BAKERS’ TOPIC, table skills
Hand skills, part II: rolling a stick
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
This is truly helpful, thanks.