June 20, 2008 - 12:20am
Maggie Glezer's Acme Bakery Baguette Recipe
This is my latest attempt at Maggie Glezer's Acme baguette recipe. I used scrap dough and poolish as she specifies and the taste was very good. I used K.A. First Clear flour for the scrap dough and K.A. French Style flour for the poolish and dough. Still needs work on shaping technique.
Glezer's Acme baguette recipe dough divided:
Dough divided for 2 baguettes and 1 batard after bulk fermentation
Glezer's Acme baguette recipe primary shaping:
Primary shaping
Glezer's Acme baguette recipe final shaping:
Final shaping
Glezer's Acme baguette recipe 2 baguettes and a batard:
2 baguettes, 1 batard
Glezer's Acme baguette recipe 2 baguettes and a batard
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Comments
Hey Howard! Way to go!!!! Nice crumb. The lighting in the photo isn't great but I think the crust must be nice as well.
You must be very happy with the results. See? One must persevere.
Jane
Appreciate your kind words. In addition to the shaping technique I've got to work on my camera technique. The crust did turn out nice. I scored them using my new serated tomato knife and it works like magic. You're going to love yours when you recieve it.
As I mentioned, I used K.A. French style flour, which K.A. claims has slightly less protein than A.P. and bread flour and is supposed to be akin to your T55 French flour. But I really have no way of knowing whether it's true of not. They do seem to turn out lighter with the French style flour. I was fairly pleased with the overall results. This time I made sure I didn't miss the intermediate shaping step, as I did last time I tried it. That final shaping is key to the whole process. I liken it to a trapeze act without a net, just make one mistake and it's all over. Like Proth5 said the other day, it's about making every step of the process come out correctly...the sum of the parts.
Hope you're getting rested and catching up on things.
Howard - St. Augustine, FL
Howard,
If your camera has an "Indoor" program, or something similar, give it a try. Mine has such a setting (sorry, I'm at the office and can't check the exact name for the setting right now) and it makes a big difference in the image. When not using the setting, my pictures also have the yellowish tint. When using the setting, the colors are more balanced. The light doesn't change, but the way the camera processes the image does.
PMcCool
Pat,
Thanks for the tip. I have been using my wife's Sony Cybershot for my pics because it's digital and my Canon is not. Anyway, I just told Charlene (my wife) what you had suggested and she says the Sony does have a setting/program for indoor and closeup...duh :-) So, I'll get the Sony operators guide out and figure it out. As the old saying goes: "When all else fails, read the instructions. Thanks again for your help.
Howard - St. Augustine, FL
Well done with the shaping! What wonderful holes in the crumb.
This is one of my favourite bread recipes from Glezer's book but I've never managed to get the baguette shape. (Possibly because I generally chicken out and make boules... :-D)
Good flavour in the bread though, isn't there?
Elizabeth
EJM,
Appreciate you comments. You're right, this bread recipe produces a wonderful flavor. Must have something to do with combining pate fermentee (scrap dough) and poolish into the final dough. As you know from having made it, there are both long and short fermentations coupled with rest periods for the dough throughout the process, which presumably also helps create the nice flavor. I've got to tell you, I've been at it for a number of years, off and on, mostly off. It was TFL that got me back to trying baguettes again. Anyway, this is the closest I come yet. Still need more practice shaping and a lighter touch...but at least it's progress. Shaping a baguette really requires, as Proth5 said, an iron hand in a velvet glove.
Howard - St. Augustine, FL
Just a quote from someone much more talented than I...
I really should try baguette shaping again, Howard. Or at least batard. I have just gotten stuck with boules because they seem to be the easiest shaping method for me. Eventually I'll branch out. (It takes me forever to try new methods. :-/) Your post is certainly incentive.
-Elizabeth
There's a really good video from K.A. called Ciril Hitz presents (Disc 1) Simplified bread Baking: Baguette to Pretzel, in which Mr. Hitz demostrates mixing and shaping techiniques for a number of items; baguettes, challah, pretzels,foccacia, whole wheat breads and bagels. The DVD, as I recall was a little pricey but quite good. I figured since I don't have access to any classes my next best hope is watching someone who knows the secret of shaping and then giving it a shot on my own. In my opinion the quest for a great baguette is akin to balancing the 500 foot tower of Jello. Well, not quite but almost. I've been messing around with baguettes off and on for years and am still messing around. Go ahead, give it a shot and be sure to let us know how it goes.
Howard - St. Augustine, FL
Thanks for the tip about the video. When I get the courage, I'll try again at baguette shaping, Howard, although... your comment about it being like trying to balance a 500 foot tower of jello does put things into perspective and sends me back to lurking in the corner to make boules instead. ;-) :-D
-Elizabeth
Beautiful and look delicious! weavershouse
Weavershouse,
Thanks for your complement. Incidentally, I still have your recipe for sausage rolls under a magnet on my refrigerator and am going to give them a try in the not too distant future. I was waiting until we have company to do them. But if company doesn't show up in the near future I'm going to do them anyway and have my own little feast.
Howard - St. Augustine, FL
You got wonderful bloom and enviable crumb.
How much did you proof (% expansion) before baking? How did you bake (temperature, steaming)?
I would be very happy getting baguettes like those.
David
David,
I did the full 3 hours at about 78 deg. room temp. with 3 folds at 20-30 minute intervals during the first hour and a half and then left the dough covered in a lightly oiled plastic container 3 times the size of the dough ball for the remaining time of the bulk fermentation.
Edit: at the conclusion of the bulk fermentation period the dough was at least double, maybe slightly more.
