The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Back again Vermont SD again alfanso style again

alfanso's picture
alfanso

Back again Vermont SD again alfanso style again

After my self imposed hiatus of three months away, I decided to kick off the "new baking season" with a run of the Hamelman Vermont SD, again using AP instead of bread flour and using a rye levain instead of white flour - thus the "alfanso style" moniker.  Fortunately it looks as though I haven't lost a beat.  Funny thing is that my final blog entry before I left in June was for the same bread.  

I typically don't blog the same bread over again unless there is a change, improvement, a different shape or something I deem noteworthy to share.  However, in this case, as this is the virgin run of the season, I figured that I'd reintroduce myself with these baguettes/long batards.

And although we both disappeared from the site at the same time, I didn't run away and elope with dabrownman.  I just sure would like to know that he's okay, but he hasn't surfaced yet.  A loss for all of us here at TFL.

400g x 3 long batards/baguettes

Comments

leslieruf's picture
leslieruf

absolutely missed your posts! hope you enjoyed your break!

lovely lovely baguettes, it is a great recipe and I was thinking about it the other day. haven't made it in ages.  

happy baking alfanso

Leslie

alfanso's picture
alfanso

After a few months away I was wondering how the task of dough handling would be.  But a good formula makes for a good experience too.  I had forgotten how this dough is a bit sticky to mix by hand (at least with a rye levain) at first, but then calms down and is a delight to shape.  Requires just about no flour on the couche too.  Maybe this post will get you to give it a go.

alan

IceDemeter's picture
IceDemeter

"Welcome bake" - somewhat appropriate, really)

It's great to see your signature style back on the front page - and that you are still right on the top of your form.  I have to admit that I was wholeheartedly relieved to see one post from you a couple of months ago mentioning that you were just taking a short break, since it is so concerning to see the consistently helpful posts from such nice folks as yourself and DAB just suddenly disappear. 

I hope that your break was fully enjoyed by you and yours, and that you are back to baking happy!

Best, Laurie

alfanso's picture
alfanso

We arrived back home in Florida just in time to skedaddle out of town ahead of Hurricane Irma - along with oceans of others escaping the oncoming storm.  With a 65 lb. dog that can't travel by public transportation, we had no choice but to hit the road by auto.  With failing hind legs (the dog, not me!) I can't even consider carrying the beast up and down 15 flights of stairs at least three times a day until any power outage is restored.  

3000 miles and two weeks later we returned to where we started!  I packed up my 2 levains in a cooler pack with "blue ice" for the entire trip anticipating that the electricity would go out and my refrigerated stock would become useless goo.  As it tuns out, we were amongst the fortunate few who never lost power.

Upon arrival last week I refreshed my 75% levain from my 60% levain.  Then rebuilt my 60% levain from the 75% levain.  Don't ask, it may make no sense in print but it made "reasonable" sense on the workbench in practice.

thanks, alan!

AlanG's picture
AlanG

I was also on a bit of a hiatus, trip to England for a wedding and then on to Ireland followed by a busy summer.  Funny you are baking this right now; I just did my first sourdough of the season (usually eat more yeast bread in sandwiches during the summer) just last week.  It's similar to the Vermont SD but with some modification that David Snyder posted for his San Joaquin varietal!!

I'm going to have to try some bagguettes one of these days.  Mostly mine are 500g batards.

alfanso's picture
alfanso

The one time in Ireland, I really loved it, and didn't run across a single ill-tempered person the entire time, perhaps beginner's luck ;-) ?.  And of course the U.K. and looking forward to a next visit there as well.

Curious as to how you prepare your levains for a long trip.  I freeze some, maybe not a brilliant move, and also dry and flake some out for rehydrating - which is what I have now done on more than one occasion.  It also makes for a dandy way to ship some off to someone elsewhere.

alan

AlanG's picture
AlanG

"Curious as to how you prepare your levains for a long trip.  I freeze some, maybe not a brilliant move, and also dry and flake some out for rehydrating - which is what I have now done on more than one occasion.  It also makes for a dandy way to ship some off to someone elsewhere."

I have a 100% AP starter that I just leave alone in the refrigerator  I do have a couple of dried flake starters in the freezer just in case but I have never needed to use them.  I have found that unless the starter is absolutely dead which has never happened, I just need to do a couple of 1:2:2 builds with the old starter to create a new one which I then use for bread baking.  In three years this has always worked.

