The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Baguettes... FIve weekends in a row....

SallyBR's picture
SallyBR

Baguettes... FIve weekends in a row....

For those interested, I just published a little article on my adventure with the unkneaded, six fold baguette recipe from Hamelman

http://bewitchingkitchen.com/2012/02/19/voila-les-baguettes/

 

Syd's picture
Syd

Nice chestnut colour and lovely open crumb, too (crumb shot can be seen on Sally's blog for anyone who was wondering).

Here's another video (if you don't have it already) to add to your shaping collection.  It's from Ciril Hitz  and he explains the scoring really well, too.

Best,

Syd

louie brown's picture
louie brown

I'm a little bit baguette nuts myself. I'm wondering if you think yours could have been baked without scoring? 

SallyBR's picture
SallyBR

I'd say so, in fact my last batch almost went into the oven without scoring - my mind was not exactly in the kitchen at the time! ;-)

my lousy attempt at epis is not scored, and there was quite a nice oven spring, so I bet it would work for baguettes too

 

proth5's picture
proth5

 - the six fold technique is a really lovely mixing method and you really should try it unchanged sometime- just for comparison.

Not caring where the seam ends up, huh?  Also interesting.  "My teacher" insists that I have the seam in the correct position (on the bottom) when I start to elongate the baguette let alone where it appears in the final shape.  So many bakers, so many opinions.

Just a tip on the epi de ble shaping.  The key to success on that shape is to have the scissors at a very flat angle (actually touching the surface of the loaf) and to lose your fear that you will cut through the bottom of the loaf.  Leave only a small amount uncut.  I was working with a student last week and she was sure that I would not get my epis in and out of the oven in one piece - but I did - and you get that graceful look on the loaf.  I find the epi to be so much easier than scoring a baguette and people are more impressed with that shape - go figure.

I do baguettes every weekend because you never really master the things - just when you think you have - the bear gets you...

But, again, nice bread! 

SallyBR's picture
SallyBR

My two first attempts were with the method unchanged -  I actually prefered with the "slamming" technique, the mixing of the flour was more homogeneous, with the folding only, I found that some bits of unincorporated flour would resist mixing until the third cycle of folding.  No big deal, it all worked in the end.  

 

as to the epis, my baguette was too thick and my scissors too small - so it was impossible to do it right, I debated even if I should have posted the photo, but next time I make it, I will make sure the baguette is thinner, so I can cut it with a single cut parallel to the surface and have a better outcome

 

gotta keep trying!  My first attempt at epis (a couple of years ago) was sooooo much worse, and I still blogged about it - shameless woman that I am!

;-)