The Fresh Loaf

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Baguette

mazzidante's picture
mazzidante

Baguette

Please little help....this is the recipe 1kg flour with 11.5 of protein,680gr water very cold,20gr of salt,5gr dry yeast,2gr malt.I mix and pass the window test....i shape a ball and i put in the refrigerator,after 14 hours,i take out the ball has been raised a lot there is no more ball shape......This is the point...now what i should do?Everything  i tried was no good the main problem for me is that everything is to soft even if i roll the baguette there is a lot of bobble of air inside,and when i try to score with blade,the surface is soft even if i put some flour....I would like get some advice..thank you

Comments

marc's picture
marc

Are you making Pain a l'Ancienne?

LindyD's picture
LindyD

Wet doughs, such as the BBA's Ancienne formula, are best stretched after the dough has been divided.  Don't even attempt to score - it will be fine without scoring.

Whose recipe are you using?

 

marc's picture
marc

The BBA recipe is what I was thinking and it's supposed to have "bobbles"

That stuff makes the most incredible pizza dough! I make mine just a little bit drier than the recipe calls for and if I happen to make baguettes the next day after proofing overnight, they are scorable—just barely. But if I hold the dough for a couple of days, it starts to break down too much and then—definitely no point in scoring, but still makes a wonderful bread for dipping in stew.

LindyD's picture
LindyD

Agreed, Marc, that the Ancienne is a great and formula - but it doesn't contain any malt, which is why I wondered what recipe the OP was using.

Gee, I haven't made it in a while.  Thanks for the reminder!

marc's picture
marc

You're right. No malt. Carol Fields always called for malt in a lot of her recipes.

Not know what Mazzidante is making and if it were me, I would probably have an instinct to make the dough stronger by:

1. using half all purpose and half higher gluten bread flour (12.5+)

2. reduce the water to 650 grams

3. when kneading the dough in the mixer, make sure that it clears the side and bottom and holds together around the hook when the mixer is stopped. If the dough seems to wet and is sticky to the sides, add small amounts of flour, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time as the mixer is kneading the dough until the dough comes together in more of a muscular form. It should maybe be more of a firm ball coming out of the mixer rather than a soft ball.

I might be steering you in the wrong direction, but I tend to like a denser baguette. The baguettes that I make are more of a peasant baguette. It has just enough water to hold the flour together. Sometimes I'm even picking off the dry pieces before I place into a bucket for an overnight fermentation. I also make mine with all bread flour (12.7).


mazzidante's picture
mazzidante

Im doing the classic recipe of french baguette,and im puttin in the refrigerator in the night because i work in a restaurant.....i dont know before used to be fine but know....anyway  if you can tell me what to do when i take out from the refrigerator?or you think my reipe has somethin wrong? Im waitin for good advices.

marc's picture
marc

If the recipe was fine before, then something in the process or ingredients has changed.

Are you weighing ingredients accurately. Is your scale functioning properly.

Does the recipe call for "all-purpose" flour (11.5)?

Have you changed the type / brand of flour you are using?

Are you kneading for the correct amount of time at the correct speed?

Has the temperature of the refrigerator been increased? If the refrigerator is not cool enough, then the dough might be over proofing. OK for focaccia. Not so good for baguette.

If you working in a restaurant—any number of issues could arise as a result of your co-worker's actions. Where is your dough being stored? In a walk-in? Is someone making a large batch of soup and then setting the hotel pan in the walk-in—UNDER YOUR DOUGH—so that the soup can cool?

Good Luck

 

mazzidante's picture
mazzidante

To be honest i checked many time all this details,if i make everything the same day,there is no problem...the problem start when i wanna make the day before,i do not understand ,why before the dough keep the shapenuntil the morning and now looks  rise like a ciabatta.....do you think that maybe im not mixing the right time?I do  by hand....so maybe before i had  a helper who use to workin hard by hand..now i just pass the window test...and i stop....

marc's picture
marc

Yes, if you are mixing by hand, you may not be kneading enough to build up the gluten and strength of the dough—especially if you are using only 11.5 all purpose.

Try kneading longer by hand—for sure 12 - 18 minutes.

Then, all allow the dough to rest 20 minutes covered.

Do a set of French folds. If the dough feels good at this point, then refrigerate.

Otherwise, wait 20 minutes longer and do another set of French folds.

note: Do you French folds with wet hands and surface. Do a search on this site. There is a great video that was recently posted.

Important though, you need to get the dough for a fairly muscular consistently to begin with. 

Working by hand and doing French folds could be tricky as the dough will begin to proof quite a bit. However, just put it into the fridge. If it starts to double up too soon in the fridge and you're still at work, just punch the dough back down.

longhorn's picture
longhorn

From what you describe I think you have way too much yeast. When you retard overnight it is best to cut the yeast a bit in my experience. And from what I read in your words is that you simply took your one day recipe and put it in the fridge - so it overproofed. I would start by cutting the yeast in half or more. 2 to 3 grams.

Good luck!

Jay

marc's picture
marc

What about the type of yeast. "Active Dry Yeast" vs. "Instant Yeast"

I always use Active Dry, even for a recipe that calls for cold water. If you accidentally got Instant Yeast, and had previously been using Active Dry, that might affect the proofing and make the bread over proof. From what I understand, you should use less instant yeast than you would active dry yeast.

marc's picture
marc

I reviewed one of my recipes and match it to your percentages.

I agree with longhorn. You should reduce the yeast to 3 grams (or 3/4 teaspoon or 0.75 teaspoon. For the amount of flour and water you are using, 3 grams should be perfect.

If you do not have a sensitive scale that can accurately measure in 1 gram increments, then use teaspoons to measure out the 3/4 teaspoon.

 

mazzidante's picture
mazzidante

Thank  you everybody i will try