Bread Boards

[Bill Adamsen]

I'm planning on making a larger breadboard for rolling out baguette dough that would be similar to the working table surface you might see in a large active bakery. The purpose is to be able to shape highly hydrated doughs such as those for baguettes (about 26" long) requiring a wide surface. The boards I'd planned are larger at about 22-1/2" deep by 34" wide - still small enough to fit on a typical kitchen counter - but large enough to allow working the dough. The board needs to be able to provide a certain amount of grip so I wasn't envisioning any finish. And this is where I though some of you folks might have experience.

Are there specific woods that work best for this application? How about joint types and adhesives? I was thinking 4"-5" wide quarter sawn boards with glue joint and TBIII with breadboard ends? 5/8" to keep the weight manageable? What wood is likely to be able to withstand use and washing without a finish? Is there a preference for wood that is most hygienic and least likely to splinter?

[Yonak Hawkins]

Bill, the one I made for our kitchen is made with maple and no finish. I figured the oil in the dough would treat the wood soon enough. I just used regular wood glue and butt-jointed the maple boards. It's also made to use a canvas surface, if required. The containment rails can be used with or without the canvas.

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It's made to fit on the end of a counter peninsula and covered with a cherry top when not in use.

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Incidentally, the base and the cherry top can also be put in the dining room with legs I made to act as an extension for our dining room table when needed for that.

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[Michael Weber]

Breadboard ends for your breadboard ends. Nice. Can't help with your questions. Since your working with high hydration doughs your more advanced than I ever got at bread baking when I was into that. So you already know as a hobby it's a slippery slope. I destroyed one oven (non commercial) trying to inject steam and installed thermocouples and a PID process controller (bypassing the ovens controls) to its replacement to get stable temperature control as well as automated temperature ramping. Always in search of the perfect crust and crumb. It wasn't until I got a Cochlear implant that I was able to enjoy the sound of a loafs crust cracklings as it cooled. Pretty neat. Sorry for the ramble, kind of miss it. Hope others can help with the questions

[James White]

High Bill,
http://workshopcompanion.com/KnowHow/Wood/Hardwoods_&_Softwoods/2_Mechanical_Properties/Mechanical_Properties_Table_1.htm#Elm

This link may be useful to you. It looks like cherry would be the most commonly available hardwood with very good stability and a closed grain with medium hardness. Maple is the most common for cutting boards and butcher blocks since it is hard and closed grain and has good stability.

Will the board be wet for long periods of time? That would be a big concern for stability.

I believe breadboard ends would need to me significantly lager than 5/8" . The job is the keep the board flat in the event it wants to cup. You would need to do a true breadboard end which is pinned with dowels in elongated holes to allow for contraction and expansion of the board. You could make them flush with the working surface and therefore they are part of the working surface and will not be adding any extra weight.

Yonak,

I cant tell for sure but it looks like you have a cross-grain situation on your board. Is that end board glued or nailed in place?

James

[Marty Tippin]

I'd be inclined to make the board at lest 1.5" thick, maybe using edge-glued maple (which is what is shown in your photo). The extra weight will help keep the board steady while you're working the dough. Rubber feet on the bottom or a lip to hold it firm against the edge of the counter top would be a good idea also.

Maple and cherry are the obvious choices. Take wide stock and cut strips 1.5" wide, then rotate 90 degrees and glue. Alternate grain direction in the strips for stability.

TiteBond III is a fine glue for your application.