Comments on: Baguettes: DO try this at home. http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/ Hot Stuff from King Arthur's Hearth Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:14:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Everett http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-23678 Everett Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:35:11 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-23678 I have tried to make the baguettes twice and have had poor results. My loaves do not rise after I put them in the oven and after 25 minutes of baking they have a light grey appearence. The crust is very crisp but they a very dense. The taste is pretty good but they do not look anywhere close to the pictures of your loaves. Things seem to go well up until I form the dough into three loaves. After 90 minutes of rising they do not appear to have risen enough but do not appear like they will rise any more. At this point, however, I have gone ahead and baked the loaves. I did check the temperature of the dough after kneeding with the mixer and it was 83 deg. F. Could I have over kneeded it? I also had to use Active Dry Yeast. I have your instant yeast on order. Any suggestions? Any help would be appreciated. <strong>Hi Everett - The gray appearance and lack of rising at the end makes me think that the yeast is exhausted; it eventually consumes all the sugar, which means it's very hard for the bread to attain a nice, deep-gold color, or to rise in the oven. I think your problem is the active dry yeast, which tends to poop out faster than instant. Once you try this with instant, I think you'll have much better results, so hold off on another attempt till you get that instant yeast, OK? Good luck - PJH</strong> I have tried to make the baguettes twice and have had poor results. My loaves do not rise after I put them in the oven and after 25 minutes of baking they have a light grey appearence. The crust is very crisp but they a very dense. The taste is pretty good but they do not look anywhere close to the pictures of your loaves.

Things seem to go well up until I form the dough into three loaves. After 90 minutes of rising they do not appear to have risen enough but do not appear like they will rise any more. At this point, however, I have gone ahead and baked the loaves.

I did check the temperature of the dough after kneeding with the mixer and it was 83 deg. F. Could I have over kneeded it? I also had to use Active Dry Yeast. I have your instant yeast on order.

Any suggestions?

Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Everett - The gray appearance and lack of rising at the end makes me think that the yeast is exhausted; it eventually consumes all the sugar, which means it’s very hard for the bread to attain a nice, deep-gold color, or to rise in the oven. I think your problem is the active dry yeast, which tends to poop out faster than instant. Once you try this with instant, I think you’ll have much better results, so hold off on another attempt till you get that instant yeast, OK? Good luck - PJH

]]> By: Greg http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-23244 Greg Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:51:06 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-23244 So I made the bread today - awesome. A nice changeup from the no knead. Question: I have some KAF sour dough starter that I use in other bread recipes. Could that be used instead of the starter? If so, what quantity? <strong>Greg, sure - use 1 cup (a generous 8 ounces) of your fed sourdough starter. Should be delicious- PJH</strong> So I made the bread today - awesome. A nice changeup from the no knead. Question: I have some KAF sour dough starter that I use in other bread recipes. Could that be used instead of the starter? If so, what quantity?

Greg, sure - use 1 cup (a generous 8 ounces) of your fed sourdough starter. Should be delicious- PJH

]]> By: Nichael Cramer http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-22566 Nichael Cramer Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:49:54 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-22566 PJH- You don't have to post this if you don't want to. But I wanted to thank you for the "before" picture for the baguette starter. Seeing what it's supposed to look like before-hand *really* clarifies a lot. Thanks, Nichael <strong>Ah, wondering if you'd notice - I now have 3 baguettes I wasn't planning on, but lo and behold, I'm testing creme brulée French toast Thursday, and it calls for stale French bread - now how serendipitous is that?! PJH</strong> PJH- You don’t have to post this if you don’t want to.
But I wanted to thank you for the “before” picture for the baguette starter.

Seeing what it’s supposed to look like before-hand *really* clarifies a lot.

Thanks,
Nichael

Ah, wondering if you’d notice - I now have 3 baguettes I wasn’t planning on, but lo and behold, I’m testing creme brulée French toast Thursday, and it calls for stale French bread - now how serendipitous is that?! PJH

]]> By: Nichae Cramer http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-21818 Nichae Cramer Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:25:56 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-21818 This blog-entry is great and I thank you for posting it. However, I have one suggestion/request, if this is possible. I've noticed that several of the posters have expressed uncertainty as to what the starter should look *before* it starts the 14 hr rise. (This is certainly true in my case. My starter initially looked like a large lump of school-room paste. And, sadly, it looked pretty much the same the next morning.) So my question is, would it be possible to add a picture to the blog entry above which shows what the starter should look like at the beginning. (The descriptions above are helpful; but as they say "a picture is worth.....") Thanks <strong>Great idea, Nichae - I'll get to it ASAP. PJH</strong> This blog-entry is great and I thank you for posting it.

However, I have one suggestion/request, if this is possible.

I’ve noticed that several of the posters have expressed uncertainty as to what the starter should look *before* it starts the 14 hr rise. (This is certainly true in my case. My starter initially looked like a large lump of school-room paste. And, sadly, it looked pretty much the same the next morning.)

So my question is, would it be possible to add a picture to the blog entry above which shows what the starter should look like at the beginning. (The descriptions above are helpful; but as they say “a picture is worth…..”)

