Batard Bread

Meenakshi

Batard bread is a lean bread that is shaped like an oval or oblong. Batard or Bâtard bread has a golden-brown crust with a soft and fluffy interior. This post deal with all that you need to know to make a delicious French batard at your home.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Inactive time 5

Total Time 5 45

Course Bread

Cuisine American, French

Servings

Calories 231 kcal

Ingredients

500 g bread flour
320 g water
2 ¼ teaspoon Active dry yeast (1 pkt.)
5 g suagr (1 tsp)
10 g salt (1 ½ tsp)

Instructions

Activation of yeast:

Take warm water in a jar to activate the yeast. The water temperature should be about 110⁰F. Add sugar to the water and dissolve well using a spoon. Now empty a packet of active dry yeast and mix. Keep it aside for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture becomes frothy. The top of the yeast mixture will become foamy and bubbly. That is when we know that the yeast is activated. Combining the dry and wet ingredients
Take the measured quantity of flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix salt well into the flour using a whisk. Now add the yeast water into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Kneading the dough

Now place the bowl on the stand mixer and start kneading at speed 2. Keep kneading till the dough becomes smooth and detaches itself cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
It should take 12-14 minutes. Bump up the speed towards the end of kneading and let the dough leave the base of the bowl. Stop kneading when the dough becomes smooth. (If kneading with hands read the recipe notes*2)

Bulk rise the dough

Once the dough becomes smooth, transfer it to a greased bowl. Choose a big bowl with enough headroom for the dough to double up. You can let it bulk rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours or until it doubles up in volume.
But if you want to let it bulk rise overnight, start by letting it bulk rise for 40 minutes at room temperature and then transfer it to the fridge. Let it bulk rise overnight in the fridge.

Pre-shaping and shaping

French Batard bread can be made in various shapes If you want to shape it into one big batard, follow the pre-shape and shaping instructions from this sourdough batard recipe.
For making two medium-sized French batard bread, start by removing the bulk risen dough onto a flour-dusted work surface.
Now divide the dough into two equal parts. By sealing all the edges underneath, from these two parts into smooth rounds. Cover them with a kitchen towel and let them bench rest for about 30 minutes before final shaping.
For final shaping, flatten the round. Now fold the top two edges like an envelope( refer to the images). Go back and bring the top edge and fold. Using the back of your palm gently seal it. Make another fold and seal again. Now flip the dough, and fold and seal the left-out potion also. Make sure to gently press the edges using the back of your wrist to secure the edges.
Now flip the dough with the seam side facing down. Cup your hands over the dough and start to pull it towards you. The purpose is to build the tension on the surface and also elongate the batard a bit. Now repeat the process while pushing the dough away from you. Do not overdo. Stop when you are satisfied with the size and shape.

Proofing

Gently lift the shaped batard onto parchment paper or you can use a bread sling. Cover both the French batard bread with a kitchen towel. Let them proof for about an hour or more depending on your ambient temperature. Look for the volume of the bread and not the timeframe. The dough should look fuller and doubled in volume.

Scoring and baking French batard bread

Preheat the oven to 480 ⁰F towards the end of the proofing stage. Place a baking stone inside the oven to preheat.
Score the bread as you like. You can do a single central slash or multiple horizontal slashes.
Now gently lift the batard and transfer it to a preheated oven. Do not forget to spray the batard with cold water before putting them into the oven.
Bake at 480 ⁰F for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 450 ⁰ F. Bake for additional 10 minutes or until golden-brown crust is formed.
Let the bread cool for 20 minutes before slicing and enjoying.

Notes

If you are using instant yeast, there is no need to activate it. Add it directly to the dry ingredients and mix.
Kneading with hands: For kneading with hands, start by combining the wet and dry ingredients thoroughly using the back of a wooden spoon or something similar to a stage where no dry flour is left (the entire flour should be well hydrated). Now, cover the dough and let it autolyse for 30 minutes. Now remove the dough onto a lightly flour-dusted surface and start kneading the dough by stretching it forward and folding back. Keep kneading till the dough becomes smooth and supple.
If you want to add any kind of herbs and spices, add them during pre-shaping. Stretch the dough into a thin sheet and spread all the toppings or fillings. If you add the herbs and topping earlier, it does hamper the development and strengthening of gluten structure.
As far as flour substitutions are concerned, you can add 5 percent of whole wheat flour if you want, but do not add anything beyond that. The hydration level of the dough will change considerably and the overall texture of the loaf will differ.
Also, if you will use regular all-purpose flour for making this bread, the results might differ. I have used 12.7 percent protein flour from King Arthur in this recipe.
Water: Use chlorine-free water of about 110-115 0F. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature. If you do not have a thermometer, ensure that the water is warm enough so that you can put your wrist into it without feeling very warm.
Preparing the dough without a stand mixer: Please note that while combining flour and water, you might feel that the dough is very dry and you might feel tempted to add more water. But as you will go in with your hands and start to combine the flour with water, you will observe that the dough will become fully hydrated without any need for further water. Letting the dough autolyse initiates the gluten formation and makes it much easier to knead the dough.
Stop kneading when the dough becomes smooth and supple. Stretch the dough between fingers to do a Windowpane test to check if the dough is ready for the bulk rise.
If you want to make an overnight batard bread let the dough bulk rise overnight in the fridge. Read the bulk rise section of the post for more clarity.
The benefit of a bread sling over the parchment paper is that it makes it is easy to transfer the bread to a baking stone. And you can spray the bread with water without fearing that the paper will tear apart while transferring the bread into a preheated oven.
The single score should be at least half an inch deep. Multiple slashes could be half as deep.
If you do not have a baking stone, just preheat a regular baking sheet or a cookie sheet. Though using a baking stone makes a great difference.
You can brown your batard according to your liking, just increase or reduce the final bake time.
Check the temperature of the baking stone. The oven air reaches 480 0F much earlier than the baking steel.
An optional step: Note the temperature of the baking stone using an instant-read thermometer.
Do not forget to spray the batard with cold water before putting them into the oven. Alternately put a pan with 2-3 ice cubes, just enough for the initial 5-7 minutes of the baking time.

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition

Calories: 231kcal

Keyword batard bread, batard bread recipe, french batard bread

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