Baking Lean French Baguettes
A proper baguette relies on nothing but flour, water, salt, and yeast. The crust should crunch when you squeeze it, and the crumb must be uneven and elastic.
Mastering the temperature of your dough is more important than your brand of flour.
Work in a cool kitchen if possible; if the dough gets too warm during proofing, it loses its ability to hold the structure needed for those jagged, open holes.
- Digital kitchen scale
- Large mixing bowl
- Baguette couche or heavy linen cloth
- Baking stone or heavy steel
- Lame or razor blade
- Spray bottle
What goes in.
- 500gBread flour (high protein)
- 375gWater, lukewarm
- 10gFine sea salt
- 3gInstant yeast
Coil folding for strength
Instead of kneading, use coil folds every 30 minutes during the first two hours of bulk fermentation. This builds tension in the dough without deflating the gases formed by the yeast.
The method.
Mix the dough
Combine ingredients in a bowl until no dry flour remains. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Develop structure
Perform four sets of coil folds, waiting 30 minutes between each. You will feel the dough become more resistant and cohesive.
Bulk fermentation
Let the dough sit at room temperature until it has grown in size by about 50 percent and shows bubbles on the surface.
Divide and pre-shape
Gently tip onto a lightly floured surface. Cut into three equal pieces and roll them into loose, fat cylinders. Rest for 20 minutes.
Final shaping
Fold the top edge to the middle and seal with the heel of your hand. Roll into a long tube, tapering the ends. Place seam-side up on a floured linen couche.
Proofing
Let proof until the dough springs back slowly when poked. Do not let it over-proof, or it will collapse in the oven.
Score and bake
Transfer to a peel. Use a razor to make long, overlapping diagonal slashes. Bake at 475°F (245°C) with an initial burst of steam for the first 10 minutes, then remove steam and finish until deep golden brown.
Other turns to take.
Poolish Baguette
Prepare a preferment with equal parts flour and water and a pinch of yeast the night before to increase complexity.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Use a dedicated spray bottle to mist the oven walls immediately after sliding the loaves in to create an instant cloud of steam.
If your dough sticks to the linen, dust the cloth with a mix of rice flour and wheat flour.
Let the loaves cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes; the interior finishes cooking through residual steam as it cools.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my baguettes turn out flat?
Usually, this means the dough was over-proofed or the shaping lacked sufficient tension to hold the loaf's shape during the oven spring.
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