After removing the gas, you grip it at 12 o’clock and bring it over towards you to place it at 6:

Push it down firmly to seal it, then proceed to the quarter-turn:

Back to the new 12 o’clock, and repeat the two main actions several times, and by the time you have performed four or five of the 12 to 6 and quarter-turn rotations (always rotate in the same direction), you will achieve a surprisingly round piece. The final 12 to 6 brings it to this:

Hey presto you have achieved a neat cob!
Next newsletter – the action of rubbing the cob up the table so that it is superbly tight.
Good baking! Paul

Last time (Newsletter 35) we began the series by introducing the important skill of making a tight cylinder.
Now you are going to take the cylinder to another stage – rolling it lengthways, to form a stick.
Here is where we got to last time – you are completing a tight cylinder as shown here:

Now you are ready to start rolling out that cylinder. This is the default setting shown below, the position that the hands return to after they have completed a rolling action and must be returned to the middle – one is placed on top of the other.

The rolling action involves spreading the hands outwards with even pressure, rolling forwards and backwards. Here are two images for rolling forwards:

To finish, below is an image of rolling backwards.

Good luck with stick making, fairly tricky when you are starting out to learn it. Notice that I say “stick” not baguette. For real baguettes you must have French flour, employ a French fermentation method, and some would say you even have to use French water!

Paul

Hand skills, Part 1: making a cylinder
Below is the photo that was placed at the top of this newsletter, where you see the final roll-up of a tinned loaf. It is tight and neat. Firm pressure is put on the dough, but hand pressure should never be so tight as to tear the dough. Remember – torn gluten strands cannot mend themselves, so tears remain as blemishes.
You see that the flattened dough piece has had each side folded inwards, one side placed on the other (like a pastry fold, in thirds). Now the baker proceeds to roll it up firmly creating a cylinder with a straight seam. The main action is done by the forward thrust of the flat thumbs, which keeps it tight and neat. Thumb pressure is released, and a little roll towards you follows, done with the gathered fingers behind the loaf that can lightly draw its bulk towards you. Then resume pressure from the flat thumbs and another little increment of the task is performed. It is a jerky action, as thumb push is followed by finger roll. When I roll up a loaf like this, there will be four or five of these jerky motions.

Next, moving away from moulding a shape for a tin, look at the formation of the cylinder that proceeds the making of a baguette.
First step is to take the floppy rested piece and fold up its bottom, fold down its top as follows:

Then proceed to make a gently formed cylinder (see next pic) which will enjoy a short rest before being rolled into the long baguette by an entirely different action (which can be covered in a newsletter of the future).

This photo (above) shows the action from the opposite side.

Making a cylinder is also a valuable skill for kneading inside a tub, or systematically working oil and water into dough (focaccia, olive bread, etc.) See below for inside the tub. The same roll-up action is used when you want to make a large sprawling heap of dough into a neat and compact bulk for putting it in a container or simply moving it to another place.

Well Panarians, there will be more of these table hand skills sessions. After all, instruction on “making a cylinder” was only Part 1.
Good baking, Paul