Day 7, Forgot the salt!
I was watching these beauties actively springing in the oven when I realized that I forgot to add the salt! No wonder they were so active. I used my pizza stone for the first time and got beautiful, crunchy crusts. In leu of a peal I sprinkled corn meal on pieces of parchment paper and slid them onto the stone which was already in the oven. It worked like a charm! I steamed the oven with about a cup of water which was poured into a hot roasting pan on the bottom. Look at that bubble!
They smell wonderful and actually don't taste that bad. I wouldn't say cardboard but just a little flat. Great with salted butter!
I think for my next batch I will do half the salt and see what happens. My current recipe calls for two teaspoons so I will try one and see if they look like this. More tomorrow, thanks for reading. Molly
Comments
Would you mind sharing your recipe? The crumb looks great for a sandwich bread.
I have been experimenting with the King Arthur Flour recipe for baguettes:
Poolish
2/3 cup (5 1/4 oz) cool water
1 1/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Unbleached Bread Flour
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
Dough
All of the Poolish
1 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast or 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2/3 cup (5 1/4 ounces) lukewarm water*
2 1/2 cup (10 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt
The Starter: Mix the starter ingredients together till smooth, cover, and let rest at room temperature for about 14 hours; overnight is good.
Preparing the Dough: Combine the starter, yeast, water, flour, and salt, and mix and knead them together -- by hand, mixer or bread machine -- until a ball forms. Cover and let sit for 20 min. Place dough on a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes adding minimal flour as you go. You want the dough to be as wet aspossible but still be able to handle it. Allow the dough to rise, covered with lightly greased plastic wrap, for 3 hours, gently deflating it and folding it after 1 hour, and then again after 2 hours.
***I break away from the recipe here and form two boules, allow them to proof for 30-40 min and put them in the oven at 500 degrees for 20 min. I'm not ready to test my baguette-forming skills...
Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased or floured work surface. Divide the dough into three pieces. Shape each piece into a rough, slightly flattened oval, cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
Working with one piece of dough at a time, fold the dough in half lengthwise, and seal the edges with the heel or edge of your hand. Flatten it slightly, and fold and seal again. With the seam-side down, cup your fingers and gently roll the dough into a 15" log . Place the logs in the folds of a floured couche or floured cotton dish towel, which you've set onto a sheet pan or pans. Or place them directly onto the pan (lightly greased or parchment-lined). Cover them with a proof cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the loaves to rise till they have become quite puffy, but haven't doubled in size; this will take about 60 to 90 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 450°F; if you're using a baking stone, place it on the lowest shelf. Roll the risen baguettes from the couche onto the lightly greased or parchment-lined pan of your choice -- or onto a peel, if you're baking directly on the stone. Spritz the baguettes heavily with warm water; this will help them develop a crackly-crisp crust. Using a very sharp knife held at about a 45° angle, make three 8” vertical slashes in each baguette. Place the baguettes in the oven.
Bake the baguettes for about 25 minutes, until they're a deep, golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack. Or, for the very crispiest baguettes, turn off the oven, crack it open about 2 inches, and allow the baguettes to cool in the oven.Yield: Three 16” baguettes.
Have fun and let me know how they come out! Molly