help me make my baguettes look nicer!
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Hi
First post, treat me nicely!
I’ve been making bread for years in an amateurish fashion, generally using the Bertinet method and more often than not, these days, making baguettes. I’m pretty happy with how they taste but I’ve got a few detailed questions that mainly affect appearance (as it would be nice for them to look lovely too J):
- I proof the baguettes using a linen couche. I can’t for the life of me work out a good way of transferring them from the couche to the peel/baking tray/whatever. I’ve tried sliding various implements underneath them but just can’t seem to do this smoothly. I generally end up picking them up and carrying them over. Whatever method I use tends to end up deforming the baguette – at the end of the proofing they look lovely, it’s just when I try to move them that everything goes wrong. Once they’re moved I sort of shove them back into shape again but I’m wondering if there’s a better method (Bertinet just says “transfer them”. Brilliant.)
- Is it better to use fan-assisted or regular oven settings? I get problems either way. Even with fan-assisted I get uneven results. See the first picture (which I think I've uploaded properly??) – the darker one was on the higher shelf at the back; and the others are kind of uneven too. Should I be moving them around during baking?
- I’m getting better with proofing but I still find it a dark art. For example, see the second picture - of the underside of the same bake – you’ll see that the darker one has split along the bottom while the others haven’t; but there are some cracks along a couple of the others too; and there’s a bit of bulging going on. I used the “prod test” (after an hour’s proofing) and they all seemed fine. Do I assume that one of them hadn’t proofed properly? What do you do if your baguettes rise at different rates? Or is the split connected with that baguette being in a hotter part of the oven?
FWIW these baguettes are using basic strong flour, instant yeast and 74% moisture. I’ve got a Neff oven.
Any insights gratefully received! Thanks all!
David
Lovely to have you here and everyone will treat you nicely, I promise :)
Alan (alfanso) and Kendalm are the ones to ask. Hopefully they'll see your post and help you out.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/55676/abels-ziggy-sesame-semolina
Hi! Thanks for having me! :)
This is one of the friendlier communities on the Web. It's a pleasure to have you as part of the community. Others can help you better with baguettes; I just wanted to say "Hi".
Paul
Hi Paul! Thanks
Hi David, I not. the best source for most of your questions, but David Snyder (a resident TFL baker) has a video that might help with your flipping board question. https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+use+a+flipping+board&rlz=1C9BKJA_enUS774US774&oq=how+to+use+a+flipping+board&aqs=chrome..69i57.10180j0j4&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=1
Welcome aboard. I’m sure you’ll get help from the members of this forum.
Dan
Hi Dan! What better excuse do I need to buy a crate of bordeaux!
find help and inspiration but no gladiators! Usually.
"I proof the baguettes using a linen couche. I can’t for the life of me work out a good way of transferring them from the couche to the peel/baking tray/whatever"
Watch this short video. I use a piece of laminated wood as a "flipping board" or "hand peel", but you can use stiff cardboard or pay a handsome sum and get the real thing or anywhere in between. But it isn't just the peel itself, it is also the technique.
A key to moving from couche to baking peel is to ensure that the couche is "appropriately" floured. Appropriate is a vague term (as are so many others in baking). For instance, if you have a low hydration "dry" dough, little to no flour is required to ensure the dough doesn't stick. If you have a high hydration "wet" dough, then you will need a lot more flour. Over time your couche will become "seasoned" and that should also help. Never wash it, but make sure that you scrape off the existing loose flour and let it dry completely before storing away.
"Is it better to use fan-assisted or regular oven settings?"
I never use the fan in my oven although many on TFL do for the second half of their bake after steam has been released.
"Should I be moving them around during baking?"
Yes, halfway through rotate from left to right and turn the dough 180 degrees around, front to back. All ovens have hot spots and to ensure a more even bake, turn them. Are you using a baking deck, as you say "rack". Thick stone decks are great surfaces as heat sinks, and some here also use steel, but I have a 3/4 inch piece of thick polished scrap granite. Never burns the bottom of the loaves either. Also part of that video.
Are you using steam for the initial part of the bake? And plenty of it too?
"you’ll see that the darker one has split along the bottom while the others haven’t"
Splitting and "blow-outs" where unexpected (the purpose of scoring the loaves in the first place,) are almost always due to two issues. Either the seams were not sealed sufficiently during final shaping, or the seam was not face down on the baking deck when baked.
There's a starter kit. Spend time watching, re-watching and then watching again videos by Ciril Hitz and Jeffrey Hamelman on shaping baguettes. There are plenty of other good ones out there (plenty of crummy ones too), but these two gents are superb.
Keep us up to date on progress and problems. And BTW, your first photo(s) are not displayed.
Hey, thanks so much for the detailed assistance! I will definitely get a flipping peel. I've been trying various things to bake the baguettes on. I recently bought a tray with small holes in it, which doesn't seem to make much difference. AS for steam, I tend to spray water into the oven before and after putting the baguettes in. What's the procedure in the video - pouring water into a tray? Tell me more about "final shaping" - I seal the baguettes before I proof them - is that what you mean? Strange about the photos - I can see both of them but I had some difficulty uploading them. Finally, what temperature do you bake your baguettes at? Thank you so much!
If you have an electric oven you can create billows of steam. I know that a lot of people swear by the method of spraying the walls of the oven, but that only produces a really minor amount of steam, and it dissipates rather quickly.
The clear pan with the towel in it can be found by using the search box and keying in Sylvia's Steaming Towels. As far as the metal pan, that contains lava rocks which adore making steam. That is near boiling water that I pour into the pan. But you can put any solid rock or metal into the pan so that it helps create what dabrownman refers to as "mega steam".
Depending on the baguette formula, the original author's stated temperature, and my own experimentation, I bake at between 460dF and 500dF. kendalm, an ace baguette honcho on TFL, has his oven blasting away at over 500dF, so you can look his work up and see his technique too.
But do consider getting a good solid baking deck to work with. In the video that was my original Mexican paver tiles which eventually cracked into many small pieces and I replaced them with a single thick piece of granite.
As for final shaping, if you're getting blow-its or split seams, it just goes back to what I mentioned earlier. Lower hydration doughs and specialty doughs with things in them (fruit and nuts for example) require a surer seal.
I've just posted similar things on my other thread, but just to say thank you again for all your considerate advice. In particular I am now taking a lot more care with sealing, and am getting less splitting. I'm still unsure about steam - the light in my oven keeps breaking and I'm wondering if it doesn't like the steam! But getting a flipping peel has transformed my breadmaking, and the advice about moving the bread around has also helped enormously.