December 29, 2023 - 9:41am
12/29/2023. Aim - Baguette practice.
Good morning, friends. Happy New year!
Today we are working with a moderate hydration dough (68%.) The composition of the dough starts with an overnight AP flour poolish The final dough is made up of white A.P. flour with a scent 5% whole rye flour added for depth of flavor. Funny that at this time last year I was making baguette in NYC.
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Happy new year!
Baguette's looking good. Hope you're enjoying the sunny western us.
Thanks, my friend. I am liking the laid back retirement thing. I miss my friends in NY, sometimes a lot. Baking Bread, and cooking in general help with that. When I weigh the pluses verses the negatives, it is a net positive.
Best regards ,
Will F.
Nice shaping and scoring Will. Your couronne also looks top notch.
I'm about to embark on a set of levain sesame semolina baggies for NYE. Awaiting the first of two builds to complete.
You've become that cactus flower, blooming in the desert.
Ah, the baguette. They are not forgiving of mistakes in fermentation, and dough handling at all. These are under proofed. Subsequently, no lap of victory crumb shot. I like failing with baggettes. I feel like once mastered, a whole new world will open up. That being said, repeating the same mistakes is counterproductive. I just made a small investment that I hope will pay dividends. Incoming is Trevor Wilson's book that deals with fermentation. Happy New Year old friend. Enjoy!
Kind regards,
Will F.
I began my own journey focusing on baguettes from the get-go. The combination of challenge and ratio of crust to crumb appealed to me. And at least I stuck with it through a lot of not-so-good bakes and eventually came across my personal Comstock Lode. The old Edison 90% perspiration, 10% inspiration.
I had a similar feeling with glass bread. Having made several reasonably successful loaves, I don't have any reluctance dealing with all sorts of other doughs that are hard, sticky, or pasty to handle.
Love the look of yours! Happy New Year!
TomP
Nice work Will. Your baguettes look terrific. I've just prepared a levain to make a couple of Semolina loaves tomorrow. I haven't made them for awhile so I need to keep my hand in. Not baguettes but oval loaves.
Cheers.
Alternatively it could be the 25 years spent in mechanical rooms. Be that as it my 80% if the fun is in the quest. Thanks for your kind words, Gav. Happy New year!
So happy to see your success with baguettes Will! Also happy to hear that you’re enjoying life in your new state which is very different from NY.
Happy New Year all the best in happiness and health
Benny