August 15, 2012 - 11:04am
Fougasse (without a peel)
So, I just tried my hand at making fougasse. It's a very, VERY easy and simply hearth bread (just white flour, water, yeast, salt). My problem is how to easily transfer the fougasse from countertop to the oven baking tray without a peal. I'm not about to buy one. I hate accumulating stuff and much rather use what I already have or modify a technique :) Any suggestions on how I can transfer the fougasse then without its leaf-shape all mishapened?
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a cutting board with parchment paper on it. Just slide the parchment and bread onto the stone in the oven. No worries. You can remove the paper when you remove the steam or just leave it in until the bread is done.
When rolling out the dough and cutting it, do you put the parchment paper underneath it, then slide it onto the cutting board?
the dough and then transfer it to to the parchment that is on the cutting board for final proof. Then cut and into the oven on the stone. Wally is correct. We too use a non rimmed cookie sheet or an overturned jelly roll pan for the peel. On occasion we have used a cut piece of cardboard too like doc.dough but never glued then together to make a more permanent temporary peel.
Parchment paper and a baking sheet will also work to transfer the dough to your stone.
I generally shape the fougasse, then place it on lightly floured parchment paper, allow it to proof and make my cuts just before loading.
Larry
The all purpose solution is to make a "temporary" peel from a piece of corrugated cardboard. The double layer type is preferred since it is much stronger, but you can make one that is three layers thick with a little white glue. Just be sure to NOT align the corrugations. For a two layer, rotate them from one layer to the next of somewhere close to 90°; for a 3-layer solution try 60°. Put some semolina, or cornmeal on it to act as a dry lubricant. You won't have any problem with a 68% dough. You will benefit from practicing a couple of times to make sure you can judge that everything is not sticking before you set it in the oven and yank out the peel. DO NOT BE TENTATIVE!
I have a number of "temporary" peels of various sizes for transferring different products around the kitchen. A long narrow one for baguettes; a shorter one for small pizzas; one I made from an old piece of Abitibi hardwood plywood for moving a 7.5 lb loaf into the oven. I have had most of them for 20 yrs so "temporary" is relative.