This bread was made with a recipe based on 'Acme's Rustic Baguettes' in "Artisan Baking Across America" by Maggie Glezer.
A slow rise is what gives such great flavour. This bowl (right) was in the oven (with only the light turned on) for four hours. It had almost doubled and was close to being ready to shape.
Procedure: 1-10.) without adding extra flour, knead the dough by using the dough scraper and twisting the dough in the air; 11.) three times, at 20 minute intervals, pour out rising dough on floured board; 12.) fold gently into an envelope and pat lightly to remove excess flour; 4.) stretch the dough in the air; 5-11.) stretch dough on cloth.
| 1.) | 2.) | 3.) |
| 4.) | 5.) | 6.) |
| 7.) | 8.) | 9.) |
| 10.) | 11.) | 12.) |
A slow rise is what gives such great flavour. This bowl (right) was in the oven - with only the light turned on - for four hours - the kitchen temperature was 15C. (In summer, I put the dough into the fridge to rise) It still has to reach the top of the bowl before it can be shaped.
| Fully kneaded dough after third fold | Dough rising - almost doubled |
Carefully pour risen dough onto well floured board. Cut it in half with the dough scraper and shape into two balls. Use the dough scraper to gently fold each piece in half and then cup each one in your hands and pull dough gently underneath to form each ball. (It's virtually impossible with our equipment to take a photo of this when alone in the kitchen....)
Shaped & well floured on parchment paper; | Ready to bake |
Baking: Preheat oven to 500F; when the bread goes in, immediately turn it down to 425F. Bake for about 40 minutes, turning it once to account for uneven heat. The bread is done when the internal temperature is between 200F and 210F.
in the oven | internal temperature is 205F |
Cool on racks
In 2009, I discovered the wonders of using an inverted roasting pan placed over the baking bread to promote oven rise. The difference in height is remarkable!
