A crisp exterior and a soft, slightly chewy interior. The perfect vessel for the savory and the sweet. No wonder the French can eat it every day! I'd never made baguettes before trying this recipe, which called for a simple overnight poolish and not a sourdough starter. Luckily, it turned out wonderful using my starter!
Some small issues I had were that I didn't create enough surface tension on the baguettes and this made them stick together and not rise quite as well. However they still look pretty good and were damn delicious!
The recipe is here, and pictures of the process are below:
Ingredients:
Fed Starter:
200 g sourdough starter (not fed for at least 24 hours)
50 g whole wheat flour
150 g bread flour
200 g warm water
Dough:
500 g fed starter
250 g warm water
6 g instant yeast (speeds the recipe up a bit)
400 g bread flour
15 g kosher salt
Additional flour for coating
Directions:
Feed 200 g sourdough starter with warm water and both flours. Mix well, cover, and let sit at room temperature 2-3 hours or until it's doubled in size and is active and bubbly.
After the starter is ready, add 500 g of it to a large bowl. Add in 250 ml warm water and mix with the starter until combined.
In a separate bowl add flour, and add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl (salt deactivates yeast when in direct contact). Whisk until combined.
Add the flour mixture into the starter mixture and mix by hand until just combined (no dry flour bits left). The mixture will be very wet and sticky. Cover and let rise 2 hours at room temperature.
When the dough has risen, flour your work surface and the top of the dough and gently scrape the dough onto the floured work surface. Cut it into 4 ~300 g dough pieces and shape them into small rectangles (see pictures below). Use more flour as necessary, the dough is quite sticky.
Place the dough rectangles onto a floured baking sheet, dust them with more flour, cover, and let rise 30 minutes.
Then shape the dough on a well floured surface into thin 15-20 inch long strips with a taut surface (mine were not very taut). Pinch the dough into a tighter rope if necessary.
Place the four baguettes onto a floured baking sheet lined with parchment paper, top with more flour, and cover and let rise 45 minutes. Meanwhile, place a baking tray in the oven on the middle rack and preheat the oven to 500ºF.
When the 45 minutes has passed, use a sharp knife or lame to cut slits in the top of the baguettes. Then gently (but quickly) slide the parchment paper+baguettes onto the hit baking tray in the oven. Spritz the dough with water and inside the oven as well, to create a steamy environment. Close the oven immediately.
Bake the baguettes for 20-25 minutes, or until well browned on the top and bottom. if the baguettes brown too quickly, turn the oven temperature down. Rotate the pan 180* if the baguettes aren't browning evenly.
Place baked baguettes on a cooling rack and let cool 3-4 hours before slicing.
Feeding the starter:
After mixing the starter, flours, and water together.
After the starter rose for 3 hours.
Starting the dough:
After mixing 500 g starter with 250 ml water.
Before mixing the salt, flour, and yeast together (make sure to put yeast and salt on opposite sides).
After whisking the flour, yeast, and salt together. Now time to add it to the water + starter mixure.
Before mixing the flour+yeast+salt mixture unto the starter+water mixture.
After mixing everything together. Now time to cover and let rise.
Covered with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel while rising.
After rising! Quite bubbly and active.
After dumping the floured dough onto a floured surface.
Cut the dough into 4 equal size pieces.
Shape them into rectangles and place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with flour, cover, and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
After resting. They're still rising like crazy! Now to shape the baguettes.
After shaping the baguettes. Be patient and try to get a right surface (which I didn't do....)
Before covering and rising for one final time (45 minutes).
After the last rise.
After scoring and before baking.
While Baking
After baking! SO beautiful!!!