first baguette(s)!!!
I've been baking with my sourdough starter for a couple of months, with ever improving results, but this weekend I wanted to try something different. I stumbled upon the Anis baguette recipe on here and decided to give it a try for a barbeque on saturday.
It was amazing! My shaping technique needs quite a bit of work, but the bread tasted great--both light and crusty. It got eaten up so fast that when we got home, I decided to make another batch right away, so we could eat the loaves all ourselves. And, amazingly enough, that second batch was even better. Crispier crust, a bit of a nutty flavor--I had sandwiches every meal and was happy about it! I can't wait to try making it again.
Thanks everyone that posted all their advice and (of course) the recipe!
the first round:
second round:
That's a nice looking sandwich you've created on your baguettes! Keep at it - baguettes are about the simplest bread to make and the most difficult to execute well.
Shaping is finding a good medium between over-tightening the dough (and degassing it too much) on the one hand, and not creating enough surface tension, so the baguette turns into a blob, on the other.
Good start!
Larry
It looks delish!
Audra
Nicely done. The crumb looks great, and the crust nice and crispy and thin. The first picture, in the rip near the bottom of loaf, crust looks super. Is that what they call it, where it tears? Anyway nice pictures. I have made baguettes from a straight dough, with long slow rises and proof, but I hope to do as well (eventually) with sour dough.
Ray
Not sure what the tear is called (gringe, maybe?) I found that there was a more of that tear pattern on the edges rather than on top where I slashed it. Probably I am not cutting deep enough.
As for the shape, let's just say they looked a little caveman-cudgel-esque...thicker on one end than the other. But judging from other photos on this site, practice will hopefully improve the style!
Leah, the following video might be of value in helping you to hone your baguette shaping skills:
http://www.breadcetera.com/?p=8
Scroll down on the page a bit to reach the video.
SteveB
http://www.breadcetera.com
Go to youtube and watch people forming baguettes. It has helped me with my technique with baguettes and ciabatta.