When is a baguette a PITA?

[gfweb]

I just made the King Arthur baking  book's baguette. A decent thing, but a two day project and not so good that the effort is justified. Is there a simpler recipe that gives a good result?  

[keychris]

I use Reinhart's one in BBA, if I forget biga or poolish or whatever it is the night before I just put in a little sprouted wheat flour to get some nice enzymatic action you see from using those.

[gfweb]

  On 1/1/2018 at 7:47 AM, keychris said:

I use Reinhart's one in BBA, if I forget biga or poolish or whatever it is the night before I just put in a little sprouted wheat flour to get some nice enzymatic action you see from using those.

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Thanks.

What's BBA?

 

[cakewalk]

  On 1/1/2018 at 1:58 PM, gfweb said:

 

Thanks.

What's BBA?

 

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Bread Baker's Apprentice

[Anna N]

  On 1/1/2018 at 1:48 AM, gfweb said:

I just made the King Arthur baking  book's baguette. A decent thing, but a two day project and not so good that the effort is justified. Is there a simpler recipe that gives a good result?  

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Dan Leader’s 4-hour baguette. 

[Shalmanese]

I think if your Baguette ends up looking like a Pita, something has gone horribly wrong somewhere in your recipe.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

  On 1/1/2018 at 4:28 PM, Shalmanese said:

I think if your Baguette ends up looking like a Pita, something has gone horribly wrong somewhere in your recipe.

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I may be wrong but I suspect it was supposed to be a pun.

 

[pastrygirl]

  On 1/1/2018 at 1:48 AM, gfweb said:

A decent thing, but a two day project and not so good that the effort is justified.

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Two days, but how much active time?  Is it more than maybe a starter, a punch down, and shaping after a night in the fridge?

 

 

[gfweb]

  On 1/1/2018 at 6:25 PM, pastrygirl said:

 

Two days, but how much active time?  Is it more than maybe a starter, a punch down, and shaping after a night in the fridge?

 

 

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Good point.  Not much active time at all, really.

But when I want a baguette today I don't want to wait till tomorrow.

[Anna N]

  On 1/1/2018 at 6:30 PM, gfweb said:

Good point.  Not much active time at all, really.

But when I want a baguette today I don't want to wait till tomorrow.

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 That was my thought about your complaint. 

[gfweb]

  On 1/1/2018 at 2:33 PM, Anna N said:

Dan Leader’s 4-hour baguette. 

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I just made this one. In 3 hours, because the proofing etc was done at 75 F which sped up the doubling in volume. Success!

Thanks, Anna!

 

 

Edited January 1, 2018 by gfweb (log)

[Anna N]

  On 1/1/2018 at 6:41 PM, gfweb said:

 

I just made this one. In 3 hours, because the proofing etc was done at 75 F which sped up the doubling in volume. Success!

Thanks, Anna!

 

 

 

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You are welcome. I have made it a couple of times and been quite satisfied. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Nice loaf.  I sometimes find baguettes a pain myself.

 

[gfweb]

  On 1/1/2018 at 9:16 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Nice loaf.  I sometimes find baguettes a pain myself.

 

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Yet you make one almost daily, no?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Bad puns aside, since Modernist Bread came out I've been trying to use their methods and have had wonderful success with boules but less so with baguettes.  I had thought to bake bread today but went with yeast raised waffles.

 

[pastrygirl]

  On 1/1/2018 at 6:30 PM, gfweb said:

But when I want a baguette today I don't want to wait till tomorrow.

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Clearly you need to plan your cravings farther ahead 

 

But seriously, flavor takes time.  If you want a baguette 2 or 3 times a week, consider the "old dough" method (detailed by Peter Reinhart, I believe).  You keep a little blob of the last batch of dough souring in the fridge and add it to the new batch of dough.  Repeat.