October 6, 2016 - 7:16am
Hurricane Preparedness, my version...
as we pack up this morning to get out of the way of Hurricane Matthew. On our way to friends on the Gulf Coast.
SFBI Pain au Levain. 2x350g, 2x605g.
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Hurricane Preparedness, my version...
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How do you make those cuts open that way and those blisters? Lovely! May God keep you safe.
welcome back!
see my reply to Adam below for scoring.
as far as blisters, I have nothing to do with it, but I've read wiser and more experienced folk onTFL say at they are a product of long cold fermentation.
keep safe, hope your home & community survives the storm without too much damage
Leslie
we decided to visit friends on the other side of the Florida peninsula, so all we should get, and have been getting, are some winds and on/off rain.
thanks for the good thoughts. Alan
It is this rampant bread aestheticism, that i am dreaming off.
I keep my starter at 75 degrees, feed twice a day, bake at around 80% hydration, but i cant get that dramatic ripping/ opening effect. how are you scoring these beauties
Alan has the baguette touch, a bit less hydration, a couche to cold proof with a long cold retard before hitting the hot oven with Mega Steam straight out of the fridge. Sometimes he uses a corn starch glaze to really bring out the shine as well. He is the man!
PS These don;t look like they had the glaze though.
I only have used the glaze on something akin to a NY deli rye with caraway. Everything else is au naturel. The shine is a combination of bread just minutes removed from the bake, (I think) the black background, and the standard kitchen appliance light directly above . I also think that once the breads are starting to 'age', the crust begins to oxidize And lose the sheen.
my usual hydration percentage hovers between 68 and 78, although batards ar easier to shape and score at the higher end of the hydration range. I back 78% dough back down to ~76 for baguettes. I feel that I'm past the playing around part of figuring out what works for me and what is pushing it. We all have our own limits on where we feel comfortable working.
if you tell my wife I"m the man I know what she'd say to me, 'don't forget to take out the trash bin before you go to sleep'.
my standard starter is a 75% hydration goop, and lives in the back of the refrigerator. It can and has gone as long as 5 weeks without a refresh. The stiffer 60% hydration starter lives alongside the other and I've gotten 4-5 months use out of it without a refresh. Same holds true for dabrownman on his stiff rye starter.
as far as scoring, it is a matter of repetition, blade angle and blade depth. It also helps if the dough is compliant and plays along and has been shaped 'properly'. Tip of razor blade, swift and demonstrative movement and the movement starts at the shoulder swinging as a pendulum, and guiding the elbow. No wrists. The forearm and hand work as a single unit. Other ways? Certainly. Bust as long as you asked me, that is what I do. Search the tutorials for David Snyder's rundown. Then go to YouTube and search for Hamelman and Hitz videos of scoring.
Your loaves look great Alan :)
Great looking crust #jawonthefloor
Stay safe
Happy baking!
Those look like signature Alan bakes! Perfect crust and I'm sure the crumb is as well.
Stay safe!
With Matthew staying off the coast by at least 50 miles all the way to north of Daytona Beech. That is such great news. I was there for Andrew to see the total and completw devastation a cat 4 storm can do. Houses were completely flattened.....
as usual, gorgeous loaves - but, more importantly, be safe and well.