Bread 101: the first loaf

It's time to make a commitment. I've waited long enough. It's time to learn how to make bread. I've read books. I've tried recipes. It's time to do the work. In order to learn how to bake bread you have to bake bread. I've casually made baguettes, brioche, wheat bread, ciabatta, focaccia and then some. It's time to do this for real and learn something. I present my first real baguette.

My favorite thing about this baguette is that it sucks. That sets the tone for some serious improvement.

Bakery Style French Baguettes
12 ounces biga
1/8 tsp instant yeast

Mix above and let come to room temperature and then add:

1/2 tsp instant yeast
4 ounce water (used tap water)

stir to combine. and then blend:

10 ounces flour with
1 tsp salt

add flour mixture to yeast mixture and mix in stand mixer. The dough seemed too dry so I added more water, and then it seemed too wet. I let it sit for 30 minutes trying the autolyse method and then kneaded the dough in the mixer for a bit and then moving it to the bench for a little hand kneading. It still seemed a little too wet so I added more flour. (I know this is a no-no but did it anyway.) Let rest for 2 or so hours until doubled.

It seemed a little shy of doubled in bulk when I poured the dough onto the bench. Also still too wet so I tried to incorporate a little flour into the dough. Let it rest for about 10 minutes and then proceeded to form the baguette.

The dough seemed a little wet and difficult to transfer from the bench to the parchment. I let it rest (uncovered) a bit longer then got the oven all heated up and got to slashing. The dough seemed pretty fragile and got a little ruffly when I scored it. So either it was still too wet or my blade was a little dull.

In to the 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes. I pulled it out and set it down for a bit. A little bit later, I picked it up. Heavy! and it sure seemed underdone! So back in the oven again (also a no-no). It took another 20-25 minutes or so to be done.

You can see that the scoring was not deep enough because it also ruptured to one side. The bread was a little dense, but the flavor was there. Almost a little sweet. The crust was good, but I think I should have hit it with some water.