To Build a Baguette

For those of us who are glutinously challenged:

I tried to build a better baguette via Jules and one of her awesome recipes. For those of you who haven’t been zapped by the gluten monster yet (I emphasize the yet) this wont mean anything to you. However, if you have. You’ll see my pain.

First, a regular baguette has dough that’s been kneaded into elasticity, then left to rise in a warm environment.

Most gluten-free bread is more batter-y than dough-y. As a consequence there are a lot more “forms” that have to be constructed to get a loaf “look”. Or, you know, you could use a loaf pan if you want a baguette to look like banana bread. I constructed my own.

The first thing you might notice here is that the “batter” looks more like lumpy gack.

Yes.

That’s a problem. It was supposed to pour into the form.

When I realized the baguette was going to be a bust, I decided to attempt her brioche at the same time. (Why go down sadly when you can go out in a screaming blaze of flaming agony?) I used a non-fluted bundt pan. I’m sure there’s a better name for it. Put it in the comments if you know. I inherited it, so…there it is.

They cooked up–or at least the brioche did–quite nicely. The baguette still looks more rock-like than I’d like.

And trying to cut it proved that rock-like hypothesis. The inside was either rocksolid or dough–no rhyme or reason. I go with “catastrophic failure.”

It was recycled.

However, the brioche was not what I expected. More like a savory pound cake. not a bad thing…just not so much BREAD. You know? I think it would make excellent french toast.

Undaunted, I tried again. I forgot to get a pic in the form, but it was MUCH better looking batter (say it 3 times fast).

Here it is out of the oven.

And here it is sliced. it had raised a bit more than you see here, but mine fell a bit. It also took a lot longer to get to an internal 200 °, so I may have contributed to that problem. I’m thinking I need a good oven thermometer. I don’t think mine’s accurate.