Part 2 - Can we tell how something tastes just by the look of it? 第二部分 - 能否單靠外表得知食品好吃與否?

Following our previous discussion, this time we give an extensive analysis on the example when the flavor is loss during the fabrication of the desirable open crumb structure in a baguette. We use high quality French T65 wheat flour, which has a “breakfast-cereal-like” flavor. However it is susceptible to seasonal variation in gluten composition throughout the year as it contains no chemical stabilizer.
 
繼之前的討論，這次我們向大家仔細地分析一個例子，看看一味追求製造大孔洞結構時，有甚麼原因會導致傳統法國長棒麵包的風味流失。我們使用的是優質的法國T65小麥粉。它的風味類似早餐穀麥片的味道。因為它沒有添加化學穩定劑，麩質季節性的不穩定頗為明顯。
 
There is two well-known methods to fabricate an open crumb structure:
 
The maximum of dough hydration and oxidation method (fig. a1, b1, c1) The minimum of dough hydration and oxidation method (fig. a2, b2, c2)  

製造大孔洞結構有兩種廣為人知的方法：
 
麵團最大限度的含水量和氧化方法（圖a1，b1，c1） 麵團最小限度的含水量和氧化方法（圖a2，b2，c2）  
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The first method is commonly practiced by modern Japanese and Taiwanese bakers. The second method is very rare and practiced by a handful of the very traditional rural French bakery. The technical difficulty of both methods are unmatched, so as the quality of the final product.
 
現代日本和台灣麵包師常採用第一種方法。第二種方法非常罕見，只有少數傳統農村法國麵包店仍然使用。論方法的技術難度乃至成品的質素，後者絕難與前者相比，直是天壤雲泥之別。
 
The first method is always very easy to implement. One only needs to knead until the gluten structure is well developed and adding enough water to dilute the gluten matrix. Final products have good volume consistently as the oxidation compensates any seasonal variation of the elasticity of the flour. In the horizontal cross section it gives a seemingly open crumb structure (fig. a1). However the crust is always weak and the shelf life of the “crispiness” is very short. Because of the strong gluten development it fails to produce an open crumb structure in the vertical direction (fig. b1). The “ear” (the breaking of the surface due to the scoring prior of baking) is very prominent as a result of the elasticity of the dough (fig. c1).
 

第一種方法總是很方便的。只需要搓揉麵團，直到麩質結構完全擴展，並添加足夠的水來稀釋麩質架構。因為氧化補償了麵粉彈性的任何季節變化，最終產品具有穩定而良好的體積。在水平橫切面中，它擁有一個看似大孔洞的結構（圖a1）。然而，焦皮總是過於薄弱，“脆”的口感維持時間很短。由於形成了強勁的麩質結構，它不能在垂直方向上產生大孔洞結構（圖b1）。由於麵團的彈力，裂口的“耳朵”(烘焙前的劃上的刀痕)非常突出（圖c1）。
 
The second method requires the baker to have more attention and experience of the gluten development during the kneading and proofing of the dough. The slightly over-knead or under-knead will result in a tough or flat product. Ratio of different preferment and levain added into the dough need to be adjusted quite often to adapt to the seasonal changes of the flour. When this method is carried out perfectly, it gives a sturdy biscuit like crust and creamy crumb as the oxidation of the dough is minimum (fig. a2). The open crumb structure is observable in both horizontal (fig. a2) and vertical direction (fig. b2), which tells us that the crust is crispy all around. The “ear” is minimum. It is more like “tear-open-sideway” (fig. c2) than a “flap-of-ear” as a result of weak gluten development. The similar breaking of the surface pattern can be found in pound cake as well.
 
第二種方法需要富有經驗麵包師，在麵團的混合和發酵期間更須仔細的留意麵筋的成形。稍微混合過度或混合不足會導致成品扁平或過於堅韌。添加到麵團中的不同麵種和天然酵母的比例需要經常調整以適應麵粉的季節性變化。當這種方法完美地實踐時，因為麵團的氧化被限制至極限，成品會有完整餅乾般口感的外皮以及柔潤的內層（圖a2）。大孔洞結構在水平（圖a2）和垂直方向（圖b2）都可以觀察到。這告訴我們，四方八面的表皮都是酥脆的。由於麩質連結薄弱，裂口更像“側面撕開式”（圖c2），而不是“一大片耳朵”。類似的裂口形態也可以在磅蛋糕中找到。
 
The main drawbacks of the first method is that the high hydration method simply dilutes the concentration of flour in the dough, and the oxidation destroys the flavor of the wheat, which renders the final product a tasteless sponge. In Levain Bakery, we always use the second method to make our baguettes. The reason is simple: it presents the best wheat flavor, gives a biscuit like crust and the longest shelf life. We believe that the more you add to the recipe the more you take away. The traditional method may not be the simplest way, but it usually gives the most satisfactory result.
 
第一種方法的主要缺點是麵團的高水量稀釋了麵粉的濃度，氧化破壞了小麥的香味，使最終產品成為淡而無味的「海綿」。在Levain Bakery，我們祗堅持使用第二種方法來製作我們的長棒麵包。原因很簡單：它呈現出最好的小麥風味，形成餅乾般的外皮和最長的保質期。我們相信，過多改動食譜反而適得期反。傳統方法可能不是最簡單的方法，但通常會帶出最令人滿意的結果。