Baguette Baking Pans

[pckouris]

Well today I purchased a French Bread baggette baking pan. It has two "sections" which are about 3 1/2 inches wide and about 18" long, for just a lousy 12 bucks at the Restaurant Store in Key West.
(I just hate to got there because they have all this neat stuff and I want it all! But so expensive!)
Anyway, I am going to (tomorrow) bake some French bread baggetts in it and I hope for a great turn out.
Will let you all know of course.
Some of you suggested that I don't need baggette pans, (just use a cookie sheet) and I have, but the bread turns out too flat. It settles too much and is not the round firm baggettes I desire. So we shall see what we shall see.
tooldooodo, until later...I'll take some pictures for you all to see how the experiment turns out.

 

[jennyema]

Pete,

I am really interested in how it comes out!!

Are you going to slash the top?

 

[johnjohn]

Too much settling? Without looking at your recipe, I'd guess that you're not developing enough gluten or your dough may be too wet. When you roll out your final baguette, it shouldn't settle flat.

 

[pckouris]

New Baggett pans

Well, evrything turned out just peachy keen!
The loaves were just great, nice and round. The pans didn't need any corn starch or anything to keep them from sticking.
The only thing is that I don't want loaves this large. The pans are about 3+ or so. As a result I am going to purchase the three "pack" which are a bit norrower at about 2 1/2 or 3/4 inches. This should turn out the size of baggett I want.
But the bread turned out perfectly.

 

[pckouris]

jennyema: Yes, I slashed the tops. (Why? Does it matter? How does this effect the bread if any?

And johnjohn: Perhaps my dough is too moist? More flour? They should not have settled while rising on a cookie sheet?

 

[johnjohn]

Perhaps my dough is too moist? More flour? They should not have settled while rising on a cookie sheet?

That's exactly what I'm saying. What's the flour to water ratio in your recipe (by weight)?

 

[pckouris]

Hello johnjohn.

Oh, I have no idea about ratio to weight. I just put in as much flour as it takes to get it away from the walls of the machine. I try to gauge it so it is a little sticky but no too much. (I use my bread machine to mix the dough.)
It "handles" well after, on the board, and I can shape it well. But when you let it sit on a cookie sheet for another hour to rise again it flattens out.
I have bought some baggette pans. And the first batch turned out pretty good. But I think with them I can make better next time.
The next set of pans I buy are going to be a little smaller to make a nice long skinny baggette.
There are several types of pans. Some with holes in the bottoms and others not.

 

[pckouris]

Well here is the latest chapter in the "making of the perfect Baggetts". Baked three batches of bread in my new baggett pans.
First batch was baggettes, second was rolls and the third different types.
Pictures are added. Came out just great!

 

[pckouris]

And here are more pics, especially of the baggettes.

 

[subfuscpersona]

Baguettes are one type of a class of breads that are "freeform" breads - that is, they typically have the final pre-baking rise on a flat surface and are then baked directly on a flat surface in the oven.

Freeform breads typically have a higher ratio of water:flour than the more familiar "loaf-style" breads. Due to their higher water content (aka a "wet" or "slack" dough) they will tend to spread *out* rather than *up* during the final pre-baking rise unless supported on their sides in some way.

Baguette pans will help the dough keep its shape during this rising period. Alternatively, baguettes (or any freeform loaf) can be shaped and let rise on a flat surface but typically the dough is braced in some way during the rising process.

Baguette pans have the additional benefit that the pans are then directly put into the pre-heated oven for baking, avoiding the problem of deflating the dough (which is vulnerable to deflating when handled) in the process of getting it from the "bench" (the flat surface where it rose) and onto the flat oven surface (for example, a baking stone) for baking.

Some bakers do not like to bake these types of bread in a pan since the bottom and sides will not crisp as well in comparison to baking them on a flat surface. This is primarily b/c water evaoporation during baking primarily is only from the top surface of the bread.

In contrast, a flat baking surface (such as a sheet pan) allows water evaporation from the sides also. A baking stone additionally crisps the bread from the bottom, due, primarily, to its preheated state but also secondarily b/c baking stones tend to draw out moisture from the bottom of the bread.

IMHO, bakers should use what works and what they're comfortable with. However, experimentation can be challenging and a lot of fun.