Wheat and Rye's

[Xabia Jim]

Finally caught up on our bread supply....

We butter the crust for a softer crust and a flavor boost. (I still need a sprayer for the oven)

The wheat was great and the rye will be tasted today! (It's a very dense rye recipe from Vaughn's mother, who made it too)

[CanuckJim]

Re: Wheat and Rye's

XJ,

The breads look mighty good. What are you using to slash the dough? You might find you'll get more of an opening, or grigne, if you use a razor blade, go a bit deeper and on more of an angle.

Jim

[james]

Re: Wheat and Rye's

Isn't it great have a bread baking pro in the group.
James

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Wheat and Rye's

Thanks CJ, we used the razor we picked up the E Dilliherin chef's store. I'm sure there is a fancy french name for it.

It was my virgin try so the deeper and sideways advice is much appreciated.

Jim

[CanuckJim]

Re: Wheat and Rye's

XJ,

It's called a lame. There are about a zillion kinds of these, some serrated. There is a French company that makes nothing but. How French is that? I was given one by a German friend that's made by, you guessed it, the Swiss Army knife guys (see the FB bread cookbook for a pic). And, no, it doesn't have pliers or a bottle opener or..., but the blade is serrated and very stiff. I use it for straight down cuts on firm dough. For really hydrated doughs, I leave all these things in the drawer and use kitchen shears instead. Works good at a very shallow angle.

Somewhere, there's a post of mine on lames and a link to a site that offers a really cheap blade holder meant for double-edged razor blades you can buy in bulk. Believe it or not, the blades do dull over time.

You want an entry angle of about 30 degrees or so, and a depth of about half an inch on a large loaf. It's decorative, sure, but it also contributes to oven spring. I would probably kill for a lame from that store.

Jim

[carioca]

Re: Wheat and Rye's

Hey guys,

I bought a pair of (Xacto?) Xcelite blade holders and surgical blades for $A17 the other day for my growing collection of 'sharps' - they slice into my wheatgrain/rye/wholemeal loaves quite nicely, thank you :-)

Just a thought for those of you can't get to the right 'lames'...

Ciao,

Carioca