New Webisode: Baking Mini Baguettes from Pizza Dough

Hi and welcome Back!

Here’s a webisode we’ve been saving from the Forno Bravo Oven Expo where I get to bake my favorite thing (beside pizza): bread!  And not just any bread but a remarkable mini-baguette made from a wet, ciabatta-like dough, that puffs up beautifully in a hot oven immediately after shaping (and this will work not just in wood-fired oven but even in a home oven set to 500 or 550 F).  The key to this dough, as with pizza and focaccia dough, is to make it at least one day ahead and let it ferment very slowly in the refrigerator. It’s tricky to handle because it’s so sticky, so take note of how I use both extra dusting flour and, in some instances, the judicious use of oil (olive or vegetable)..

Lot’s of little tips in this one, but my favorite part is when I get to go on one of my “transformation” riffs at the end. As many of you already know, that’s really the part of bread baking (and cooking in general) that nourishes me the most, to participate in an act of transformation that changes one thing into something entirely new (and, by extension, changes us as well). You’ll see what I mean when you watch this video. Enjoy!!