Shifting some time and temperature with Bouabsa Baguettes
I had some time constraints yesterday and still wanted to ensure that I’d be able to bake some Bouabsa Baguettes this morning. I had just enough time in the early morning to mix the flour and water, but then had to place the goop on hold until I could return a few hours later to continue mixing the dough.
The Bouabsa baguette formula that I use (thanks to Janedo and DMSnyder) calls for the instant dry yeast to be mixed into the dry flour up front along with the first-hydration water. Then set aside for about a half hour before adding the remaining second-hydration water and salt. Therefore, this is not a true autolyse due to the IDY being part of the initial mix.
I wasn’t about to leave the first mix out with the IDY already incorporated. So I tried something new, at least for me. I mixed the flour and IDY with refrigerated water, which is 37F in my icebox, and then placed the dough into the refrigerator to retard. The idea being that I wanted the IDY to have as little chance to wake up as possible.
When I did return home I continued the remaining mixing and initial fermentation with stretch & folds proceeding from this point onward in the usual way. The resuts came out of the oven a short time ago. Although they look a bit short and stubby, they are not. They are ~14 inches long, which is pretty much all that I can do with my oven depth. They just open so much that it makes them look short. I’m quite happy with them!
Comments
terrific Alphonso. I think that retarded SD baguettes - 12-21 hours are better than the non retarded ones but that is tough to do with IDY in there. Well done and happy baking
Thanks for the kind words. Aside from these wonderful baguettes, which are the easiest of the lot to prepare, I have a few other go-to formulae that I switch back and forth. Depends on the mood and my timing - as evidenced by the intro to my posting. My hit list on the baguette roulette wheel reads:
I've got a thing for baguettes, no?
Much thanks in my relatively short journey goes to folks like you and mariana, et al. for knowledge about levains and 3 stage builds and to folks like David Snyder, et al. for their lovely creations and sharing with us all.
alan
baguettes - especially her 100% whole wheat ones with holes in them like they were 100% white bread! Amazing!
Yes, I did. TXFarmer’s 36 hour baguette. First off, excepting for some whole wheat and rye in the levain starter, this is a 100% AP white product. My wife has a problem digesting too much whole grain, so I have to play it safe with the breads as she is a my co-conspirator in bread consumption around these parts.
They shaped really nicely, without any real sticking (which I was expecting), scored well, and I gave them more steam than I ordinarily do – 15 minutes vs. 12 minutes. They also baked longer than TXFarmer’s 26 minute suggestion. I pulled them out of the oven when I determined that they weren’t going to get any darker. I like dark!
Anyway, for a first time, I must say that I’m pleased with the result. They didn’t open up as much as I would have liked, but the scoring is consistent and they maintained their shape. The interior was still moist after cooling off, so either 460F is not hot enough, or they should have baked longer – again, a little gun shy considering that they were in for 28 minutes and stopped darkening.
It would have been nice to see a more open crumb, but they are delicious and the crust has a wonderful thin and caramelized crunch. But I’ll see what happens the next time...
I understand that for the artisan baker, especially those of us at home, one of the holy grails of baking with higher hydration breads is the open crumb structure. As much as I appreciate TXFarmer’s dizzying display of her skill, I’m not sure that I understand at what point the open crumb just becomes a set of giant holes within the bread and no place for the butter, etc. to latch on to.
If you have some constructive critique or suggestions from what I mention here and from what you can see, I'd be interested in reading them.
alan
Very, very nice baguettes, alfanso.
Paul