The batch before this one (I didn't post any photos) I did as Ms. Glezer recommended and put the rack with the stone on the 3rd shelf from the top of the oven with the oven temp at 450, but that was too hot and the bottoms got a little too brown and they were done in 30 min. On both interations I used 1 1/2 cups boiling water (from microwave) into a cast iron skillet immediately after the loaves went into the oven to produce a huge amount of steam.
This time I moved the rack holding the stone to the center of the oven and preheated the oven to 450 deg. I put them in and after 10 min. reduced the temp. to 425 deg. and got much better results. I did not bake them directly on the stone. Instead I baked them on parchment lined baking pans. I was afraid the bottoms might scorch. I don't see any reason for not moving them to the stone when you turn the pans around, midway through the baking cycle. This time I think the baguettes baked for 35 min. I checked them for an internal temp. of 205-210 and they were there in about 30-35 min. The batard I left in for an additional 5-8 min. until it read 210 deg. internal temp.
Howard - St. Augustine, FL
Nothing more to say..
Proth5, I think it's Pat, right?
Thanks. I read your interesting exchange with David the other day with great interest and actually copied some of your suggestions onto a Word document for future reference. Great stuff. Thanks for your posts and suggestions, much appreciated.
Howard - St. Augustine, FL
I am inspired by truely talented teachers. They didn't bake the bread for me, but they sent me in the right direction. Eventually.
But if you are questing on shaping, mosey on over to the Goofus and Gallant blog entry...
(yes, it is) Pat
Very nice crumb!! Baguettes have such a short shelf life. I'm assuming it's just you and Charlene..so do you freeze them or are you the most popular neighbor on the block? : )
Paddy,
We usually eat one the day I bake it and the rest we freeze for later. They actually freeze well and retain most of their flavor. But like Mr. Reinhart says, any bread is best eaten with a few hours of baking. Yes, it's just Charlene and me since our cat, Max, passed last year. He was 20 years old. Still miss having him following me around.
I don't give many of the baguettes away as they are Charlene's favorite type bread. But I do give some of the other loaves away to relatives and friends. We have a large freezer in the garage but are trying to use up what's in it because we heading into hurricane season, which is officially now through September. Last year we were without power for 10 days. Talk about a dose of reality; cold showers, no air conditioning...just like the old days, when I grew up down here, south of Orlando. Despite the occasional storms St. Augustine is a wonderful place to live, a very old, historic, laid back, beautiful town.
Howard - St. Augustine, FL
Our Max is an 8 yo tuxedo who lords over the other 3 we have adopted. Strange for me because I used to show dogs, and that's all I've basically had. Another new chapter in my life, they are so very cool!
I'm originally from New England and have weathered a few hurricanes. My aunt lives in Melbourne, so I know what you are talking about!
Since it is only my husband, Patrick and me, bread is frozen. This seems to work for us, but I don't think I have an exceptionally discerning palate.
Our son and his family lived there for several years and we enjoyed seeing the old city. Now he works for FAA in Orlando and his family is in Palm Coast. Not a happy situation for either of them. Such a long drive my son makes every two weeks to visit his family but what can he do. The job is there and the new house is in Palm Coast. Crazy times.
Howard, I hope you make those sausage rolls and that you love them. Maybe you could wrap some of the baguette dough around some sausage and cheese and see what happens. weavershouse
Weavershouse,
Palm Coast is just down the road from us. That's a shame that your son and his family have to be seperated. It's a long drive, as you know, from Parm Coast to Orlando. I grew up in Pinecastle, which in those days was about 6 miles south of the Orlando city limits. Now it's been annexed into Orlando along with most of the surrounding area. I really don't like what has happened to my home town. Oh well, progress? I'm not so sure about that. I attended Pinecastle school and had the same 3rd grade teacher my father had and the principle of the school was his high school math teacher. Things have definitely changed.
Anyway, that's a great idea using some of the baguette dough and cheese. I may try that next time i mix up the baguette dough. I was also thinking about using a direct method dough that I make for a bread called Bread Of My Childhood, which has butter and egg yolks and is very similar to a brioche. In any event those sausage rolls are stuck in my brain and I'm committed to do them in the very near future. I'll let you know how they turn out. Incidentally, speaking of cheese, King Arthur has a terrific recipe for gruyere cheese bread that I've made a couple of times. It's easy and delicious and freezes well. Check their web site and take a look at it. if you can't find it and are interested let me know and I can send it to you.
Howard - St. Augustine, FL
I never saw Florida until our son moved there but it was obvious what's been going on there. It's easy to spot what remains of the old small sensible houses and what's moving in...half million dollar condos and huge developments with what I think are over-priced homes. I don't call it good progress when so many people are now deserting those homes. I see it here in Ohio too. We've lived here 36 years and I rarely saw an abandoned house, now they are everywhere.
Anyway, I think that bread you called Bread of my Childhood sounds sooo good. If you have time someday make it and show us pictures and give us the recipe :) I bet it would be great with the sausage and cheese! The gruyere cheese bread sounds so good to me but I don't think I can ever bring gruyere into the house again. My husband would think I was trying to kill him for sure. I bought what I thought would be the best gruyere a couple of months ago...it was an imported unpasteurized expensive one and I made an alfredo sauce with it. My poor husband was so sick I can't tell you. I didn't have any because I was going out to eat with some girlfriends. I was this close = to taking him to the hospital. So no gruyere here :( I bought it at the big market in Cleveland and I think they didn't sell enough cheese fast enough and it was not good when I bought it. We kind of laugh about it now...but it was bad then. weavershouse
No dount about it, the housing situation is bad throughout the country, here too. Sorry to hear about your and your husband's gruyere experience. Next time I bake Bread of My Childhood I'll post some photos. Hang in there and keep baking and posting. I enjoy your posts.
Howard - St. Augustine, FL