4/24/2023 0 Comments Lame bread tool(For a more in-depth look at this recipe, watch Martin walk through the technique on video.) Sourdough Baguettes, which calls for the inclusion of 10% high-extraction flour - midway between white flour and whole wheat - along with a sourdough starter and yeast for flavor and rise.Classic Baguettes, which incorporates the same overnight starter. French Baguettes, which features an overnight poolish, or yeasted starter, to build flavor and strengthen the dough.I recommend starting out with one of the following three recipes: (French bread flours tend to have more of the wheat berry in them than American ones, so even breads without whole-grain flour will have more of that wheat flavor.) While baguettes made with 100% white flour can be wonderful, it’s sometimes nice to include a portion of whole-grain flour for a more pronounced wheatiness. You need a recipe that calls for a long, gentle fermentation because the acids produced during fermentation not only give the baguette complexity of flavor but also help to slow down staling. This brings us to the number one requirement for a great baguette: a great recipe. Or, to put it another way, if your baguette is rock hard within a few hours of coming out of the oven, then it’s time to find a new recipe. And finally, an irregular crumb makes for a light but not overly hole-y inside.įinally, while all baguettes are fleeting, ephemeral things - by which I mean they should be enjoyed as soon as possible after baking - the best ones should have some longevity to them. Well-opened slashes ensure the interior crumb has expanded fully. The more “bien cuit” the crust, the deeper the flavor, since color is a sign of caramelization. (Unlike many other breads, where the acidity produced during fermentation stands front and center, the acidity in a baguette should instead enhance the underlying flavor of the flour.)Īesthetics matter greatly in a baguette, but none of these requirements are merely cosmetic - they're signposts of success. On the inside, the crumb should be tender and moist, with a mixture of irregular holes (called alveoli) of varying sizes, and have the sweet flavor of wheat, along with the subtle tang of fermentation. If there are multiple cuts, they should be evenly and symmetrically distributed along the length of the loaf, and the silhouette of the loaf should have a pronounced “bean pod” shape. The ears (“grignes,” or grins) should have a pronounced flap along one edge, and display gradations of color: pale white beneath the cut, tan at the opposite side, and dark brown along the ridgeline of the flap. On the outside, it should have a crust that is an intense, ruddy brown (“bien cuit,” as the French would say, meaning well-cooked), and so delicate and crisp that it shatters audibly into millions of tiny shards when cut or torn into. The good news is that with the right recipe, proper equipment, and a good understanding of baguette methodology, you’ll already be most of the way there.įirst, we should establish what we mean when we picture - and taste, and even hear - our platonic ideal of a baguette. Unlike simpler breads like sandwich loaves or even rustic boules, you can’t just “wing it“ with baguettes and expect to get something you’d be proud to serve your French grand-mère, real or imagined. Given how challenging the baguette is to perfect, it’s all the more important to have the right set of tools and techniques on hand when you bake. And in any case, the less-than-perfect loaves you create on the path to baguette excellence will be delicious just the same. On the contrary, there is no bread more satisfying to triumph over, since a perfect baguette is a thing of the utmost beauty, inside and out. But this isn't a reason to shy away from trying. I’ve been making baguettes for much of my adult life, and even I don’t feel like I’m done perfecting my craft yet. You'll find tools, inspiration, and confidence to experiment and master what is perhaps the simplest, and the most complex, of baking genres: artisan bread.Īs a baking instructor and food editor, I’ve taught baguette workshops for years - and I know they're one of the most challenging loaves to master, since they require an extremely precise technique and a steady hand. Our Artisan Bread series explores the world of professional-level bread baking and brings you more resources and guidance around how to hone your skills at true hand-crafted bread.
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