Baguettes
Makes 2-3 baguettes
Baguettes are long thin loaves of bread often made with poolish (yeast mixture) and leaven (sourdough offshoot). They are common in French and Italian cuisine.
I like this recipe because its quicker than a typical sourdough loaf but still yields a diverse and complex flavor.
Ingredients:
Leaven 200 grams
Water 250 grams
Poolish 200 grams
All-purpose Flour 325 grams
Bread Flour 175 grams
Salt 12 grams
Method:
Start by making the poolish and leaven. To make the poolish: Mix 100 grams of all-purpose flour, 100 grams of water, and 1.5 grams of active yeast. Let it stand on the counter for 3 hours or overnight in the fridge. To make the leaven: Mix 1 Tabelspoon of mature starter, 220 grams all-purpose flour, and 220 grams water together. Let it sit on the counter overnight or in a warm place for 3-5 hours. Please test the starter before using by dropping 1 TBS. of leaven in water and seeing if it floats. It must float in order to be used.
Mix the baguettes dough. Measure 200 grams of leaven and set the rest of the leaven aside. Pour warm water into a bowl and add the poolish as well as the leaven to the water. All the all-purpose flour and bread flour. Mix thoroughly. Let the dough rest for 25-45 minutes.
Next, transfer the dough to a clear container or pyrex. Let the dough ferment at approximately 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn the dough and stretch it every 40 minutes. Do this 5 times, for for a total of 5 hours. Add the salt after the first turn.
After bulk fermentation, divide the dough into three pieces. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Drape a towel over the dough while it rests.
Work with the first piece of dough. Fold one third of the dough over to the middle third. Repeat on the other side until you have a flap. Using your palms, roll the dough towards yourself. Press the outer edges of the dough and form a cylinder. Tension is important and will help develop the crumb.
Place the loaves on a flour cotton kitchen towel. Let it rise at warm room temperature for 2.5-3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a baking stone in the middle rack. To create steam, put a pan in the oven with a water and wet towel. Be careful that the pan doesn’t get empty as the oven pre-heats.
Dust a pizza peel with rice flour and flip the baguettes onto the peel. Score the loaves with 2-3 cuts along the center. Immediately place in steaming oven. Be careful to not let too much steam escape.
Immediately reduce heat to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. After 15 minutes, remove the pan with the kitchen towel. Bake an additional 15 minutes. Take out and cool on a rack.
