In the Year of Fearless Baking: Episode #1: Baguettes
This year my usual annual list has an addendum, a list of 42 things that I’ve never baked (or techniques I haven’t used) at home. The ultimate goal of this exercise is to become a more well-rounded baker. In 2015 I got pretty damn good at baking American-style cakes, but 2016 is a year for new challenges.
The world is so big and there’s just SO MUCH TO DO, and that is why I think that lists are so amazing. Big goals can almost always be divided into small tasks and systematically conquered. With that in mind, on New Years Eve I sat down with the not one but two baking textbooks I own (why? Why do I own these things?) and tried to make a well-rounded list of assignments. Included are lean doughs, pastry, and that thing that terrifies me most: chocolate tempering.
I decided to start with the first thing on the list- baguettes. Even though I make bread every week, the heavy, whole-wheat loaves I produce are decidedly utilitarian. Perfect for freezing and toasting for breakfast, but there is certainly nothing fancy or fine (read: French) about them. Baguettes are definitely outside of my comfort zone, and starting with them made me feel like I was almost picking up this list by its shirt collar. Oh yes, List: you will be conquered.
I used Saveur’s 4 Hour Baguette recipe, and was amazed by how manageable and unterrifying it was. This recipe is absolutely genius, and doesn’t require any truly specialized equipment. Instead of a special baguette pan, the loaves are proofed in creased parchment and supported by tea towels; when they go into the oven you throw a handful of ice into a cast iron pan under the baking stone to create steam. We don’t have a bread lame (yet) to score the top, but a sharp paring knife worked just fine.
I have to say, opening the oven and seeing these gorgeous crusty loaves was an unbelievable surprise. I definitely employed a healthy amount of curse words to express my sheer disbelief. John just laughed and laughed. And we got to eat hot bread with dinner, which is about as much as anyone can ask for on a cold night.
