First up is Acme's Rustic Baguette. I have been trying to bake a decent baguette. Getting the dough right is no mean feat.

This one uses 2 preferments; a pate fermente and a poolish. The combination delivers the right texture and flavor.

I think next time I will push the proofing a bit furtther.

The end results were the best baguettes I have made to date. Light as a feather and really crispy. The boule was definately under proofed.

The crumb was nice and airy and the crust was thin and crisp.

I think if I push the hydration and proofing a little bit I might end up with equal parts hole and bread!

It worked for lunch!

I'm not sure why I thought a big ol' boule would proof in the same time as the baguettes.

Next time, a much longer proof.

Next up, Essential Baking Co.'s Columbia. It's a naturally leavened country style French bread.

The dough has a touch of whole wheat flour and a smidgeon of rye to deepen the flavor. The fermentation and proofing take about 8 hours.

The beautiful deep brown is aided by the barley malt syrup in the dough.

Nice rise and a nice open crumb.

The crust is really substantial and crunchy. A definite keeper!