Loaf 99 – Sourdough, The 3 B’s
Batard, Banneton and Baguette: the three most common ways that I shape my bread. As the last sourdough loaf of my 100 Loaves of Bread project I decided to make all three shapes from one batch of dough. I was 67% successful at that.
A nice pair of loaves. Too bad about those baguettes.
My sourdough starter, which is now almost seven months old, is working great. I fed it a few days ago to make sure it was fresh, and did a feeding overnight to create levain for these loaves; it doubled in size in less than nine hours. I then followed the Tartine recipe that I’ve been using since August (documented in Loaf 63).
When the dough was ready, I shaped it three ways: a freestanding batard, a boule in a round banneton to be cooked in the Dutch oven, and three baguettes. I used the baguette form that I’ve used before, but didn’t cover the baguettes during their proofing time. The outsides of the baguettes quickly dried out, the firmness then not allowing the dough to rise. When I checked on them after a couple hours I decided to just throw them out rather than bake them anyway.
The other two loaves worked out great. Nice ears, an airy crumb inside, and delightful flavor. We ate half of the batard almost instantly as a part of the taste testing. The other half was eaten with dinner.
The round loaf was used for sandwiches the next day and finished off with dinner. Two loaves, two days – a nice way to end the year.
Conclusion
During the project, I made sourdough 21 different times at home, plus four different loaves in the SFBI class. Not all of them were successful, but I’m confident now in my skills. I’m going to continue to experiment, particularly with shaping loaves and trying to perfect baguettes (my biggest weakness). I would also like to work with a recipe that allowed for proofing overnight in the fridge rather than being a full day project.
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- Sourdough starter overnight feeding.
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- Using the starter (now a levain) to make the dough.
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- A few minutes of mixing flour, starter and water.
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- 1/2 hour later added the salt.
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- Three hours later, a smooth dough.
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- Divided for different loaves.
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- Some additional rising after only a 5 minute rest.
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- Everything is shaped. Baguettes should have been on the couche and covered..
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- A long rising time in a 75deg oven.
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- Batard scored and ready to bake.
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- Round banneton ready to bake in Dutch Oven.
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- A nice pair of loaves. Too bad about those baguettes.
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- Nice to look at, wonderful crunchy crust.
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- Soon to be devoured.
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- Crumb inside the batard.
