This has several dough-resting times and 9 steps to this recipe. Don’t try and fast-track this process; it won’t be the same if you don’t allow your dough to do its thing and mature throughout the day. The whole process takes around 7 hours–most of it passive–so plan ahead.
Implements
- Kitchen scale
- Two medium bowls
- Dough whisk or stand mixer with a dough hook attachment
- Flexible bench scraper
- Small spray bottle with water
- Tea towel or other cloth to cover bread, or a baking cloth or couche (I use this couche)
- Baking sheet with parchment paper, baking stone, or baguette pan (I use this baguette pan)
Ingredients
- 495 g all-purpose or unbleached bread flour
- 305 g water
- 11 g salt
- 100 g sourdough starter
- 1 TB oil (I use olive oil)
- 2 TB extra rice or bread flour (for working surface)
Instructions
- Combine ingredients and let rest for 1 hour.
- Knead the dough in the bowl for a couple of minutes until it is smooth. Then, after kneading, place the dough into a bowl that has been oiled with 1 TB of oil, and let sit for 3 hours, or until dough has increased in size by roughly 30%.
- Once the dough has risen, gently remove the dough from the bowl using a flexible bench scraper and put onto a very lightly floured surface. (Rice flour or bread flour is best.) Divide that dough into two equal pieces and pre-shape each piece of dough into oblongs. Let it rest again in a couche or on parchment paper for 30 more minutes.
- After the 30-minute rest, shape the oblongs into longer baguette shapes, keeping your baguette pan or a ruler on the surface to make sure you don’t make them too long. Place them either on parchment-lined baking sheet, baking stone, or baguette pan, cover completely (tucking in the sides) with a damp towel and let rise for 2 hours.
- About 30 minutes before the two hours is up, remove the cloth covering so the top starts to dry out a tad. Around the same time as you remove the cloth, begin to preheat your oven to 480F.
- About five minutes before putting your dough in the oven, put a pan with 1-2 inches of water and a few ice cubes in it on the bottom rack of the oven to slowly melt and steam.
- Score your bread with a bread lame or sharp knife, liberally spray the top of the baguette dough with water, and put it in the oven. (Warning: When you open the oven, the steam will be very hot.)
- After baking for 15 minutes, rotate the bread in the oven and remove the pan of water from the bottom.
- Bake another 15 minutes or until nicely browned to your liking.
That Infernal Itch 