Getting into the oven without losing all my gas....so to speak.
The good, the bad and the ugly.
Ok, so I decide to really "apply" myself to this weekends effort. Many were kind to recommend KA All Purpose (flavor and crumb very nice so that was a winner) and I blend two of Reinhart's recipes using a pate fermente. I blend the french baguette and the Basic Sour Dough as I am trying to get more towards a baguette off of a starter I have been using for 3+ years now. As I changed the flour and made myself a couche yesterday and two banetons I knew the number of variables were getting a bit out of hand for a proper test. I also decided to go a bit wetter with what I learned from other posts and videos here.
I got great 2nd rise from the breads in the banetons, the same with the couche baguettes; everything looked wonderful when it was time to warm the oven. I got the first baguette out of the couche and onto the peel with no problem, it held its form well enough for a proper slicing from the lame. The others not so much. Getting the breads out of the rest of the couche, and the baskets cost too much de-gassing. The breads were VERY deflated and difficult to cut and I did not get the proper bloom in the oven, they tried but sort of petered out in their efforts.
My plan next time is maybe not so wet (though many of the videos here seem like pretty wet dough) and hope to develop a "technique" to get out of the couche and onto the stone/parchment/peel whatever it takes to not get too degassed.
IF anyone expereinced something similar regarding the handleing of the bread please provide a link or thoughts.
BTW, all is not lost, the bread will go fine with a nice Beef Rogan Josh, Lentils and yogurt mint Indian dish.
THanks in advance
Hank