The Baker’s Round Table

A score chooses where the loaf opens. Seam-up lets the dough open along its own folds — no blade, and a more rugged, less predictable top.

Keep togetherForkish proofs seam-side down, so the seam faces up in the pot; flip that and you lose the natural opening.

Sources: T3 · H2 · P1 · F1

These aren’t four opinions about the same dough: a levain dough with a long warm proof, a yeasted dough with a short proof, and a dough made with a big dose of old dough behave differently.

Keep togetherKeep each endpoint with its own recipe — its leavening, temperature and proof. Tripling a Tartine dough, or stopping Saturday White at +25%, changes the whole bread.

Sources: T3 · P1 · F1 · H2

Strength has to come from somewhere: work up front, or time plus folds. These four recipes sit at different points on that line.

Keep togetherLess mixing means the folds and the bulk time are doing the work — don’t skip them.

Sources: P1 · T3 · F1 · H1

A rest before salt lets the flour hydrate and makes mixing easier. Including the leaven starts fermentation during that rest too.

Keep togetherHamelman’s Bread says a liquid levain may go into the autolyse when the dough needs its water — so “flour and water only” isn’t a hard rule for him.

Sources: T3 · H2 · F1 · P1

In these four recipes, salt timing follows the rest: where there’s a rest before mixing, the salt waits for it.

Keep togetherAdding salt late means working it in thoroughly — the doughs above each describe how.

Sources: P1 · F1 · T3 · H2

A covered pot holds the loaf’s own moisture; a hearth setup generates steam separately. Baguettes don’t fit in a pot.

Keep togetherHamelman offers both setups in other recipes — this is equipment, not doctrine.

Sources: T3 · F1 · H2 · P1

These are minimums, not a quarrel: an early slice is allowed; a fully cooled one is what Hamelman prefers for eating quality.

Keep togetherSlice a big boule hot and the crumb can seem gummy — see the Crumb Lens before blaming the bake.

Sources: H1 · P1 · F1 · T3