What a fun list this is!
Thank you Peter for the "long" version. I tried your "short" version last
weekend, forcing myself to follow your instructions exactly, and I was
thrilled with the results. This is the bread I have been trying to make
for years, getting approximate results sometimes, and not knowing why. I
mixed the dough in the old zojirushi, being somewhat lazy, and forced
myself to use the oil spray, ignoring my horrified brain screaming
"What? Oil in the bread?", bought some parchment paper, which made me
feel like an actress in a 1960's betty crocker no fuss no muss tv
commercial, and baked the whole sh'bang in my 50 btu gas oven that takes
about 10 minutes to get back to temperature every time I open the door.
Aside from the immensely satisfying random pattern of irregularly sized
air pockets, a crust that was crusty and delicate at the same time, and
a rich flavor that lingered long afterward, the pain is my perfect
bread. I do not say this lightly as this journey as taken me as long or
longer than my quest for perfection in some other areas of life.
I will try the long version and report back, and I thank you for posting
it.
My interest in the long version, David, was not with the hydration
level, but rather my curiosity and a never ending need to tinker and
experiment with recipes. I thank you for the suggestion about making it
during the week, as I had been racking my brain trying to figure out a
way to do it. My house is cold during the day, so perhaps a 10 hour
ferment may work.
I do not have any problem with wet doughs, and think that I used more
water than Peter's formula. I only 'think' this since I went by volume
not weight, but when I transferred the 8 inch baguettes to the
parchment, I had to use the scraper to support the dough.... so that was
pretty wet.
Uma, could your yeast be old? Or did it get too close to the salt when
you mixed your dough?
Lissa Lasser, Psy.D.