Having had baguettes sticking together on "normal" flat baking trays and being a pain to remove, I wondered if I should invest in one of those lovely stainless steel baguette trays that I saw in one of the pictures here lately (but cannot find now!).
Research showed only non-stick versions available here in NZ (which I do not want to use as if they get too hot they will emit poisonous fumes - and I want to be able to use them in my stone-oven as well which can be 350 degrees).
[url=http://www.mackies.com.au/bakery05_stick.htm][b]Here[/b][/url] I found some very nice ones - [b]but[/b] they are far too big for my oven! And they are made of aluminium - not too good when using sourdough!
So what is the answer? Do I have to find some stainless gutters and make them myself? Or shall I just put up with baking two at a time on my flat sheets? (No - haven't got a stone!).
Replies
Hi I know this is an old thread.
Does anyone use a baguette tray is so could you let me know please. I want to get away from having a flat crust bottom by using a stone.
Dom I noticed in a photo of yours there was a twin baguette tray in the baguette bake off.
I just want to know if it will stand up to long ferm times.
Normbake
[quote="Normbake"]
Hi I know this is an old thread.
Does anyone use a baguette tray is so could you let me know please. I want to get away from having a flat crust bottom by using a stone.
Dom I noticed in a photo of yours there was a twin baguette tray in the baguette bake off.
I just want to know if it will stand up to long ferm times.
Normbake
[/quote]
Norm, I'm not aware of the details of your baguettes etc. but baking on a stone can still yield a rounded bottom. Provided your oven is hot enough, recovers well after it is loaded, the dough pieces are not too close together and your dough condition is optimum at the time of entering the oven you should be able to achieve nicely rounded bottoms. Trays can be problematic and you won't get those crust characteristics and appearance one associates with 'artisan'.
Good luck.
carla,
do you remember my trouble with nontox at sauerteig.de when I asserted most frech bakers would use a baguette form and a couche is a relict from former times?
If you don't wanna bake 10 baguettes at the same time, you may use a couch worked out from starched linen, as jeremy told above.
Four baguettes mustn't be a problem then, if the dough is well worked and gluten-structure o.k.
the metal ones are no good, look like pimpled asses and misshaped, sort of a drag, linen is much easier!
Jeremy
I don't want to buy the perforated ones. I have seen baguettes like that - they do look dreadful!
There are some around that look very sturdy - I have seen them in a bread picture. But cannot find the picture anymore. Have googeld extensively but no luck!
They came in pairs and looked like stainless steel gutter material connected by a solid bridge in the middle. So they stood nicely by themselves.
Ah well, will try the couches once more, but the transfer is what bothers me. I see even Bill tips them straight from the banneton onto the stone to preserve their shape
Thanks for all the good ideas. Will keep looking and thinking
I threw mine away, they get stuck and are all wobbly, use the stone!
Jeremy
Yep, I just line these with a cloth, then straight onto the stone.
[img]http://www.sourdough.com.au/gallery/d/3948-1/new_Couche+001.jpg[/img]
[url]http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/free/baguette.html[/url]
How is that Carla? Julia Child has a great book too on baking as well!
Jeremy
[quote="Jeremy"]
How is that Carla?
[/quote]
Hmmm - Jeremy.
I find it a bit intimidating actually.
Especially the part where it says: "Grab dough at one end and lift shoulder-high. Slam it onto work surface and roll dough over on itself. Give dough a quarter turn, grab at one end, and repeat slamming, rolling, and turning motion for 10 to 15 minutes..."
Not sure if I can lift and slam for 15 minutes. I usually knead it on the work surface and just turn it as I work.
And why would you first make a dough of water and flour, let it rest and then try and incorportate the yeast? And once you are tired from doing that - you need another 15 minutes to incorporate the salt.
And finally you come to the shoulder high procedure as described above ...
Actually I wouldn't mind seeing Julia herself doing that
I guess we need a baking contest where my lazy recipes and Julias heavy work recipes are baked side by side with the same flour. When the next bakers competition is coming on they could do that for us and make pictures and taste tests aye?
Whatever you do, don't get those which are perforated. I bought them on an impulse. After using it two times, I decided it was too ugly; the baguettes looked like they were pockmarked or something. If I'm not mistakened, the pros are not too hot about it either. Not being very helpful, sorry.
Edit to add: But, surely, you're thinking of buying the moulds not just because you have trouble with the bread sticking? That can easily be solved by throwing enough semolina on the tray.
No TP "sticking" is the wrong expression.
I meant they grow together on the tray like your dinner rolls you put up for Croc. Remember? Sideways touching...
So either I only put two on the tray or I buy one of these moulds and can bake 4 in one go.
Carla try a couche made of canvas or linen? Then you just transfer with a wood peel to your oven!
Jeremy
^ Yeah, like Jeremy says. You can see an eg. of the couche towards the end of [url=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8869194114986951935&q=baguette]Jack's baguette demo[/url]
Carla,
I haven't worked out the best way either.
A stone doesn't necessarily help, as most of the ones that you can find are square, and not long enough for decent length baguettes.
A long oven tray might fit three at a time, and if you had two trays you could probably fit a couple of batches in the oven.
cheers
Dom