My Attempt(s) on Bouabsa's Baguette

Profile picture for user FrugalBaker
FrugalBaker on

Hey everyone, 

It's a long weekend here and I am glad am able to report back on my baguette baking journey. First of all, I would like to thank Alan (Alfanso) for taking the time and guided me to baking Bouabsa's Baguette. I must admit I got a little lost along the translation when going through the formula. And out of curiosity, went to Youtube and search for some visual guidance and bing.....here comes Alan with his comprehensive video, bravo Alan. Should have told me earlier : )

As usual, the formula serves only as a guideline when it comes to baking in my kitchen and I am always on the look out of hot and humid environment here. Another hurdle would be the types of flour and sourcing of equipment too. Getting things on Amazon is possible but not always practical as shipping fees usually cost more than double of the price of the item itself, so I gave up! And therefore, am always looking for some alternatives.

Just last week, I was really crazy looking for some terracotta tiles around the neighbourhood but none suits my requirement as they were all glazed. My husband was kind enough to drive me to another part of the town and finally got what I wanted. I wasted no time that afternoon and jumped straight into the baguette baking bandwagon.

Below are a few method I tried out and of course, the results came in few variations too...

 

Same formula as Bouabsa's but with a lower hydrarion, 65%.

 

  

  Crumbs are fairly open for a 65% hydration dough.     The bottom was my 1st attempt on this formula but it was                                                                                                 under-proofed!

Method : Mix all ingredients with ice-cold water till homogenous.

               Set aside for 3-4 hours.

               Stretch and fold 3 times on every 20 mins.

               Preshape and bench rest for 8-10 mins.

               Final Shaping.

               Proof for about 30 mins.

               Place dough in freezer for 5 mins.

               Score dough and bake (with steam) till cooked.

Verdict :

  • Easy and fuss free.
  • Everything can be done on the same day should you need a quick fix.
  • Dough at that hydration is easy to score. 
  • Not a tasty bread if one is used to sourdough breads.

 

Bouabsa's Baguette Formula at 75% hydration 

 

Verdict :

  • Gluten was difficult to develop because of hydration (could be the use of type 550).
  • Scoring and shaping was tad difficult (again because of hydration issue).
  • Open and airy crumb, so it is visually satisfying.
  • Improved flavour due to long and cold fermentation but not significant (could be flour issue here).

 

All in all, I can say that my baguettes are looking decent but am still on a long journey to perfect it. 

 

p/s : Thanks Alan for your word of encouragement and your baguettes and batards remain inspirational to me. 

 

Regards,

Sandy

 

 

It didn't take many runs of this dough to get it down, so I'm happy that you found it so too.  Yes, the hydration for an AP flour dough is high, but I'll reference David Snyder's wise words on handling these types of doughs "use an iron fist but a velvet glove" or something to that effect.

What I found satisfying about this bread is not just the simplicity of it (my first baguette success) and the long cold retardation does wonders for the dough too. It also has a crisp and bright flavor, for lack of a better definition, to go along with a nice crust.  Definitely a keeper. 

Congratulations!  alan

Toast

bikeprof on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 07:56

I have recently been working on baguettes, trying a number of approaches that will fit with my baking schedule (I needed a dough that was ready to divide first thing in the morning, and not take too long to get through the final proof after that).  I went back and forth between Bouabsa and a version of Forkish's overnight dough.  Both worked well, but I ended up sticking with the Forkish-ish formula (using even less IDY than he calls for).  For me, I found it easier to get a lighter crumb and the dough a bit easier to work with.

Nice work on your Bouabsa version...there is something about making baguettes that I find very satisfying...

 

That is perfection - absolute perfection 'nuff said. Did you use your new deck oven ? I read you were ditching a rofco 10 for for something more sophisticated ?

yes, moving up in the oven world...nice to make full length baguettes!

I am also a big fan of full length and went to crazy extremes to be able to load sideways. I usually come,out with 54cm and can push it to 56cm but that often results in some fumbling and crushing of dough. I looked at,some,of your posted,with the old oven and now starting,to,really get sad about contending with gas :(

Bikeprof, you've got it dialed in.  Those are magnificent baguettes!

Yes, the dough is pretty slack, and your advice of an additional fold on final shaping is noteworthy for this type of dough.

"there is something about making baguettes that I find very satisfying...".  Indeed!  And I'm enjoying see more and more quality baguettes being trucked out on TFL for all of us to share as well.

alan

I had a good (lucky?)  week...these were just supposed to be a vehicle for testing the new equipment (and trying to get my shaping and scoring chops back in shape).  Again...a great feeling when they do their thing well...

FB - one thing you might consider, looking at your baguettes in the context of my experience with that dough, is to incorporate another lengthwise fold in your final shaping...I found that dough really slack, and it seemed to want a bit more work to stand up (and/or a really hot oven to get it to spring)...the videos of Bouabsa's work show them being pretty flat going in, but he gets a good pop (and I think I recall hearing that he bakes at around 480F).