The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Can I make loaves from baguette dough?

JemFull's picture
JemFull

Can I make loaves from baguette dough?

Hi there - I'm new to this forum so I apologize if my question has been answered - I have done multiple searches but can't find an answer...

I have been making sourdough bread using the Tartine bread method for the last year or so with successful results and I'm really happy with my progress.  Recently my husband happened to drop into the conversation that he's never been that keen on the sourdough flavor - imagine my surprise! I have in the past tried the Tartine baguette recipe, but my oven is small and not quite conducive to creating beautifully shaped long baguettes. I would love to keep and use my starter, but would like a milder flavored loaf.  Any suggestions? Is it possible to make the baguette dough from the Tartine method and shape it into a loaf or ciabatta shape? I am not an experienced bread baker, so not quite ready for too much experimentation, but would love any input. 

Thanks,

Jane

Scootsmcgreggor's picture
Scootsmcgreggor

Hi Jane I’ve done just this with the tartine baguette formula and while it did yield an interesting loaf in my case it did not keep nearly as well. But I suppose that is not unique to this dough specifically, but any decently yeasted dough/bread. Give it a shot!

JemFull's picture
JemFull

Thanks for your reply - i'll give it a try!

 

The Almighty Loaf's picture
The Almighty Loaf

On the note of a small oven, have you tried making demi baguettes? I too have a puny oven and while true baguettes are usually around 2 feet or longer, demi baguettes can be made a lot smaller (around 1 foot). 

But baguette dough can totally be made into any shape, it is basically just good ol' french bread dough after all. Plus, baguettes are usually preshaped into batards anyway so they translate well into batards. You'd have to adjust the baking times but that's not too hard to do and you can always just go off of physical appearance and internal temperature in order to tell when it's done.