Roll Shaping
I am interested in improving my roll shaping skills. This is a very basic sourdough formula of about 67% hydration, bulk fermented for about 3 and a quarter hours in a warm city kitchen, then shaped and proofed for about another hour and a quarter, baked with steam.
I tried some fendus, which, while they had the right shape, were rather bloated for my taste. I prefer the slimmer shape, with a nice point for rolls. I think this will require a wider "hinge" and a narrower body.
I also tried a shape I believe I saw here, although I am not sure. A dowel is pressed into the side of a round roll and a flap is rolled. This flap is then pulled over the top of the roll, making a lovely effect. If this sounds familiar to anyone, I'd appreciate some guidance.
The rolls shown, in a "teardrop" shape, are, as far as I can tell, an original idea, cut to a point with a bench knife from a round shape that has been lengthened a little. People seem to have fun eating them.
Additional discussion about rolls, especially shaping, would be welcomed.
I'm including an additional crumb shot of the batard just because I like the picture.
Comments
Louie,
Both the Bread Bakers Apprentice by Reinhart and Bread by Hamelman have a section on shaping. The BBA is very clear and has a number of good photos.
You could also look at the training videos at The Back Home Bakery. Mark has some excellent videos that many here have used. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video will change your life.
Eric
Much appreciated.
edited to add: a mighty impressive hand operated dividing press at the Back Home Bakery site, but no real insight into shaping beyond the basics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB908K3Kd6k
BTW, that's a very nice crumb on your sourdough.
Very good looking crumb on your batard. As for the rolls, they remind me of an epi pulled apart, which would be an easy way to do them again.
Larry
Many thanks, Larry and Lindy. Finally a weekend cool enough to bake.
I like the idea of pulling apart an epi.
I think you know enough to get ideas from the photos in this file search. Click on the top file called Folie 1 and check out the pictures.
Mini
for that very interesting link. The pictures are invaluable. If I could read German, no doubt there's much more to learn there.