Moist sources say mix it in. It’s clear and not much of it.
Does it look like there’s less hooch as days go by? I keep my starter in the fridge btw feedings, and it seems like it rises more quickly (but also exhausts itself more quickly) initially and then becomes less rapidly active after a few days.
heehehehehehehhehe
So, I tried baguettes again with the same Food Geek formula:
675g flour
450g water
15g salt
150g starter
but this time I used plain ol’ store brand unbleached AP flour. I also went easier on the initial kneading in the mixer. I’d post pictures, but they essentially look identical to my last attempt.
The results were promising. The baguettes still had a great flavor with plenty of sourdough tang and things were MUCH less chewy than the last batch.
The dough was a LOT more slack, though, so shaping was more difficult. I think I stretched them out too much lengthwise, which yielded VERY skinny baguettes. Great for slicing into rounds for cheeses, less great for making a roast beef sub.
I think I may try taking @Nemroz 's suggestion and adding a little melted butter so see if I can get a softer interior and a thinner crust.
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enriched baguette sticks!
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Apparently, if I do add butter, the French Food Police will arrest me if I have the temerity to call it a baguette.
A ‘traditional baguette’ must be made on premises, cannot be frozen at any point and may contain ONLY flour, salt, water, and yeast. No preservatives.
hm. Now I wonder if you could make a softer, slightly longer lasting baguette by using a tangzhong of flour and water… It wouldn’t technically be violating the rules…
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Note to self: when using a banneton for cold proofing, you need to wrap it in plastic. A tea towel doesn’t prevent the dough from drying out.
ARGH!!! I’m using the same recipe as b/f, but I’m using half the amt of starter (so ~60g) and letting it for a full 24 hrs in the fridge. I normally use a plastic bowl, a tea towel on top, and a lid (not snapped into place). But I thought I’d be fancy and try a banneton and a banneton cover. I was re-watching the video (I’m using proofing directions I’ve linked to elsewhere), and I was like, “Oh, wait, she’s wrapping the banneton in a plastic bag. Uh, oh…”
18 hrs into my proof, I thought I’d check it. Edges are very dried out. The top is decently moist. I tried gently moistening the edge and then putting banneton into a plastic bag (and back into the fridge). Wish me luck.
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Yikes. Ya that was an early day finding for me too. Ever since im just placing my bannetons into plastic bags
I know, total rookie mistake. When I first got the bannetons a few yrs ago, I was doing any cold proofs. And, when I started doing cold proofs, I was always using something non-porous.
Oh, well, I was just doing this for practice. I’ll either have something for croutons or bread crumbs, at the worst.
Ya it’ll be fine. Can always just ignore the bottom.
My starter is slacking after 2 weeks of travels. Baked this week and though I didn’t overproof it didn’t spring correctly. Need to give it some extra feedings
My starter has been super active recently (maybe the heat), but normally I give it a few feedings b/f using, if it’s been in the fridge for a few wks. Does yours normally work well after 2 wks in the fridge???
Unrelated to starters but related to the fridge… I randomly encountered a reddit thread where someone talked about the “double cold proof.” Said it gave them the best oven spring they ever had. I know your bread (normally) gets great spring, but great oven spring is like the bane of my existence. I may try it eventually. 
I keep my starter in the fridge and only feed every 2 weeks or so. I’ve let it go as long as three occasionally. On a bake day I will do a fresh feeding first thing in the morning and usually it’s ready to go by the time I’m ready to mix in the starter. If I’ve left the starter go too long and it’s sluggish I might do a second feeding.
Oven spring is a product of your ferment/proof, yes, but also SHAPING. Good gluten formation and a nice tense outer surface are key to good spring.
The most recent Food Geek video is all about a shaping demo for both boules and batards.
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That video was really helpful. For some reason, in the yrs that I’ve been doing this, the whole “pre-shaping” thing was new to me (until I read about it last night). What I had seen either bench rest and then shape or shape and then bench rest (the latter never made sense to me).
But not shape, bench rest, and then shape again. So I shall def try this next time. I do have difficulty getting the taut exterior. I also think I’m too aggressive.
I noticed that the food geek didn’t seem to flour the work bench prior to shaping the boule (but did for the batard)?
The loaf was a total failure. I think the prob was actually the bulk ferment. I had let the last (previous to this loaf) go too long during the bulk ferment, and I think I WAY overcompensated w/ this one (looking at pics). Oh, well, when you screw up, you learn a lot… Will try again next weekend.
You leave the work surface unfloured because you want the dough all to stick to the counter on the bottom. That’s what stretches to the dough over the top as you drag it forward.
The batards use flour because when you flip the dough to spread it out and fold it up, you don’t want the sticking.
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Ohhhhhh. I think you might’ve explained that b/f, but I forgot. I lightly flour the bench, which is probably why I don’t get the nice, taut surface!!! Argh. Okay, I’ve got lots of change for the next time.
@lectroid: do you think the pre-shape, rest, and then final shape is very important? Or would bench rest and then shape be sufficient?
i think we’re supposed to be feeding 2-3 times a week for peak performance. Mine clearly become sluggish with anything more than a week. I think the ideal schedule is to do a feeding night before mixing. Then a refreshment in in the morning. Then mix in. People get turned off by frequent feeding because they think of it as waste but you literally need like 10-20 grams
Baking, in particular bread baking, and in PARTICULAR particular sourdough bread baking, is something that you just have to practice, because there is never a single magic bullet for whatever your problem is. There’s just the one you found that works for you.
Preshaping gives you the start of that surface net of gluten you need. The bench rest is to allow it to relax a bit, so you can stretch it further without tearing it. Just like stretching pizza crust or rolling out hand rolled pasta. Gluten can be stretched just so far and then needs time to settle before it will stretch again.
I won’t pretend to understand the chemistry underneath it, but yeah, a bench rest will make a difference in how your dough handles and in its final spring.
Also, depending on how wet your dough is, letting them bench rest uncovered can dry out the tops a bit and make things a touch less sticky.
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