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amanda_slamm

O/T Baguette peel

agmss15
5 years ago

To Ann T and other bakers


My sister and I make a variety of wood kitchen utensils. We just had an open Studio event and were commissioned to make a baguette peel for a customer’s son. He has a large WFO and bakes several hundred loaves a week. I have a WFO but mostly make pizza or smaller amounts of bread. And not baguettes per se.


So do any of the bread bakers on here make baguettes? What size loaf do you make? The main issue I see is that I would imagine the loaf gets offloaded to the side rather than at the end. Would you load one loaf at a time? Or several. Handle length suggestions?


Here is one of our peels - good for an individual pizza or a small boule.


Comments (8)

  • dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
    5 years ago

    Nice! Very appeeling! :-)

    dcarch

  • Michelle misses Sophie
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    The handle length would likely be the same as you would use for any other WFO peel.

    When I took a class at KAF a couple of years ago, they used narrow, single baguette planks that beveled to a sharper edge on either side and yes, unloaded to the side. If you look at their "baguette transfer peel" you'll see what I mean. https://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/baguette-transfer-peel

    A handled version would be similar to this by American Metalcraft (but you'd want a much longer handle for a WFO) https://www.webstaurantstore.com/american-metalcraft-836-8-x-29-1-2-long-blade-wood-pizza-peel-with-6-1-2-handle/124836.html

    The bevel at the edges is key for transfer from the couche to the peel.

  • User
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Your peel is a beauty. I use a peel for pizza, but for breads and especially baguettes, I use a transfer board.

    We make a number of them 20" to 30" long

    in both big leaf maple

    and walnut.

    They can be slid off the end or "flipped" off the long side.

    If your customer is baking a number of loaves at the same time, he might want to be able to slide multiple loaves at once so you might find out what the width of the oven is.

  • mabeldingeldine
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    This is the transfer peel my DH got me. Mine came from a baking supply place. ann_t, your's are gorgeous! Are the edges beveled?

  • plllog
    5 years ago

    That peel is gorgeous! I prefer a slab, rather than laminated surface, but if it's that pretty, I could change my mind!

    I've always thought Ann's transfer boards looked appealing (pun unintended until I chuckled). I rarely make baguettes, and only on a stone in a regular oven, but keeping them straight, rather than wiggly, is a good thing. :)

    As to size, I wouldn't want to try to get an even bake on the super long French style ones without a commercial oven. I'm more likely to go about 12"-15" for home use. I have made up to about 20"=24".

    For a wood fired oven, outdoors, I'd want a really long handle, as much for a counterbalance as for reaching the back of the oven. That's the biggest concern I'd have. I have several pizza peels, and find that balance affects useability more than anything else.

    Another consideration is surface texture. My worst balanced and too thick peel has a raw wood surface, which is best for sliding dough on and off of. Too slick and it wants to stick, but the cornmeal or flour doesn't stick.

  • agmss15
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Ann T - your work is always gorgeous!!! We don’t have big leaf maple here. Lovely wood. We do use a lot of black walnut.

    We struggled with finishing peels or not. We work really hard on sanding - plus unfinished wood is more vulnerable to moisture. We finally settled on a very light oiling. We gave our step-dad one with a salad bowl finish - he loves manning my WFO oven at inferno temps - so far that finish is holding up.

  • User
    5 years ago

    Thank you Agmss15. I love the boards that you and your sister make. You might not have Big Leaf/Western Maple but you have other maples and beautiful woods.

    Like you, we work hard on our sanding for a beautiful finish. I put at least three coats of oil on before shipping one of our boards.

    I find a well sanded and oiled board makes it easier to slide a loaf or a baguette/pizza on to a stone in the oven or grill. I don't like the grittiness of cornmeal so I use rice flour. Breads just slide right off without sticking. I also use rice flour on my dough board under loaves that are proofing.

    Mabeldingeldine, we have bevelled a few pizza boards that we made, but not the transfer boards. They are thin enough that it hasn't made a difference. We sold quite a few and no one missed the bevelled edge.

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