Number 12

Attempt #12 was unimpressive again. I believe I'll just try a different recipe next time. Basically, I used the unmodified KAF recipe. I did use the baker's couche I ordered a while back for the first time - it worked well, though not sure how necessary it is. I was also a bit more gentle with the dough. I was rewarded with slightly more airy crumb. But again my nemesis - scoring issues. I feel like leaving the dough uncovered for proofing did dry out the skin a bit so it was slightly easier scoring. But the I now feel like the issue might be overproofing. Well, maybe not proofing exactly. First I let it rise for 90 minutes, perhaps a bit longer. Then I formed them into balls and let sit 15 min. Then I proofed for like 30 minutes and the finger dent test suggested it was overproofed. Maybe I should have shortened the initial rise.

Anyway, here is the result - tasted good.

Interesting

Read an article on breadmaking ( http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/08/bread-making-basics-everything-you-need-to-know-to-start-baking-awesome-bread.html and followup links), couple of interesting thoughts.

• "Very coarse salt won't dissolve properly, which will inhibit the development of dough structure later on." Well jeez, I use coarse sea salt often.
• Autolyze. Just water and flour first, for a while. Don't add salt, it sucks up water and prevents proper hydration of the flour. Don't add yeast, it needs to do its work later.
• Don't beat it too hard. *snicker* Seriously though, mixing on high speed may tear the gluten network that you worked so hard to develop. Furthermore, once it's all pulled away from the side of the bowl it's done. Interesting. I am a big violator of this one. And it seems to be counter to the effect I see in say, a ciabatta bread, where a long savage beating gives a strong gluten network. But worth a try. Maybe a side by side comparison.

UPDATE:

• Scoring - "If the blade drags excessively, this can be a sign that the dough has most likely proofed for too long and has started to lose structural integrity. Proof the dough for less time, or at a lower temperature, next time."
• Possibly proof with the dough uncovered, so the skin of the dough dries out making scoring easier.

Less Hydration

Inspired by the lower hydration King Arthur flour recipe, I adjusted the recipe I have been following to the lower hydration, using 465g of flour instead of 418g. Anticipating the opportunity to give some away, I thought I would make two batches. After kneading the first batch and finding it very dry, I came to the horrific realization that I hadn't added the poolish. Doh! I added it in and folded the heck out of the dough, hopefully it will be decently incorporated. I was going to try a different hydration with the second batch, but with the uncertainty of the late poolish add, I figured I'd just go ahead and make the same hydration but properly this time. Will be interesting to see if there are any differences between the two final products.

UPDATE:

Ok, so, interesting. Despite being far less hydrated than the last batch, the lame did a poor job again. I tried two with the lame and it stuck to the dough badly. Maybe spray it with cooking spray before? Huh. I did the other 4 with a serrated sharp bread knife and that worked better, though not flawlessly. Curiously the first batch of dough weighed less than the second. Perhaps more stuck to the bowl, perhaps measurements not quite right (275g per loaf vs 315g). First batch on the right, second on the left.

Rising

None of them worked out idea, and it was pretty dense. But the crust was crusty and the inside was chewy, so not bad. One nice find, parchement paper + oven rack = nice no fuss shaping. Also a side note used semolina on a couple, will see how I like that.

Final result

Revisiting Baguette

Baguette attempts number 8 and 9 were both decent, but I had issues with the scoring.

Attempt #8 was definitely a step backward. I think the main fault lies with the scoring here, though the crumb was rather dense. The dough was very wet and resisted scoring, even with a razor blade. The blade kind of dragged the dough rather than cutting through it. I put it in the oven and let it bake for like 2 or 3 minutes, then realized I hadn't put in my ice cubes. Doh! So I opened the oven and was so disappointed with what I saw that I took it out and rescored. Still not great. Although the pain d'epi was pretty good.

Baguette attempt 8. Meh.

Attempt #9 the dough was similarly wet. I used a lot more flour when shaping, so I thought they might be ok. Not so much. The pain d'epi was almost unrecognizable. The scoring on the baguette loaves was terrible. Tasty though.

Baguette attempt 9. Also meh.

So, improvements. It's vaguely possible that I need to use a fresh razor blade. I doubt that's the problem, I can't imagine it got too dull from scoring like a dozen loaves of bread. It is far warmer now than it was when I last made baguettes (Nov/Dec). Maybe that plays a role. I mean, undoubtedly, but is that my main issue? Unsure. Finally, I took a look at a different recipe on the King Arthur site that has a vastly different hydration.

Recipe I've been using - http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/classic-baguettes-recipe :

• ( 113g water in poolish + 255g ) / ( 120g flour in poolish + 418g ) = 68.4% hydration

Easy Crusty Baguette recipe - http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/easy-crusty-baguettes-recipe :

• 227g water / 361g flour = 62.8% hydration

Vast difference! Higher hydration is supposed to give larger holes in the crumb, but I didn't find that to be that significant of a difference in my attempts. So I'll try the drier dough in my next go. 

Just a note, the bread actually tasted pretty awesome. We all sampled some of the pain d'epi this morning heated just a few secs in the microwave, slathered with soft butter. It was amazing. Now just need to get the sexy crust so it looks more impressive.