Baguette

The dimension of the baguette, Switzerland and the Parisette, is an elongated, crusty white bread from France and literally means " stick " or " rod ". The pore structure of the crumb is always very rough and uneven, a quality that is caused by the cool sponge and dough with a little yeast. The high proportion of crust to crumb ratio is responsible for the strong aromatic taste.

Features

As every baker in France practiced his own recipe and its own leadership, can hardly be defined a standard. The typical ingredients are gluten hard wheat flour, water and yeast. Features of the classical formulation are cool and soft sponge and dough ( dough yield 165 ), long dough rest and long Gare.

Production

Baguettes are made in Germany from wheat flour type 550, water and yeast. Traditionally, a flour called T65 is used in France, which corresponds roughly to the German flour type 550.

Special features in the manufacture in France are:

• The cereal is a so-called "hard wheat " (English "hard wheat ", but not durum wheat " wheat durum " ), for the warmer temperatures are needed in the growth, which are given in France.
• The dough process takes a long time for enough storage space is needed. We often out of the dough overnight.
• The dough is no longer kneaded after the rising, a reason why the pores are large.
• The finished dough pieces are cut horizontally, not vertically as possible with loaves of bread, thus a more powerful paragon arises ( the crack ).
• The furnace in France is often not a " swath oven", thus making the pastry crispy.

History

The Baguette is originally from Vienna, where it was invented in the mid -19th century with the advent of the first steam ovens. According to French tradition, the first Baguette in Paris was baked by an Austrian baker who had moved to the Congress of Vienna to France.

Another tradition refers to a Pole, who in Paris developed a long dough process with a special Hefevorteig ( poolish ) that still finds application in the manufacture baguette today. Long the sponge and dough levain de pâte with ( left-over dough, fermented dough ) was widespread. Today levain ( sourdough wheat ) are poolish and more in vogue.

By 1986 the price of a baguette was regulated by law. Today meal is still attached from beans or corn. This goes back to a regulation from the First World War, which had the goal of saving grain for bread. In addition, bean flour contains a relatively large amount of lecithin, which improves as the natural emulsifier baking quality of flour. The taste baguette varies primarily by the kind of dough process.

With the industrial production, the structure of the French baguettes has changed: The crumb was light and the fine pore structure. In order to facilitate the mechanical processing, the dough was held fixed and used baking agent.

This trend has been on a decline, since among other things the bread Regulation 1993 makes clear requirements for production, to support smaller, traditional bakeries. Baguette de tradition française must therefore consist only of wheat flour, water, yeast and salt. Suitable additives are only bean flour (< 2%), soybean meal (< 0.5%) and wheat flour (<0.3 %) admitted.

French baguette types

• Baguette: Weight: 240-310 grams, length: about 55 to 70 centimeters; Oval cross-section: about five inches
• Flûte (flute) with the same weight, twice the length but half the thickness of a baguette (in the USA referred to as " parisienne " )
• Pain ( bread): Same length as baguette, but thicker, Weight: about 400 grams
• Ficelle ( thread ) with the same weight, longer and thinner than a baguette
• Demi- baguettes, tiers or " Rudi rolls ": baguette in the form of a sandwich bun
• Boule ( ball ): A large round bun
• Bâtard ( bastard ): scrap dough, which is left after the baguette production. Equivalent in size and shape in about a rugby ball ( 30 cm diameter)

Variations

A white bread of the same kind in Spain is the most common bread per se, there it is called Barra (bar).

There are also variants of less finely ground flour or other flours such as spelled or rye flour, sometimes with additives such as pumpkin seeds and other things. However, they have little in common with the typical baguette, what does it matter that the name Baguette is not protected. A baguette by the traditional management is rare in Germany. Here is a simple wheat bread is usually sold in the form of baguettes, which is also known as French bread, baguette, meters bread, French bread or Shower Bar. Also popular are baguette variants from whole wheat flour, which have little in common except the shape of the original.

Also known as baguettes, sometimes correctly referred to as baguettes, regionally hand- span long in Germany, traded oval rolls from the typical dough.

Use

Baguette lends itself to versatile. It is cut or broken enough to many meals, such as in addition to wine, cheese, salads, soups. Most the baguette is cut at an angle to serve in slices.

In Spain, it is customary to cut Barra in three to four parts and this as a bun to split longitudinally, in order to prove with ham, cheese, chorizo ​​, or the like, without salad or cucumbers. This type of sandwich bread is called in Spain Bocadillo. In the Catalan variant of Bocadillo the cut surfaces are rubbed with tomato halves with olive oil and seasoned with salt if necessary - this is called in Catalan pa amb tomàquet (bread with tomato).

In various German food chains baguettes are used for the production of croques.