Tyro Batards

Photo: fraichement

Ingredients

Starter

1 cup King Arthur Bread Flour

1/2 tablespoon c+ 2 warm water

1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast

Dough

2 cups King Arthur Bread Flour

1/2 cup warm water

1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Mix all the ingredients together for the starter. Cover and let sit overnight. It should look bubbly and active— doubled in size. Add the ingredients for the dough to the starter. Mix well then transfer to a floured surface to knead for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will stick to your palms, and it’s very annoying. However, there is a slight solution! If you keep a small dusted surface area with flour, you can dip your palm into it in order to keep the dough from sticking all too much. I find if I keep dusting the surface under the dough that it doesn’t help as much as this method.

If you have kneaded sufficiently, the dough should naturally form somewhat of a ball without you needing to really shape it. Wash your hands, dry them, and put a few drops of olive oil on them. Pat all sides of the dough with your hands, and place into a large clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow for the dough to sit for an hour before turning it over to gently deflate. After another two hours of rising, place onto a lightly greased surface (not too greasy, otherwise you will have a terrible time shaping the dough).

Mark at The Back Home Bakery has a great video on shaping dough. I used his technique for batards, which I absolutely recommend. After shaping, allow the dough to proof in a couche, or whatever you are baking it on. Proofing time should be about 2 hours, or whenever your batards have puffed up well.

Preheat your oven to 450ºF. Sprits the dough with warm water. Then, with a very sharp knife, a serrated knife, a razor, or a lame score the bread. I would tell you what you should do, but I don’t even know what to do. I mean, I put three diagonal slits in one of my batards, when batards call for only two. Sprits the oven walls to create steam just after you placed the batards inside. Do this again 5 minutes in, then 10 minutes in. If you have a small oven like me, rotate the batards so they do not burn on one side. Allow to bake for 25 minutes.