Anis Bouabsa's Baguettes
Fot quite a while now I was working with whole grain doughs producing flavorful breads with strong aromas from the various flours. A few days ago I decided to bake a proper baguette after seeing the beautiful baguettes you TFL members are showing here.
I have never made a baguette in my life but have read about it quite a bit. So I searched TFL and found dozens of recipes but I rememberd that I wanted to give Bouabsa's baguettes a shot back then so I went for it. It was my first time using the strech and fold in the bowl technique wich I found very easy and effective.
I used 94% AP flour and 6% whole rye as I was stuck without additional AP flour. I increased the hydration accordingly to 78% as I wanted to preserve the texture of the dough. I also added a final fold on the counter after the 3 S&F in the bowl as I felt the gluten was not developed enough.
The dough was retarded for only 16 hours because of my working schedule. Shaping was done by Hamelman instructions in "Bread" and the baguettes were proofed in a couche for an hour.
Anis Bouabsa's Baguettes:
Crumb:
The results were very good. The taste was sweet with a great arome of fermented flour. The baguettes were eated warm with a variety of cheeses. Delicious!
Have a Good Week!
Jonathan.
Submitted to YeastSpotting.
Comments
Great crumb, too!
That's really your first baguette? I'd say you are a quick study. That's a nice looking crumb by any standard. Your scoring is great considering most of us have a hard time with the Anis formula in that area and many are left uncut.
Keep up the good work jsk.
Eric
Thank you Eric and Lindy!
I was too surprised by the open crumb and its irregular holes. When I proofed them in the couche they stuck to it a little so they lost some volume, but the oven spring was pretty much explosive. For the scorin I use the razor blades and the blade holder from TMB Baking wich helps tremendously. Cheap and extremly sharp.
Thanks again!
Jonathan.
The crumb is stellar!
Your ability to score these baguettes so nicely at 78% hydration testifies to your excellent gluten developing and your shaping skill, as well as your scoring.
I am also using the lame from TMB these days and finding it superior to any of my alternatives, but then I'd never used a razor blade for scoring before.
David
I was actually quite unsure about the gluten development as I never used the S&F in the bowl but it turned out well. I've learned that proofing in a couche really helps me score because of the dry surface it makes the dough form.
Happy Baking!
Jonathan.