Matt what do you attribute the differnce in crusts between traditional baguettes and sourdough baguette, methinks its the dough.
Yeast dough is softer and spongey, much easier to get a thin crisp crust.
Sour's tend to form thicker crust.

What say hey?

Regards, Gerard

By Matt on Friday, August 27, 1999 - 11:05 am: Edit

Hmmm...Good question. I don't know for sure, but this is what I see at the bakery.

The texture of a SD crust is different, more chewy than crispy I think from the presance of acid typical of SD breads. Yeasted breads, for the most part are deffinatly more cripy, or crunchy depending on thickness.

By Matt on Friday, August 27, 1999 - 11:13 am: Edit

Part 2-

The thickness I think is more dependant on the baking then the type of dough. The yeasted dough we use for our Itailan loaves and our French baguettes is the same. The larger loaves have a thicker crust and the bag's have the thin crispy crust when they bake them right. That I feel has more to do with the length of time in the oven then the dough type. However, that dough is too tight for bag's, when production warrent a separate mix for the bag's, and I'm mixing I will make a softer, looser dough. I've never checked the crust, but that my help it. I do this to keep the bag's from twisting when they bake.

By Matt on Friday, August 27, 1999 - 11:18 am: Edit

Part-3

With that being said, we make one baguette out of a levained dough from time to time. They bake it too much, bake the same color as the 1.5 loaves, the crumb is way too dry. The local shariffs buy a couple a year for nightsticks :-) The crust of course is thicker, but without being there to pull some out early to see how they baked, I can't tell you for sure if the thickness of the crust is from the dough type or the baking. We only bake those a few time a year for special orders.

By Matt on Friday, August 27, 1999 - 11:20 am: Edit

Part-4

We tried to make a SD baguette a couple of years ago, but it didn't work. They puddled out in the oven.

Well, I didn't have a scientific answer for your question. I hope the anicdodal information helps.

Cheers,
Matt