Today is the day to bake baguettes! I’ve been juggling baking schedules in my head since today I’m baking not only these baguettes but sourdough loaves and croissants as well! My morning started out with baking my bread. I’d preloaded my Dutch Ovens and set my oven to preheat this morning. All I had toContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes Alternative Part 2”
Category Archives: Sourdough Bread
Sourdough Baguettes – Different Approach
Time to try making Sourdough Baguettes again. This time I’m going to try a different approach. I’m using Joshua Weissman’s recipe and method described here This is a couple day process. I’m actually running it in parallel with my normal sourdough bread AND a batch of sourdough croissants!! Wow… look at all the baking goingContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes – Different Approach”
No mixer used at all…
This time I made bread by hand without using my KitchenAid mixer at all I went straight to my tub and mixed the flour and water to begin the Autolyse process. using my Swedish dough hook I mixed in the water, formed a ball, spritzed with water and covered with cling wrap. I’ve mentioned beforeContinue reading “No mixer used at all…”
Limiting Mixer Use
I saw an Instagram post recently by Kristen Dennis @fullproofbaking. In her post she ran an experiment contrasting the use of her KitchenAid mixer vs hand folding. Her hypothesis was that the mixer resulted in a much tighter crumb structure and a more limited oven spring. The crumb structure she posted for her bread kneadedContinue reading “Limiting Mixer Use”
Sourdough Baguettes (Part 6)
Ok…. This post is why I started this string of posts in the first place. On my journey of learning to bake sourdough I’ve come to realize it is a mixture of science, art (sometimes black art), whimsy, luck and my ever-present Sous Chef (do bakers even have these?) Murphy. I’ve gone through all theContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes (Part 6)”
Sourdough Baguettes (Part 5)
At this point in the the Leaven and Poolish are ready (they each pass the “float test”) and the autolyse has been going for 90+ minutes. I mixed them all together in my KitchenAid mixer with the spiral dough hook. After letting it all rest for about 20 minutes I added the salt, kneaded itContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes (Part 5)”
Sourdough Baguettes (Part 4)
Autolyse is technique I’ve come to use when baking my sourdough bread. This is the process of mixing water and flour together before adding the rising agent. It is a process that allows the flour to absorb the moisture and start to break down the starch and sugars. I normally mix the water and flourContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes (Part 4)”
Sourdough Baguettes (Part 3)
This post (and the next couple) will go over the method in more detail. They will be a mix of what I did, observed and concluded during that portion of the process. Mixing the Leaven and Poolish I immediately veered to follow my established path for the leaven. I fed my cold starter from theContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes (Part 3)”
Sourdough Baguettes (Part 2)
Baguettes are something iconic and I’ve had a mental hurdle in front of me regarding attempting them. I find that a bit odd since I jumped right into making sourdough croissants! I was inspired watching Chad Robertson the other week. So I bought his book, read up on his baguette journey, recipe and method. NowContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes (Part 2)”
Sourdough Baguettes (Part 1)
I’ve decided that I will attempt sourdough baguettes. I have attempted years ago but felt that they were beyond my skill level as a baker and I would be better off going in a different direction at the time. I think it is now time to master this loaf. I’d been watching a cooking seriesContinue reading “Sourdough Baguettes (Part 1)”
Baked By Bear Sourdough 