Side question: Why do people buy baguettes? Do they make sandwiches with them? How do you even make a sandwich from them? How are you meant to beat a baguette???

  • exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 hour ago

    Making bread on a flat surface allows you to minimize costs of entry (not only don’t you need the forms which are relatively cheap, you can go with simpler/cheaper ovens), and this kind of bread has a more pronounced crust, which many people like.

    Crusts like this generally require a lot of steam in the oven, and steam ovens are usually much more expensive than non-steam ovens.

    If you want a homemade loaf that can actually produce the type of bubbly crust you expect in certain types of European style breads, you’ll have to trap a lot of steam where you’re baking it, often by containing it in a Dutch oven.

    And shaping/forming a loaf that stays tall when being baked on a flat surface takes skill, lots of practice and experience.

    • Allero@lemmy.today
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      40 minutes ago

      Crusts like this generally require a lot of steam in the oven

      Fair enough!

      And shaping/forming a loaf that stays tall when being baked on a flat surface takes skill, lots of practice and experience.

      Or a fairly inexpensive machine that will do it for you. Of course though, there’s a special pleasure in making a truly artisan bread with your own hands. But hey, it’s not that hard if you know what you’re doing. Best to see it in action.

      But then again, I speak from the side of low-scale industrial baking. For a home baker, all this machinery will be an overkill.

      • exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        56 seconds ago

        Whoops, didn’t realize you were talking about industrial scale. I guess that makes sense, and I would have no idea which type of bread uses cheaper equipment.