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

I missed your loaves! Now my heart is happy! (It would be happier if Dabrownman would show up....)

alfanso's picture
alfanso

But I had access to some pretty darned good bread along the way, so I was never lacking.  Between that and the close to two pints of ale I was downing daily (spent the summer in our old hometown of Portland) along with a lot of eating out daily, I am in the first phase of a modest diet regimen (again!).  Not much, but the change is noticeable to at least me and I want to regain my girlish figure...!

thanks, alan

Flour.ish.en's picture
Flour.ish.en

has been kind to me. It never fails. Welcome back to this space. I've always enjoyed the signature look of your baguettes. You put a glaze on them, right? Happy baking!

alfanso's picture
alfanso

Actually, no.  I snap these photos within minutes of them emerging from the oven under the exhaust fan light.  The lighting (and black background) may change the look of them a little.  I only use a glaze on rye breads with caraway, because where I grew up - NYC, that seemed traditional (and because of David Snyder's "Greenstein Jewish Rye Bread" post, which I originally used as my template formula).  Funny that I've been asked that Q before.

alan

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Also great to hear you and the family escaped the hurricane unscathed.  I lost 40 pounds my self since going on a diet in January and now I'm just trying not Tom gain it all back again :).   The bread looks like it hasn't missed a beat for sure.

Happy Baking....now we just need to get you to make a boule :).

alfanso's picture
alfanso

That's an accomplishment, all right.  Congrats.  Now the trick is managing the new weight (and new wardrobe).  

My almost all-the-time adult weight was in the 176-178 range, until I joined a gym in 1994 and it drifted up to low-to-mid 180s.  If I take off 5-7 pounds now, I'd be content.  Along with all the great ales and food, I was also hitting my old gym about 5 times a week, so it can't all be from calories, at least I hope not.  Did I mention the great ales*?

Batards and baguettes are so much more satisfying and fun to shape.  Plus there's more crust per square bite with them.  Boules just don't excite me.  Which doesn't mean I can't be coerced on occasion ;-) .

Thanks, alan

* this year my favorite pub was Hair of the Dog.

kendalm's picture
kendalm

Good to see you back online and hope you had a great summer - loaves look amazing as usual (btw, check out progress while you were on vacay)

 

alfanso's picture
alfanso

G,

Although inactive on TFL these past three months, that doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention to the activity here.  For the little that was piquing my interest, I just decided to maintain a low/no profile.

As for your progress, it has been quite noteworthy with significant improvements from just one year ago when you first started to contribute to TFL.

If we keep this up and continue to post, perhaps we can subtly convince others to join the baguette brigade.  As we can both attest to from our own personal journeys to get here:  there are likely few and far between folks who can do this without at least a modest amount of practice.  Whether by lack of desire or interest, there doesn't seem to be a lot of other contributors who post such breads.

We've found a niche that we enjoy, and that neither gives us bragging rights nor takes anything away from others who may not want to travel this route.  Your bakes look just great!

Cheers, alan

kendalm's picture
kendalm

Totally agree - in my opinion the baguette is the greatest loaf on the planet and one only has to travel to France and take one bite to agree - it blew my mind as a teenager when I first had a chance in antibes (ughhh so long ago). There does however seem to be the odd post here and there when someone gives it a shot and quickly discovers the challenge but still have not discovered that its not going to be the next bake or even the next 10 that produce the iconic look (let alone the flavor etc). But beyond the difficulty I think it teaches you a lot about bread in general - first off the scoring and his important tension and spring are when trying to get that burst - if you can burst a baguette you can burst just about any shape. Secondly, yeast control - I have learned so much (mostly through failures) about quantity and timing and temps that its easier now to predict and understsnf the consequences of waiting too long or over yeasting the dough and even how to adjust times etc if the dough isnt developing on queue.

As you point out theres really only a few others dedicated to the craft (bikeprof dmsnyder dabrownman jimbtv txfarmer etc) but its really exciting when others get the bug - ive been wanting to make a video kind of like yours as it seem the more content with pointers the more it help newbies ... Maybe next week it'll actually happen !

HansB's picture
HansB

Loaves!!

Georgerudd92's picture
Georgerudd92

OMG WOW THEY ARE PERFECT WHAT OVEN DO U USE And where is the recipe i need this in my life

alfanso's picture
alfanso

the few and far between.  My breads are still somewhere in-between!

I have a 30" wide electric oven outfitted with a 1" thick piece of scrap granite that I picked up from some very nice people at a countertop business.

The recipe can be found in this link.  Since then I've altered from a 125% hydration white bread flour levain to a 125% hydration rye levain and from bread flour to AP flour.  In this version, from this post, I eliminate the rye flour from the final mix. 

Good luck.  It is a wonderful recipe to bake once and again.  If you've never built a 125% hydration levain, then this will add one more worthy experience.  Just be aware of your levain build expectations.  The white flour builds will rise just slightly and froth on top.  The rye levain will likely grow vigorously.