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Not the best visually. I think the dough was just a little wet. But it is, of course, delicious. The recipe says to let it cool for an hour and a half. Right.

I've actually only made baguettes a few times so my shaping technique leaves a little to be desired.

Not worth spending the entire day on very often but they are good

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From:

msconduct.livejournal.com

Yum, looks tasty! May the Fifth be with you! I think you're right about the slightly wet dough. I can see, for want of a better word, stretch marks on your loaves: you might get a better result if you do some diagonal slashes on the baguettes before you throw it in the oven. I don't attempt baguettes myself as I have a bakery within an easy drive that has a Paris-trained baker and I can't come close to duplicating their baguettes.

From:

bill-schubert.livejournal.com

So I did slash them but the dough was wet and didn't really have a skin on it to take the slash. That and the way it came out... smoother than it should be.. points me to more flour.

I started making bread because there was no good bread near us and then found that I enjoyed it. I hardly ever make french bread of any kind as it does not last. I may do this again by hand so I can get the feel back.

From:

msconduct.livejournal.com

And the way they've dropped into an oval, too. I often find a technically too wet dough actually comes out as very nice bread but I don't think it's possible to get away with that with baguettes. I mean, it probably tastes terrific, but if you actually want it to be more baguetty.

Yes, I realised when I looked again at your photo that there were slashes in there, so sorry about that. Slashing is something that turns out to be unexpectedly technical according to my sourdough guru. You're supposed to use a razor (I don't have a razor) and there's apparently a way of doing it so that the edges curl back in the oven. Like a boss. He says it takes practice but since I have no idea exactly what to practice I just hack away with my sharpest knife and hope for the best.

From:

bill-schubert.livejournal.com

Yeah, exactly. I used to have a razor specifically designed to slash bread but I found it no better in my hands. I think the practice comes when you have 30 batches going into the oven and someone showing you how to do it. One at a time just doesn't cut it for learning some things.

From:

taz-39.livejournal.com

I've always thought that "let it cool for an hour" was some sort of messed-up joke, lol.
I'll wait like 20 minutes, how's that?

People put too much on appearances anymore. The best-tasting food rarely looks like it's off the cover of a magazine.
Your bread looks freaking delicious!

From:

bill-schubert.livejournal.com

It was good. One of those things that I need other people for. It is impossible to make just enough bread for two. And french bread is eat it now or never.

From:

taz-39.livejournal.com

I'm glad to hear you say that because as a noob breadbaker, it always makes me feel like I did something wrong when my bread--perfectly moist and delicious the day it's baked--is dry and less enjoyable half a day later. Fresh bread really needs to be eaten fresh!

From:

bill-schubert.livejournal.com

I read somewhere long ago a quote: After two days, all bread is cake. In the case of home yeast bread where there are no preservatives I think this is true. The gluten that makes it bread breaks down and the texture changes. While it is good, it has lost what makes a really good bread special. When you pull apart a piece of fresh bread, there is resistance. That is the gluten. After two or three days the resistance is no longer there and the bread, while still tasting good, loses something.

It is what makes well made bread so special. The same holds true with some beer too. Very similar in nature, both grown from yeast.