July 21, 2009 - 10:27am
"Jelly Roll" Shaping
Why do french bread/white loaf recipes in the older cookbooks say to form your breads by rolling out to rectangle and then rolling up jelly roll style? Is it just the old fashioned way or is there a good reason to do this. Does it change the texture of the bread,make the loaf stay in shape better, depend on what type of pan or no pan you use to bake?? Which way should it be done? Thanks for all the replies.
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I shape all my loaves that I bake in pans that way. In my opinion, it makes for a more even crumb.
--Pamela
I often use the method/style described by Pamela and I agree that it seems to produce a better crumb. I theorize that it's due to the amount of air that's trapped between the layers as it's rolled. But I can't prove that by any loaf to loaf test results.
I, too, have always rolled my loaf pan breads. Why, because the recipe said to. I've never tried shaping a loaf pan bread like I would a free form or vice versa, roll a free form loaf.
Guess I figured all the great bakers before us figured out the best methods., but you never know..
Betty
because several of the books I've been looking at or reading say to shape your dough into a rectangle, then bring one half up to the center, and pinch, then bring the top to the center then pinch, then fold that in half again, and then pinch the seal together.
I too have wondered the "why" behind it, as I had always rolled my dough previously.