Baguettes au Levain set no. 15

This is set number 15 of my baguette trials and tribulations and in some ways one of the most successful baguette bakes I’ve had where I figured something out that has turned out to be critical to my baguettes.  I have been stumped by the lack of ears and grigne on my baguettes, but happy with the crumb.  Well in this bake I reduced bulk fermentation aiming for only a 25% rise in bulk and then eliminated bench room temperature proofing of the shaped dough instead putting the baguettes into the fridge after final shaping.

For three baguettes about 280 g (to account for aliquot jar)

Fermentolyse

Dissolve diastatic malt powder, IDY and levain in water.  Then add flour and mix.

20 mins later add salt with wet hands and work in with dimpling and pinching.  then Rubaud kneading for up to 4-5 mins.  Remove 30-50 g of dough and place in aliquot jar and keep with the dough.

Rest 50 mins then Coil Fold.

Rest 50 mins then Coil Fold

Once aliquot jar reaches 25% rise then place dough into refrigerator 2ºC overnight and up to 24 hours.

Remove dough from fridge and divide into 3 equal weight doughs and pre-shape lightly as loose rolls.  Bench rest 20 mins.  Shape baguettes and place in floured couche and then into refrigerator for 1 hour.

Next, set oven up for steaming with Sylvia towel and cast iron skillet and temperature set to 500ºF.  In fact I now wait for 30 mins after oven is turned on and then place the Sylvia towel loaf pan filled with boiling water from kettle into oven.  This time I tried pre-heating oven and baking with steam at 525ºF but ended up with slightly burnt bottom crust so will go back to 500ºF. 

Using transfer board place each baguette on a parchment lined peel.  Brush excess flour off each baguette.  Score.  I didn’t brush water on the baguettes this time and still had some blisters.

Transfer baguettes onto baking steel using the peel and parchment.  Pour boiling water into icast iron skillet.  Bake with steam for 13 mins then remove Sylvia towel and cast iron skillet. 

Drop temperature of oven to 500ºF and turn on convection (I forgot to turn on convection which leads to more uneven browning).  After 5 mins turn and rotate baguettes.  Check for done ness in another 5 mins, if not fully browned then rotate and turn again.  Remove once crust is nicely browned.