Sue, I think you're letting your baguettes and rolls rise too long. Let them expand only till they're about 3/4 of the way to doubled; if they expand too much, 1) they're hard to handle (as you've noticed), and 2) they don't show much oven-spring, which is that lovely big rise once they hit the heat of the oven. Also, as you say, the dough may be a bit too soft; maybe you live somewhere humid, or for some reason your flour/liquid ratios are a bit different than the ones we encounter here in Vermont. Whatever, it's a good idea to adjust the amounts of flour and water till you've got a good ratio for YOUR environment, which may be different than what the recipe says. Good luck -
May 10, 2008 at 11:50pm