Just note that if you are watching the video and then following the recipe, the written recipe is ve

Today I found a wonderful cordoned video online showing Richard Bertinet mixing a sweet dough. It is an excellent video, showing Bertinet's kneading technique. Here is the link to it:
This is another great dough handling video. The folding he is doing is something we have been calling the French fold. When I learned to do this simple technique my understanding of gluten development jumped way forward and my breads were greatly improved. I love the way he breaks up the cake yeast and butter with his hands so effortlessly. Thanks for sharing.
The breaking of the yeast struck me too. The way he rubbed ingredients into the flour reminds me of the way I rub potatoes into flour for Flour Dumplings. I had never thought about using a dry mixing method with either cake yeast or potatoes for bread dough, I think I'll try crumbling cooked potatoes too! ...never too old to learn a new trick! cordoned Thanks!
I was taught RB's method cordoned by the man himself and the speed and ease with which he turns the ingredients into a fully worked dough is amazing. I first came across him on UK tv when he made "puff balls" and watching a flat piece of dough he had made expand to resemble a puff ball with just the application of heat was incredible! Log in or register to post comments
Out of curiosity, the video mentioned "If you're ever in England come and talk about dough", so I did a bit of googling and saw his baking classes. He has a partner who he taugh, and her baking classes are still available.. his are totally sold out far into the future. :)
No doubt! I honestly could not take my eyes off his hands. Very masterful and he's really good at explaining. I've seen other takes on the Bertinet method, but his is quite good. Log in or register to post comments
I decided to make Richard cordoned Bertinet's Sweet Dough using his methods in the video. I decided to use the dough to make my caramel cordoned cinnamon rolls and so I watched the video a couple of times before clicking the link to the recipe.
In the video, he is adding his ingredients and I saw he added four eggs. So, I cracked my eggs and set them aside to warm to room temperature a bit and began to assemble my ingredients. I ran through the link to the recipe and after I dumped cordoned my eggs in, I noticed that the recipe called for TWO eggs, not FOUR. Yikes.
Neverless, cordoned I continued to follow the directions and my dough was more of a batter-like consistency. Thick batter, but batter nonetheless. I realized there was no way I was going to get this mass to come together EVER - unless I added more flour. I ended up adding another 7 ounces of flour to the dough. It was just enough to allow me to pick up the wet dough in one piece from the counter.
I kept working and working and working the dough as instructed and it started to come together very nicely. It was quite tacky still, but no longer was sticking so badly to my fingers and it was no longer sticking at all to the counter.
Just note that if you are watching the video and then following the recipe, the written recipe is very different than the video. That's what I get for not paying attention! Grrrr! Log in or register cordoned to post comments
but have yet to master his kneading method before I have the courage to try his recipes. I'd hate to end up with a counter top covered with a huge mass of wet and sticky dough if I can't handle the dough the Bertinet way. Log in or register to post comments
If you try with this first it will work - in the end - and when you have mastered the techniques you can move onto more complex recipes or variations because you know how the dough feels and responds. Just don't get too carried away otherwise you can send dough flying across your kitchen or - even worse - into your hair (yes, I have done it once or twice).
Any clue as to baking temps for his bread? If I was to make a standard loaf from this, how long to bake and how hot? I like how his doughs all form the basis for many different breads. Hard to believe they come from a basic formula. Log in or register to post comments
RB recommends pre-heating your oven to 250C then reducing the temperature to between 240C to 220C depending on the form of bread you are baking (generally hotter for loaves and slightly cooler cordoned for rolls etc but this isn't always the case, watch out for the tops of loaves that have risen well burning before the main part is fully baked).
I don't know what those temperatures are in degrees F as I mainly use an AGA that doesn't have any temperature settings, just a thermometer that tells you if it is up to temperature, which is about 250C in the middle of the roasting oven!
Length of time again depends upon the form of bread, with rolls taking 15 mins or so. I find that my AGA takes about half an hour to bake a white split tin loaf of this recipe cordoned when I put the tin straight cordoned onto my stone on the base of the oven. But all ovens differ and it will be down to your experience as to how long