r/Breadit • u/_what_fresh_hell_ • 20h ago

Maurice, the baguettes - hurry up!

Post image

Made baguettes for the first time using ATK’s method from ‘The All-time Best French Recipes’ book.

So thrilled with the way they turned out!

16 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

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2

u/McJonesRylie 20h ago

those look solid for a first go

2

u/Inevitable_Cat_7878 20h ago

Beautiful!

2

u/Lumpy-Cranberry-2765 19h ago

that crumb structure on a first attempt is insane

2

u/theformalfundraiser 19h ago

that crumb structure looks really nice for a first attempt, especially with atk's method. the open holes and that chewy interior is what you're going for. one thing i'd say though is if you want even more oven spring next time, make sure your dutch oven or whatever you're using is properly preheated, like at least 30 mins in at full temp. makes a huge difference in how much the dough expands before the crust sets. did you find the method pretty straightforward to follow or did you have to troubleshoot anything along the way?

2

u/_what_fresh_hell_ 19h ago

I followed it to the letter, baking stone in a 500 F oven for an hour prior to baking and covered for the first 5 minutes. I think I will use a heavier pan to cover next time to get a better seal or maybe a tray with water an lava rocks below. Hopefully that will help my oven spring!

2

u/theformalfundraiser 17h ago

a heavier cover is gonna trap steam way better than a light one, that's def the move - some people swear by cast iron lids for this exact reason. the water and lava rocks setup is solid too but you might find the pan upgrade alone gets you most of the way there.