Ladies, Gentlemen and Masters
I would first of all like to ask all readers to keep cringes to a minimum as this topic must be as old as the sea by now. However I found so many baguette scoring topics that I didn't know where to fall in. So I just decided to bite the bullet and make a new post.
The question that I have pertains to the attached image. But first a bit of background information.
I am a novice baker who bakes bread as a hobby and am largely self-taught. So this is by no means my first baguette baking session. However one thing always remains the same when it comes to my baguettes... the shape of my scoring bursts. The quality of the bread is always pretty good but not the look. Yes I know the baguettes in the photo have horrible coloration and thus texture but there was a valid reason for them looking that way. Normally they have a much more even color and crunchy texture.
Here is more information about the recipe (supplied by Master baker Markus Färbinger) that I consistently use yet get the same result. The dough is made with 75% hydration and white flour (strong stoneground flour; although the baguettes in the photo have 10% whole meal) fermented in the fridge overnight (between 8 to 16 hours). I use a basic Lame (homemade) that uses a razorblade. I bake them with a cup of water to steam in a conventional (domestic) Smegg oven at 260° C / 500° F. I am pretty sure that my oven does not bake at exactly 260/500 degrees as it loses temperature as I open and close it but it does remain above 230°C / 446° F, I think.
So you can see how my last batch came out on the attached photo. All of my other baguettes come out the same way, ignoring the patchy coloration. I want my baguettes to have more of the red circle bursts but I keep getting the green circle bursts. What the heck! What am I doing wrong, because clearly one burst (red circle) came out the way I wanted. How do I change the green bursts to red bursts?
Thank you
Hello Jay. I am struggling to learn this skill set just like you. Hopefully some of our expert scorers will lend a hand. I’m sure they will.
I have learned a way to practice shaping and scoring without an of the anxiety that accompanies most bakers before putting the bread into the oven. Take a look at this post. You’ll find a link to a short video. http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/57225/tip-how-practice-shaping-and-scoring-wo-anxiety
By the way. You could mix a dough with the same weight as the baguettes you presently bake to get a more accurate experience. See Video.
I was advised to lower the hydration to make the scoring easier. That has helped me to start succeeding. I will raise the hydration as my skills improve.
Dan
I think your scoring looks great...so I think the issues you have are with the bread being scored.
If I were to get serious about making progress, I would consider using a standard formula for a traditional yeasted baguette (e.g. Hammelman or Suas), and get comfortable with that, and THEN move in the direction you want (be it higher hydration, sourdough, etc.). In that vein, Dan's suggestion of lower the hydration is a good one.
If not, I would still focus on troubleshooting other aspects of the bread you are working with.
I think this is another nice example of focusing on discrete "performances" as many bakers do...the other being final shaping...when the bigger issues are with things like fermentation, timing, dough development, and/or baking conditions/steam.
Sometimes it is those performance skills, but I think they often draw our attention away from the more nebulous or seemingly mundane things that can matter more.
I really think there is a whole lot of truth in what you said above, BikePro. I often thought that if I could score one of Hammelman’s baguette doughs and he would bake it in his oven, I am betting that the result would blow my mind.
I think that working hard to succeed is not enough. It is important that we focus one, maybe two things at a time. And our earliest attention should be focused on the simpliest solution. I have gone nuts on the scoring. But I now believe that the dough has to be fermented and shaped properly (at a hydration correct for a novice) before the scoring will produce the results we desire. If we don’t get the perliminaries right, we are doomed to fail by focusing on the score.
If anyone disagrees, please let me know your thoughts. I am determined to learn this skill.
Dan
the bread gets so brown on the ends and so pale in the middle. Any clues there? Where does the steam pan sit? Are loaves rotated during the bake?
To me they look tough, like they fermented too long and then had difficulty browning evenly. The scoring seems right.
it's probably the bake or proofing or something else that's preventing a full burst. One observation is the extreme difference in color between the center and ends of the loaves which suggests your oven is heating unevenly. Still if that's the case i would expect to see good burst on the ends which we only see one. That then suggests possible overproofing - ie the loaf has begun to pass it's prime by a little bit and some of it is still yet to reach that point - even still the centers would be more collapsed if you overproofed. With all that said, it also seems (can be sure without maybe a cross section pic) like this bread has a rather thick crust and the nature of the dough itself is such that loaf just can't expand enough and quickly enough. just like bikeprof and Danny noticed (ie the formula)
you see certainly baking at a good temp but yes when you pop the door you will lose heat so its a good idea to be well coordinated and minimize the time it is open. How long did this bake take ?