The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Baguette shaping tip

Pablo's picture
Pablo

Baguette shaping tip

I've found that, when shaping baguettes, after I've gone through the folding stages and get to the point where I have a torpedo and the next step is to roll them, this is a good point for a rest for the dough.  I accomplish this by getting all the baguettes to this stage and then going back and rolling/elongating the first one.  It's had time to relax by then.  I find that if I try to take each baguette all the way through folding and rolling/elongating, that I am fighting the dough that has been recently folded and built up some resistance.  I find them much more willing to elongate once they've had a little 5 minute rest after the folding portion of the shaping process.

:-Paul

Pablo's picture
Pablo

Another tip.  I was a body worker for a number of years and I found that closing my eyes got me deeper into the client's musculature.  I find the same thing with rolling the baguettes.  I close my eyes to increase my tactile concentration.  These are today's efforts.  We were picking a favourite size, I had made some petit baguettes at 100g before and they were too small, these are 150, 200, 250, and 300.  Also we've decided that we like the blunt ends better than the pointy ends.  Now I know what to shoot for.  250g of dough with blunt ends.

sizessizes

:-Paul

warmouth's picture
warmouth

 those are some awesome looking baguettes 

 looks like a very open crumb , nice .  do you use commercial yeast for those?

 and my sourdough is doing pretty good  i just need to tweek them a bit and then i'll get some pics posted for you 

 i made a nice looking loaf  for my sandwich bread and let it bake a little to long so a little to dark , not worth a picture, though we had no problem eating it up ;) 

i'm  making a sponge right now  so if all goes well i'll have a picture up later

Pablo's picture
Pablo

Great to haer from you, Warmouth.  I keep wondering how your baking is going.  Did you try the parchment paper?  It's like a miracle.

Anyway, no, there is no commercial yeast in my baguettes.  It's fun to play with the whole "natural leavening" deal.  

:-Paul

Pablo's picture
Pablo

Speaking of natural leavening, you might get off on this.  Today I baked a bread based on fermented pears.  It came out good.  The only leavening is the pears.  I added about 90g of honey to the 1400g dough and that gave a nice sweetness with the 330g of ground-up fermented pears.   I'm quite pleased.  I've been playing with fermented fruit for leavinging and I've decided that I only like to do them as sweet breads.  I tried a tomato ferment and made it into a cheese bread but I didn't like it.

:-Paul

weavershouse's picture
weavershouse

Your photo makes me laugh.                                                              weavershouse

audra36274's picture
audra36274

till Halloween. If Paul is that cool the rest of the year Halloween must be fun at his house!

Paul, we enjoy your photo's and your post on bakings! Keep up the great work!

                                                                Audra

Pablo's picture
Pablo

What mustache?  :-}

:-Paul