The Fresh Loaf

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copyu's picture

Ancient baguette discussion

April 18, 2010 - 5:52am -- copyu
Forums: 

Hi all,

I was searching the 'net for possible tips on re-creating Boulangier Paul's "flute ancienne" and came across this rather old, but interesting, bulletin-board/blog/discussion. There are some really good posts, there.

Someone asked the question: "Why are French baguettes better than others?" There were some interesting answers. This may be useful to bakers around this neighbourhood. No questions from me, for a change...just posted FYI...

jennyloh's picture
jennyloh

I made these today with a chef.  This recipe was meant to go into a bread machine,  which of course,  the machine is me.  I made this all by hand. I tried 2 things today.  1 was to cover the loaf with a claypot to bake,  and another stay in the claypot to bake.  Of course it turned out that the one that stayed in the claypot got a nicer crust - golden brown.

But somehow with this formula,  the bread didn't rise too much,  I might have overproof it - 1 1/2 hours.  Went out for supper during that time,  by the time I got back, the dough looks more than ready.  The one with the claypot covered had a little more rise,  as I baked it immediately after I return.  Here it is:

 

The one that goes into the claypot,  didn't rise much. Just a little jutting up from the top that I score.  

 

Both were not as crispy as I like....I still do not have baking stone....sigh....I can't find it in China yet....can someone send me one?!....  But the inside is chewy, soft,  and the taste is a little more salty - I don't know if this is because of the salt I added or the chef that was quite well fermented....weather was good over here in Shanghai...warming up...

 

 

The crumbs are well spread out,  not a lot of holes. And the 2 loaves have slightly different taste,  somehow the boule turns out to be less salty,  why?  perhaps I left it overnight in the fridge,  it had absorb what ever is in the dough.

 

I guess I can say this is a pass?...

 

Jenny

www.foodforthoughts.jlohcook.com

 

 

KitchenCrazed's picture

Baguettes for breakfast

January 20, 2010 - 9:06am -- KitchenCrazed

I recently got Peter Reinhart's Crust and Crumb and as always have thoroughly enjoyed reading his relaxed and expert advice on baking all types of bread.

My wife loves good bread and jam for breakfast so I thought I would make some baguettes using the French Bread master formula from the book that we could have for breakfast a few days ago.

It was the first time I had cold retarded dough and won't be looking back. In terms of the quality of the crumb and the chewy crunchiness of the crust these are definitely my best baguettes so far.

pmccool's picture

Question about Leader's Auvergne Dark Rye

July 18, 2009 - 7:00am -- pmccool

I've started Leader's Auvergne Dark Rye and run into some confusion.  Leader describes the first stage of the dough as a "thick, smooth batter".  That's using the starter, 350 grams of water and 500 grams of medium or light rye flour.  Right off the bat, a dough at 70% hydration is not going to be a batter.  In my case, the matter is compounded by the fact that I'm using a stone-ground whole rye flour, which is even more absorptive.  Batter?  No.  Play-Doh?  Yes.

leucadian's picture

My arteries can't take this

December 12, 2008 - 8:04pm -- leucadian

I came across this on the French Wikipedia: a loaf filled with gruyere, bacon lardons, and creme fraiche. I thought a fougasse was the flat bread with holes cut in it, but this is entirely different. It's from Foix, in the Pyrenees. Anyone dare to make it?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Fougasse_de_Foix.jpg

Stewart

davidjm's picture
davidjm

Since most break-baking professionals tend to emulate French bakers, I thought it might be instructive to post this picture and present some questions I am unable to answer at this time. 

We recently spend three weeks in France (in Northern Brittany and Paris), which really raised the bar of my bread baking aspirations.  Take the following sour-dough rye loaf I purchased in the "inter-marche" (normal grocery store) in Brittany, France.  Notice the shape of the loaf.  It is triangular.  In France, each bakery has characteristic shapes, sizes, and slashing patterns.  This was the only time I ever saw a shape like this.  The crumb was light and hole-y, but still had the "cake-like" texture characteristic of good rye loaves.  There are a few things I would like to know:

1. How did the baker retain the shape of this loaf while still maintaining hydration?

2. There were no slashes, but the crust was also not broken.  How?  Is that a feature of hydration and extensibility?

3. In France, to be considered rye, they have to have a certain percentage of rye flour to white.  This bread had a crumb that I cannot replicate with the 50:50 rye:white mix I use in my siegle au levain.  How did they make a nice dark rye loaf and keep an airy crumb?

 

Siegle au Levain

 

 

 

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