Comments on: Pain a l’Ancienne or Giant Grissini?

By: Noreen

Noreen — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:09:42 +0000

Hi Paul

I can’t agree w you more w all the troubles you came across. I hv been thru’ it. But I found it extremely convenient to do pizza crust by using this method. I did it many times, and it turned out perfect, both appearance and taste.

See my blog (weblink attached ~ pizza page).

This way of preparing dough needs no kneading at all. Dough is extremely soft after being stored in the fridge overnite, and when returned to room temperature. I simply dust flour (adequate but not too much) over it to avoid its stickiness, and stretch it lightly to a thin crust. Taste is perfect !

By: Cindy

Cindy — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:48:16 +0000

I think your breads look wonderfully rustic! I’m sorry you didn’t like this bread. I made this yesterday and LOVED it! I thought the chewy texture was fantastic. I do agree that they were kind of skinny, sort of like oversized grissini. I wonder what would happen if we divided the dough into 3 instead of 6? I may just try that.

By: SallyBR

SallyBR — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:59:02 +0000

I am within one hour of “wrestling” with my dough…..

I read all the reviews, and I am a little worried….

(fingers crossed)

By: Janice

Janice — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:22:42 +0000

I just baked these today, and I felt the same way about wrestling with the wet dough! I do, however, love the flavor and the chewy crust, but mine didn’t even develop large holes. Interesting that my dough looked almost exactly the same as yours in the KA and in the pour to the counter . . . I am determined to try again.

By: Noel

Noel — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:46:22 +0000

I haven’t made these for a while, (well I made pizza with the recipe a few months ago) and the dough is tricky, but at the same time easy in a way. I think for this bread in particular using parchment paper makes it a bit easier. The flavor of these when I’ve made them has been amazing though! They do get kind of tough and chewy after a day or two, but they were always fine the first day for me. You gotta give them another try! Or at least make pizza with the dough, just be prepared for really thin crust.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:34:17 +0000

Crazy! This is my all-time favorite recipe from the book. I have made this bread perhaps a dozen times and it has never failed to please. Maybe you needed a bit more flour or less water, I have never poured this dough, even though it has an incredibly high hydration.

Maybe try this one in a batard form? I generally don’t make it in the baguette formation any more…

By: Mags

Mags — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:34:38 +0000

While I don’t wish ill results on anyone making this bread, I’ll admit it’s reassuring to know that I’m not the only one who struggled greatly with this recipe. Good try Paul!

By: Anne Marie

Anne Marie — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 04:37:24 +0000

Haven’t had a chance to write them up but we are home from a crazy day, enjoying a loaf with wine and cheese. They taste great. The worms were difficult to work with but I’d make them again. It is fascinating to see how the breads work for everyone.

By: Oggi

Oggi — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:42:03 +0000

I wonder why the crust and crumb came out tough.

I’m one of those who raved about it and can’t get enough of this bread. The loaves I made were light and airy with a crispy crust. My family loved the flavor, ate them all up so I baked another batch the next day.

By: Paul

Paul — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Hey, Anne Marie,

Don’t forget that there’s been a few people rave about it too, so the reviews are mixed. If nearly everyone was saying “ho hum” or “bah”, then maybe it would be a questionable move. My experience may not be the same as yours. Give it a good ol’ college try and see how it turns out. Who knows, maybe there was too high an atmospheric pressure in my area that caused it to not work out (just fer example) but yours will be great. Won’t know until you give it a shot.

Besides, even though it’s iffy for me, it’s still getting eaten up. Sliced thin and baked to crispy, it makes OK crackers, like slightly tough melba toast. It still holds stuff (cheese, salsa) ok.