirring it together thoroughly. That fermentolyse makes all the difference . Gluten has already really developed for me . I don't wait at all to preshape out of fridge. I do the immeditate pre shape and then shape let it rise same as David did. I bake covered. So it is almost exactly the same except for the 40g. and I wouldn't want to leave that out as it is an integral part of the flavor and I believe the way the dough handles the next day. Thank you for suggesting I read the formula though, I am always wanting to see what others are doing . c
Nothing beats the taste of a warm baguette and yours look very nice. I hadn’t made any for a long time and decided to try them again a few months ago. I was very happy with he crumb and the flavor and my shaping still needs some work. Keep at it and you will perfect it or if not you will still have plenty to eat!
Best,
Ian
As far as I can see these are already perfect. The crumb and flavor honestly couldn't be any better, this from someone who's had many baguettes in France . As for shaping I am very happy with that as well. I love the grine that appears or not and I like to do one long slash. So I've got everything I could ask for !! 4th batch with 10% Semola Rimacinata and so far the dough is behaving as it has the first 3 times. Love the slight yellow. Will post tomorrow. Thanks again !! c
I love the addition of the durum to baguettes and I’m sure you’re going to be happy with it as well.