More height from batard
I've been baking a lot of Hammelman's Vermont Sourdough lately... it's tasty, and focusing on the one formula has helped me to dial in my shaping and steaming in the oven. It may be a forlorn hope, but I'd like to get a little more height out of my batards. I recall reading that a single lengthwise slash encourages vertical lift while the multiple diagonal slashes a baguette gets results in a wider loaf. I used to have a few loaves that inflated vertically off the stone, but it seems like since I've gotten my grigne and ear problem fixed the bread no longer lifts quite as well.
This is an approximately 1 lb batard; had great oven spring, crumb and crust are dialed in nicely. Is there a way to shape and/or slash to encourage the loaf to spread UP more than OUT to the sides? If it matters, I've been using a couche for the final rise.
Any thoughts? Or am I just reaching for something the bread doesn't want to give?
I find that two shorter, overlapping scores create more lift than a single full-length score. A few months ago I abandoned the couche in favor of bannetons for my batards. I also do an overnight cold proof and I find that between the scores, bannetons and cold proof I am getting loaves that have more vertical than horizontal development.
Jim
A little hard to tell from the picture and this angle, but I will take a guess that the lack of rise is due to the dimensions of the batard. If you try shortening the length of the batard, the expansion during oven spring should become more concentrated upwards. If you think about the length vs. girth of a baguette for example, you wouldn't expect a similar vertical rise, so I believe the same dynamics are at play here.
Just for the record, I also do an overnight cold proof/retard, but unlike Jim, I do use a couche and usually a single score and get pretty darned good results from those. Not to say that Jim is wrong, because for his environment and baking experiences he isn't, but we all find our own equilibrium about what works best for each of us. And that is part of the fun - and frustration.
And your single score, from tip to tail, is just right. Too often I've seen a score that doesn't start and end across the entire length of the batard, and the results are telling. And restricting the grigne from fully developing.
for some reason neither Chrome or Firefox want to show the image. I also do batards the same way that Alan does his, including scoring. Oven rise is a little more than double the dough size.
the single full length opened up fantastically, and on my smaller batards I did 3 scores like a baguette and I got a really good oven spring, the scores almost seemed to have blown apart :) and I got more height (I think). It is fun changing from one to the other, not sure which is best. I think going forward I will do whatever the dough looks like accepting (if that makes sense). :)
Leslie