Why are my baguette's turning out so knobby?
Hello everyone. I am an amateur baker who in the last month been baking rustic ciabattas and baguettes.
The ciabattas have turned out great but, while the baguettes generally have a good crust and crumb, they always seem to have big, knobby air bubbles on the outside.
I've baked baguettes approximately ten times and each time have slightly altered my process to try to prevent this problem.
I've used both very wet and dry doughs. I shape by folding the dough in half twice like a letter, then once more all the way to the bench.
Is this process supposed to incorporate air or should I be punching it out? When rolling I always hear little air bubbles being popped on the ends.
Is this problem caused by dough that is underproofed? They usually proof for an hour to an hour and a half near the oven.
I transfer the baguettes to a baguette pan, score, and transfer to a 500 degree oven. I use the oven's built in steamer every 45 seconds for about 5 minutes. In that time the baguettes form large, lumpy air bubbles. Do you think my problem is caused by poor scoring? I score them 4 times lengthwise and have tested out different depths.
Thanks for any help. It will be greatly appreciated.