What does coffee have to do with bread? Everything. JP Iberti’s life long passion project finds a new home, out of the roastery and into Fishtown. For the upcoming Fishtown cafe, our very talented baker John McGrath has been working in the small kitchen in the roastery for a few months. He’s been baking various types of breads from brioche to whole-wheat breads with figs and rosemary, but “baguettes,” he says, “are probably my favorite thing to bake.”

“It’s the simplest bread, yet it can be one of the most delicious. A crisp, deep-golden crust, striking scores with darkened tops, a crumb that is just open and airy enough – so beautiful. To understand the flavor, you’ll just have to try it.”

We will enjoy John’s breads in-house for now; however, they will be available in the La Colombe Fishtown location when it opens early 2014. Below are some photos from his process.

Bake-1

Scaling the risen dough for pre-shaping.

Bake-2

John pre-shapes the dough here to build its form.

Bake-3

The pre-shaped dough relaxes before it’s given its final shape.

Bake-4

Working the dough into its final shape.

Bake-5

The baguettes have had their final rise, and they are ready to score and bake.

Bake-6
Scoring the dough enhances the baguettes’ structure and aesthetic.
Bake-7
The crust crackles as John removes the baguettes from our oven.
Bake-8
Last step is to pull the baguettes from the oven, and let them cool off the rack.

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