Thanks

Great idea, Nichae - I’ll get to it ASAP. PJH

]]> By: Brook http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-21262 Brook Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:35:41 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-21262 I had NEVER baked any yeast/raised bread EVER until this past Sunday. We have a foreign exchange student from France and she was very disappointed with the baguette from the store so I decided to jump into the deep end of the bread baking pool and make baguettes. SUCCESS! We greatly enjoyed ALL THREE loaves <strong>CONGRATS BROOK! That's great to hear - you managed to satisfy a French student with her national bread, made with your own two hands - and the first yeast loaf you ever baked, to boot - terrific!! PJH</strong> I had NEVER baked any yeast/raised bread EVER until this past Sunday. We have a foreign exchange student from France and she was very disappointed with the baguette from the store so I decided to jump into the deep end of the bread baking pool and make baguettes. SUCCESS! We greatly enjoyed ALL THREE loaves

CONGRATS BROOK! That’s great to hear - you managed to satisfy a French student with her national bread, made with your own two hands - and the first yeast loaf you ever baked, to boot - terrific!! PJH

]]> By: Petrus Kurppa http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-20626 Petrus Kurppa Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:30:08 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-20626 This is truly awesome guide for making baguettes! I will try it myself soon. Pictures and tips are just fantastic! Thank you very much. <strong>You're welcome, Petrus - enjoy! PJH</strong> This is truly awesome guide for making baguettes! I will try it myself soon. Pictures and tips are just fantastic! Thank you very much.

You’re welcome, Petrus - enjoy! PJH

]]> By: robert http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-15978 robert Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:47:15 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-15978 Too much mixing spoils the big holes. STOP mixing the dough ! Autolize only, 1 hour, then fold. To the frig 24 hours. From the frig, let it rise 25 to 50 % Fold again. Nice and tight. pinch the seams. try not to de-gas. Then bake. You get nice big holes, with glassy insides. The secret ? Easy, it is the folding, you layer the baguette, the same way you layer a french croissant. In the bake, the baguette seperates along the layers, and you get lots of oven spring, and HUGE HOLES ! Too much mixing spoils the big holes.
STOP mixing the dough !

Autolize only, 1 hour, then fold.

To the frig 24 hours.

From the frig, let it rise 25 to 50 %

Fold again. Nice and tight. pinch the seams. try not to de-gas.

Then bake. You get nice big holes, with glassy insides.

The secret ?
Easy, it is the folding, you layer the baguette, the same way you layer a french croissant. In the bake, the baguette seperates along the layers, and you get lots of oven spring, and HUGE HOLES !

]]> By: Adam http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-15946 Adam Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:19:46 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-15946 I greatly appreciate your recipe and step-by-step instructions. I grew up eating a lot of European style breads and have always loved that bakery smell and crackling sound of freshly-baked baguettes. Well last night I (a novice) was able to replicate the smell, texture, and flavor in high altitude in my own kitchen thanks to your guidance and excellent instructions. I have also been enjoying reading your "Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes Cookbook" all along marrying in my head the art and 'science' of bread baking. What a thorough and technical read! Finally, I would like to thank you for including us in your world. The baker's job seems hard and often thankless (at least directly). Please accept my thank you and utmost appreciation... Thank you! I greatly appreciate your recipe and step-by-step instructions. I grew up eating a lot of European style breads and have always loved that bakery smell and crackling sound of freshly-baked baguettes. Well last night I (a novice) was able to replicate the smell, texture, and flavor in high altitude in my own kitchen thanks to your guidance and excellent instructions. I have also been enjoying reading your “Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes Cookbook” all along marrying in my head the art and ’science’ of bread baking. What a thorough and technical read!
Finally, I would like to thank you for including us in your world. The baker’s job seems hard and often thankless (at least directly). Please accept my thank you and utmost appreciation… Thank you!

]]> By: Jen Rock http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-14596 Jen Rock Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:09:29 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-14596 Thanks so much for these easy to follow recipes! I had only baked soda breads before but on the first try got three lovely crispy baguettes by following your great instructions. On my second try today I'm going to make the stuffed ones, they look SO good! Thanks! <strong>Good for you, Jen - baguettes are a challenge - one you've successfully met. Congrats! PJH</strong> Thanks so much for these easy to follow recipes! I had only baked soda breads before but on the first try got three lovely crispy baguettes by following your great instructions. On my second try today I’m going to make the stuffed ones, they look SO good! Thanks!

Good for you, Jen - baguettes are a challenge - one you’ve successfully met. Congrats! PJH

]]> By: Rosemary http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-14526 Rosemary Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:25:58 +0000 http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2008/05/02/baguettes-do-try-this-at-home/#comment-14526 This is the best step by step guide I have found. Thank you, I can't wait to try it. <strong>Rosemary, good luck - I think you'll enjoy this. PJH</strong> This is the best step by step guide I have found. Thank you, I can’t wait to try it.

Rosemary, good luck - I think you’ll enjoy this. PJH

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