The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Milk in baguettes?

samuel's picture
samuel

Milk in baguettes?

I have seen some baguette recipes that calls for milk . Does anyone know what does milk do for baguettes? For a softer texture or for creamier taste perhaps? Any ideas?

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

It will give a softer texture and result in a softer crust (which to many mean that it is no longer a baguette.)  It will also add enzymes which can help or hinder the outcome of your loaf.  Try running a site search on milk to read discussions.   

Or click  HERE

samuel's picture
samuel

Couldnt really find any other sites for the use of milk in baguettes, however i think u are quite rite..none of that crackling crust. I still would like to know anyone out there who has experience with the milk.

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

There are lots of sandwich roll recipes that can be shaped long to make a sub sandwich. You can also just take any recipe and change the water for milk or add milk powder to the recipe instead.  There are a few tips like scalding the milk.  More to be found using this sites search and archives in the upper left corner of the page,  little tiny box right above your name.  You could also look up hoagie roll, notice the recipe asks for whey and does not include the fat of the milk, just the protein and milk sugar that is found in whey.  Here is one link.  Here is another with milk.  Look thru the threads, recipes and ideas are all over the place.  :)

Are you trying to add more food value to the bread by using milk?   You will get the crackling crust but it may last about 5 minutes, then as the breads cools, the steam softens it.  When the bread is cool, you could stick it back in the oven and crispen up the crust and serve crispy.  Or just leave it out to the air to dry out the crust.  

Aussie Pete's picture
Aussie Pete

Hi Samuel,

There is nothing stopping you using milk in your mix and shaping it like a baguette.

Just don't tell the French what your up to............Aussie Pete

fminparis's picture
fminparis

Baguettes:  Flour, water yeast, salt.  Otherwise, it's not a baguette.  You'll have to make up another name.

samuel's picture
samuel

Mini oven : thx for the info, well im trying to achieve that crackling crust at the same time achieving some creamy taste. Made a batch hours ago and they turned out rather crackly and great tasting however tottaly out of shape and dough didnt rise as much ( never got a good shape in any of my test bake on baguettes tho )Sorry didnt take pics of it. It looked a bit flat and perhaps it was due to my enifficient tranfering of my dough from the peel to baking tray. The dough stuck a bit to the linen.

Aussie Pete: haha, zip if i see one.

fminparis: just expanding the horizons :)

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Now to work on the shaping.  Important to review some videos and play with some clay.   There are some clay products in the toy department that are great for just pressing out, rolling up, in miniature just to have a little "hands on" before as the dough bulk rises.  I know, clay is not dough, yup, it behaves itself.  Dough is alive and you don't get too many shots at it before it's overworked.  

Getting the surface tension is always the tricky part.  One important tip about tension is to remember to keep stretching the same area of the dough, like the top.   Keep track of the top smooth surface.  Stretch the dough away from that surface.  Take notice when you flip your dough upside down.  If you roll your dough out flat before rolling up to shape, get that "top" surface face down so that as you roll, it comes back up on the outside and on top again.  If you haven't gotten into the "stretch & fold" technique, then it's time to check out the videos and info we got around here.  Saves lots of fuss and waisted time.  There are several ways to fold, use any one you like and keep track of the top of the loaf.

Tighten the dough like those aliens on Star Trek, the next generation, tighten their faces.  Well, sort of.  Those jerks that pull the skin taunt across their faces with clips on the backside of their heads.  (I bet that alien idea came from watching someone tighten the bread dough or tighten the cover on an old ironing board.)  Only with dough it is easy enough to pinch the dough together on the back or underside if little or no flour is used.  Dust with flour after the seam is pressed.  

If the dough too tight, it will resist stretching threatening to tear, stop, let it rest while the bubbles brew inside (helping you) and continue to stretch and shape 10 to 15 minutes later.  If you have several loaves or small breads to shape, move in rotation so that one can rest while you work another.  If you have trouble with the bigger sizes, make little ones and gradually work to bigger ones.  That gives you more loaves to practice on.   

Mini

sam's picture
sam

.. and if you can't trace your family lineage at least 1000 years through French history, it's not a baguette.   :-)