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]

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]

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

[Xabia Jim]

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]

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]

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