The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Baguette Crust

hydestone's picture
hydestone

Baguette Crust

I made some baguettes tonight using Peter Reinhardts formula. Followed it pretty much straight up.

 

Overall they tasted great and the interior was fantastic. The crust was a bit lighter than I hoped it would be.  If I want a darker tastier crust, should I have left the oven at a higher temperature for longer than recommended or kept them in the oven longer at the lower temperature?  The interior was at 205 when I pulled them. 

 

Thanks!

tgrayson's picture
tgrayson

I'd use a higher temperature; longer would do the job, but you'd end up with a thicker crust. If you have convection, switch it on about halfway through.

hydestone's picture
hydestone

Great idea.  I hadn’t considered using convection to brown it. I’ll give that a shot. 

What is the problem with h using convection for the entire bake?

tgrayson's picture
tgrayson

You want to delay for as long as possible the drying out of the crust, giving the bread time to expand.