Baguettes / French bread
Six versions of iteration; got significantly better over time.
Key lessons learned
- Salt timing: Add salt at the right time during kneading, not after. Late salt creates uneven flavor - bland then a wave of salt.
- Steam: Critical for a caramel-colored crust. Boiling a kettle and adding the water to a pan just after preheat works well. If the steam evaporates before baking, the crust looks burnt/floury rather than caramelized.
- Slashing: Slash deeply, more lengthwise than perpendicular. Wetting the knife helps. Faster slashing helps. You want the slash to stay open and create “ears” for oven spring. More surface tension while shaping also helps the slash work properly. Watch videos — both shaping and slashing are hard to learn from text alone.
- Thinner baguettes bake much better - less likely to burst on the sides and better crust development.
- Preferment: A second-day sponge or overnight preferment adds a noticeable flavor. A little yeast in the preferment helps rising.
- High temp: 550°F for 20-23 min gave great crust development.
- Don’t put a baking sheet under the bread tray - it shields the bottom from heat and leaves it too soft.
- Baguette tray: A perforated baguette pan helps them bake straight when compared on a small baking stone where it can be hard to keep them from curving.