SJSD - Add me to the long list of converts.
DMSnyder, you have so much to answer for! :)
Not content with providing much of the intellectual fuel for my successful pursuit of the True Deli Rye and my progress in the perpetual baguette quest... now you've sent me right over the edge with your San Joaquin formula. Dang, that is some terrific bread.
Nope, no pictures, sorry. One loaf got eaten, and the other given away, before I could whip out the camera. But there will be other bakes, oh yes there will. I totally see now why this is such a go-to for so many here.
Incidentally, I also found it remarkably forgiving. For this first outing I only gave it an overnight retard, instead of the Bouabsa-standard 21 hours - partly because that worked with my schedule and partly because I wasn't looking for too much tang. And I'm here to tell you that even a scant 7 hours produces a lovely lovely bread. I got a little mixed up bouncing around between versions of the recipe - seems I was looking at an earlier one when I prepared 150g of 100% hydration starter, but a more recent one for the mix of flours (the one with 25g each of rye and white whole wheat). Yeah, whatever, it's all good. It's all better than good, to judge from the rapidity with which the bread disappeared!
Also, there might have been a slight peel accident on the way into the oven, and I very much feared that one loaf would be permanently deformed... but no, it straightened out and flew right and ended up the handsomer of the two. This may be a tribute to my shaping, but I think it's more a result of the resiliency of the dough. I'm still not getting the ears I dream of, but that will come. Next time out I may try baking these en cloche, just for the hell of it.
And next time out I will remember the camera.
But I needed to thank you NOW.
recipe will also close out your quest for the best baguette ever too = If you discount tfarmers 36 hour variety:-)
I've played with both the Bouabsa formula and the txfarmer 36, and both make great baguettes; I've also fooled around some with teketeke's raisin YW formula, though not as much as I'd like. I can see that this is the next logical progression from the first of those.
At this point the baguette quest is more a matter of improving my technique - and finding the best baking setup for my particular oven - than one of choosing a favorite formula. Shaping is going well, but like so many people I've got a way to go on the scoring front.
This is partly because I keep yielding to the temptation of making epis out of at least half of each bake - so easy and so cool-looking and so much fun, plus all those lovely pointy crust tips... but it ain't good for scoring practice discipline.
I like to hear about happy bakers! Thanks for sharing.
And maybe next time you need to make one loaf for the family, one to gift and one for the camera. ;-)
David
P.S. You do know I eat this bread myself. I will be mixing the dough for a batch of SJSD baguettes tomorrow. I had the last of the previous batch as a roast chicken sandwich for lunch yesterday and French toast for breakfast this morning.