Baguette

Updated at: Wed, 16 Aug 2023 23:49:33 GMT

Step 1

Combine flour, water and yeast, mix well and cover with cling film. Let starter or ‘ poolish’ sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours. Should have slightly bubbly and domed surface.

Step 2

Put flour, yeast and salt in bowl of stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Pour some of the measured water into the starter to loosen it up from the bowl. Add the starter and remaining water into mixer bowl. Mix on low speed 3 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky but come away from the sides of the bowl. Knead for 4 minutes stopping halfway to clean the dough from the hook.

Step 3

Remove the dough from the bowl, oil the bowl with neutral oil like vegetable oil, return dough to bowl and cover with cling film.

Step 4

Let dough rise for 2 hours, folding over 3 times halfway through rise. The folding helped strengthen the gluten.

Step 5

Divide dough into 3 x pieces ( approx. 275 g each), form into rough logs. Let rest 20 minutes.

Step 6

After resting, flatten logs into rectangle, start rolling from one end until ends come together. Seal ends well with hands. Dough should be in long baguette shape, lay each baguette on baguette pan, cover with dry tea towel and let proof 40-45 minutes.

Step 7

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees, put an empty cast iron pan on the bottom shelf of the oven, to one side. You will fill this hot pan with 1 cup boiling water just before baking baguette to create steam. The steam will give the bread a crusty exterior.

Step 8

Before putting bread in the oven, take a small but sharp knife or razor and make 4 diagonal slits on the top of the loaves. Pour boiling water into hot cast iron pan, then put loaves into oven to bake. Before closing the oven door, spritz the loaves generously with water, then close the door.

Step 9

Bake 20-25 minutes, remove when bread is desired shade, transfer to cooling rack.

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