February 16, 2020 - 8:37am
Baguettes Are Slightly Curving Up At Ends
Hello all,
The baguettes I have been baking have often been curving ever so slightly and not staying flat and straight. Anyone have an idea why?
I'm mixing dough until ingredients are incorporated. 1 minute second speed. 75 degrees DDT. 1 hour 30 minutes bulk ferment with a fold halfway through and refrigerate over night. Take out about an hour before I divide and preshape. I shape into baguettes and proof 1-2 hours. I place them in the refrigerator while oven is preheating. I did notice the bottom formed quite a skin so I think I'm going to wrap it in a trash bag next time.
Thank you,
Tyler Teran
Crustworthy Bread, Akron, OH
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interesting, could it be somehow the surface tension build up on the bottom? Do you final stage it with the seam side up?
Hi there crustworthy. I recently resumed an interest in baking hand made bread. Some time between when I last did it and now, we got a fan assist only oven. Decent loaves were impossible in it, however much steam I tried to add, but when I tried a dutch oven they started looking like they should. The thing is, my boules ended up flying saucer shaped (!), the base didn't stay flat they turned up at the edges. I put this down to the crust forming too early, as a result of the powerful drying action of the fan, so instead of accommodating expansion by the crust opening up where it is scored, the loaves were trying to go more spherical to maximise the volume to surface area ratio and accomodate the expanding gas that way.
Your account of the ends turning up is remiscent of this, so the issue may be your oven conditions. Possibly the top surface of the baguettes is forming a crust before tne underside so the underside expands more. I guess a dutch oven would be impossible with baguettes of any length, maybe try covering with foil initially?
As it happens, this is my first post here, I have been meaning to introduce myself, when I have something to say and a nice crusty picture, but I had better do so now.
TIM
I have the same experience. Actually I have a long dutch oven in which I can bake two 36 cm baguettes at a go. I am also somewhat frustrated that both ends curve a little upwards. I had the same experience when baking on a stone. It's still a mystery to me.
The curling up of the ends of baguettes is a very normal phenomenon. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a baguette that doesn’t curl up at the ends.
Benny