Creativity - CAS Project 7/11/21 (Learning Outcome 2)
By the end of my A-term I felt like I had learned so much! I had learned about a new culture and the historical importance of food, and I had been able to express my creativity through baking some of the most elegan French masterpieces. By baking all of these I discovered new flavors nad ideas, and got to get creative using different film and photography techniques, as well as colors for pastries such as the macarons. All of these things together helped me to become a more diverse person and to experiment with my baking so I can continue to improve and express myself through it in the future.
On my last day I decided to tackle the baguette. To start, I combined the ingredients: flour, salt, water and yeast (that’s it!), then let that rest for a few minutes. Next I kneaded the dough to make it more elastic and uniform. Then, after a long retarding process (proofing in the fridge) I was ready to shape.
First the dough needed to be shaped into rectangles, then rolled into a cylinder. Next it was rolled out to the proper length (around 14-15 inches). This was a little similar to what I did with the braided brioche loaf, but it was much easier with the baguette dough. Then the baguettes had to prove again, this time in a couche. A couche is used to support the baguette and also takes some of the moisture from the outside of the dough. This allows for it to be crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside. While this proofing was happening, I did the very important task of preheating the oven.
Because of the steaming technique that is used to achieve the contrast between crisp and soft, you can’t just heat up the oven, but must replicate a steamy atmosphere. I did this by putting a bread pan full of water with a towel at the bottom of the oven below a baking stone that was heated at the top.
Once the oven was hot, the last step before putting them in was to score the dough. This is a technique used to slow the expansion of the baguettes in the oven, and gives them the characteristic three swipes. Then into the oven they went!
Thirty minutes later, my baguettes were browned to perfection! The outside was crispy, but when I cut into it, the inside was cream colored and full of bubbles, just like it was supposed to be! It is amazing what a tasty result can be produced from such a simple combination of ingredients. No fat and no sweeteners, yet the flavor is not bland and can be paired with so many foods--my personal favorite is a slice of brie cheese.
I was very pleased with the result of my baguettes, and they are something I will definitely be making again. Although there is lots of waiting time in between steps, the process is simple and efficient, so it doesn’t take long for your kitchen to become a French boulangerie!
My baguette making process would fall under learning outcome two. In order to bake these properly, I had to make do with the conventional oven I had in my kitchen instead of the classic steam oven that French bakers would do. Luckily with some research I was able to figure out effective ways to get around this, without messing with the results of my baguettes.
On my last day I decided to tackle the baguette. To start, I combined the ingredients: flour, salt, water and yeast (that’s it!), then let that rest for a few minutes. Next I kneaded the dough to make it more elastic and uniform. Then, after a long retarding process (proofing in the fridge) I was ready to shape.
First the dough needed to be shaped into rectangles, then rolled into a cylinder. Next it was rolled out to the proper length (around 14-15 inches). This was a little similar to what I did with the braided brioche loaf, but it was much easier with the baguette dough. Then the baguettes had to prove again, this time in a couche. A couche is used to support the baguette and also takes some of the moisture from the outside of the dough. This allows for it to be crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside. While this proofing was happening, I did the very important task of preheating the oven.
Because of the steaming technique that is used to achieve the contrast between crisp and soft, you can’t just heat up the oven, but must replicate a steamy atmosphere. I did this by putting a bread pan full of water with a towel at the bottom of the oven below a baking stone that was heated at the top.
Once the oven was hot, the last step before putting them in was to score the dough. This is a technique used to slow the expansion of the baguettes in the oven, and gives them the characteristic three swipes. Then into the oven they went!
Thirty minutes later, my baguettes were browned to perfection! The outside was crispy, but when I cut into it, the inside was cream colored and full of bubbles, just like it was supposed to be! It is amazing what a tasty result can be produced from such a simple combination of ingredients. No fat and no sweeteners, yet the flavor is not bland and can be paired with so many foods--my personal favorite is a slice of brie cheese.
I was very pleased with the result of my baguettes, and they are something I will definitely be making again. Although there is lots of waiting time in between steps, the process is simple and efficient, so it doesn’t take long for your kitchen to become a French boulangerie!
My baguette making process would fall under learning outcome two. In order to bake these properly, I had to make do with the conventional oven I had in my kitchen instead of the classic steam oven that French bakers would do. Luckily with some research I was able to figure out effective ways to get around this, without messing with the results of my baguettes.
Comments
Post a Comment