The Fresh Loaf

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KAF baguettes

jgrill's picture
jgrill

KAF baguettes

Today I baked KAF baguettes, but I used KAF unbleached bread flour instead of all purpose flour as called for in the formula. It's a simple formula for four loaves—34 oz. warm water, 24 oz. flour, 1T salt, 1 T instant yeast (I used SAF Instant). Mix, knead for just a few minutes (4 by hand, 2 by machine), and let ferment at room temp in a covered container for 2 hours, then into the fridge overnight. The dough can stay in the fridge for several days, and you can bake a loaf at a time, over that period, but I divided it and made four loaves for one baking. 

Because the dough was cold when I divided it and pre-shaped into an oval/rectangle, and let it rest for 15 minutes covered with oiled waxed paper, and still pretty cold when I shaped it into baguettes, I put the pans into my upper oven, covered with the same oiled paper, and set the oven to the "proof" setting for the hour and a half proofing. 

I still have a problem getting the scoring right, and so I scored two loaves before proofing, and two, right before going into a 450° oven. Neither version looked great, but the traditional scoring did look better than my experimental version when the baguettes came out of the oven.

I forgot to spritz the loaves with warm water right before baking, but a 30 minute bake with one rotation at 15 minutes resulted in a nice crust, and a pretty good crumb. Nice flavor, too, comparable to some of my better attempts.

Comments

weavershouse's picture
weavershouse

I think the KAF recipe is a good one for baguettes. Easy and I thought very tasty. I used the AP flour. Here is a photo of mine. I made 5 thin baguettes. Great for dipping and bruschetta.

weavershouse

jennyloh's picture
jennyloh

These looks really good, I tried the KA recipe too,  but I don't have KA flour,  so I used Gold Medal,  somehow,  it didn't quite turn out like yours..  I love the look of the crust.....

jgrill's picture
jgrill

Yours look great, and with a more open crumb than mine (at least for this bake). Could that be the difference in the flour (AP vs BF)?

Also, I used pans instead of a half sheet pan for proofing and baking. I made four baguettes, of about 14.5 oz each (before baking).

My wife doesn't want me to try any other variations on baguettes—she likes these the best, particularly for flavor. I may, however, try the recommended AP flour, instead of bread flour, for the next batch.

Sorry I didn't post a photo—photos are on a different computer than the one I used for my post. Next time, I will post photos.

weavershouse's picture
weavershouse

King Arthur Flour has some great recipes on their site. The baguette recipe is a favorite.

weavershouse