FWSY Field Blend #1 - as baguettes of course
I performed my due diligence (old IT terms die hard!) and came up empty when looking to see whether anyone on the internet had posted a reference to the FWSY Field Blend #1 as baguettes. So the door was swung open for me to get in “first”.
I’ve had several bakes since my self-imposed isolation from baking to avoid "diet-restricted” temptation, dropping ~12 lbs. of mostly mid-section tire (okay U.K. - tyre. Happy now?). While still being careful, I've gone back to my morning toast this past month. Most all of the breads were in the service of holiday bakes for gatherings of one sort or another. And just as I was venturing into my diet, now ~2 months ago, I had a list of new breads that I was eager to try and placed in pecking order. And the first on my list was this FB#1. Now that the deed is done, I can write up several notes on it which will include:
Mixing by hand, the dough was very goopy when the levain was added and somewhat difficult to incorporate. This lasted through the first half of my 300 French Folds. After the 5 minute rest, mid-way through the FFs, the dough had begun to smooth out although it remained, at 75% hydration, a bit "too wet”. And then it settled down and became more manageable. And quite extensible for the bulk ferment. Caraway seeds were added on the first of 4 Letter Folds. After a long nap in retard, the dividing and pre-shaping were dandy but the final shaping created “issues”. The dough was hard to shape cleanly, whether sticking to the bench or sliding mercilessly on the little flour I used to stop the sticking.
After an overnight retard I was questioning how these would look and how difficult they would be to come off my very modestly floured couche. And to my surprise, they came off with just about no hesitation. The bake went well, and other than some mild shaping imperfections, I am pleased.
This is the test run, as we are headed up to see family in NY Christmas week, and my wife (you know - the smart one of us) mentioned that her folks would probably really like this as batards. But the recalcitrance in me forced me to bake these as baguettes. Bad dog...
Steam released and loaves rotated. The little black "bugs" on the surface are actually the caraway seeds.
And the money shot - awaiting the toaster this morning
375g x 3 baguettes/long batards
Comments
Holy crap the one right loks like a gian self tapping screw !
The exciting new novel by Donnie Baggs. Coming to a trash heap near you. And just in time for the holiday season when you can throw away good money on useless tawdry writing that could have been spent buying a 2nd hand Tickle Me Elmo.
From the Editor's Desk:
"A love story of a boy and his loaf. From the wilds of the tame plains of the Everglades. A story that will make you laugh, make you cry, and ultimately in a moment of sheer spent emotion - throw it back into the rubbish bin. The heart-rendering tale of how young lad went under the knife to become the young lass she thought she wanted to be. Only to find that love is just a four letter word - along with finding out about some other four letter words.
How the days spent as a scullery lad/lass shaped Tracy to realize that there was more to life than a three compartment sink and a kitchen towel. And the more that Tracy sulked as she soaked, wished as she washed and winced as she rinsed Tracy began to see the big picture in Life magazine. Tracy no longer aspired to earn that degree form Pantry University In Gallery, New Mexico.
And finally in the September of her life she sat back and reflected on her days and thought to herself: Once upon a time I dressed so fine and threw the bums a dime in my prime, didn't I? People called to say 'beware doll, you're bound to fall', and she thought they were all kidding her. She used to laugh about everybody that was hanging out. But now? She don't talk so loud. Now? She don't seem so proud about having to be scrounging her next meal."
Well, I don't want to give away the meaningless ending of this tale, so I will leave it to you, dear reader, to decide and move on and to wholly and unabashedly ignore this trashy work by an author of no distinction.
Gorgeous as usual! Even with a wet dough, you pull off ears like that. You could probably get an ear out of pudding if you tried baking it! Nice job!
This is my Mt. Everest...
.
thanks, alan
batard instead of her 'Bad Dog'husband! So in never was Don Baggs after all ......it was really Bad Dog:-) I guess that is still better than Mad Dog. As MC said in Godfather III - this is the price we pay for the life we lead.
Amazing how a pro can make anything into the Wonder Bread of France - only better! Well done indeed, safe travels and enjoy the Holidays with family in the 'old county.'
Happy baking Don.....eeerrrr.....I mean.......Bad Dog
I'm more of a Bad Dogface. As VC said: I'll make him a baguette he can't refuse.
thanks, alan
These look great as usual. So how was the crumb and more importantly the taste?
Looks like you are coming to NY just in time for the cold and snow! We had about 3" last night and a few the day before. I think this is going to be a bad winter.
Ian
A pretty nice crumb considering the difficulty I had wrangling the baguette shaping phase of the operation. A good Deli rye-like taste, especially with the caraway - just as Mr. Forkish stated.
IM(not so)HO - any winter that I set foot in NY is a bad one for me. But considering that we both have close family there that would take a bulldozer to extricate themselves from Manhattan, I guess there are still a lot of bad winters ahead of me.
thanks, alan