Sourdough Baguettes

Before you start

A naturally leavened baguette is mostly about handling. The ingredient list is just flour, water, salt and levain, but the long, thin shape asks you to build tension without pressing out the gas, and to bake with strong steam so the thin crust can expand and the score marks open into raised ears. A cold overnight retard after shaping makes the dough firmer and much easier to score cleanly.

The levain here is mixed the night before or in the morning and used at its peak; it gives a gentle tang that a commercial-yeast baguette lacks. These are sized at about 38 cm (15 in) to fit a standard home oven. Your first batch will probably look rustic. That is normal; shaping improves with every attempt.

Ingredients

• Levain20 g (1½ tbsp) active sourdough starter — 100% hydration
• 50 g (scant ½ cup) bread flour
• 50 g (3½ tbsp) water
• Dough450 g (3¾ cups) bread flour or French-style T65 flour
• 300 g (1¼ cups) water — about 26°C (78°F)
• all (about 120 g) levain from above
• 10 g (1¾ tsp) fine salt
• as needed rice flour or semolina — for the couche

Method

1. Mix the levain ingredients, cover and let stand at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, until doubled and full of bubbles.
2. Mix the flour and 280 g of the water until no dry bits remain. Cover and rest 30 minutes. Add the levain, the salt and the last 20 g water and squeeze and fold for 3 to 4 minutes until the dough comes together smooth.
3. Bulk ferment at about 24°C (75°F) for 4 hours. Give the dough 3 sets of coil folds during the first 90 minutes, about 30 minutes apart: lift the center with wet hands so the ends fold under, rotate and repeat. By the end it should be about 50 percent larger, airy and pillowy.
4. Turn the dough out and divide it into 3 pieces of about 290 g. Fold each into a loose rectangle and roll it into a short, plump log. Rest seam side up, covered, for 20 minutes.
5. Shape each log: press it into a rectangle, fold the top third down and seal, then fold the dough in half lengthwise and seal the seam with the heel of your hand. Roll the log with both hands moving from the center outward until it is about 36 cm (14 in) long, tapering the ends.
6. Lay the baguettes seam side up in a heavily floured couche, pleating the cloth between them for support. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
7. Place the steel on the middle rack and a metal pan on the bottom rack. Heat the oven to 250°C (480°F) for 45 to 60 minutes.
8. Roll each cold baguette onto a transfer board, flip it seam side down onto parchment, and score 3 overlapping slashes along its length, holding the blade at a shallow 30-degree angle and cutting about 6 mm (¼ in) deep.
9. Slide the baguettes onto the steel and carefully pour a cup of boiling water into the hot pan. Close the door quickly. Bake 12 minutes, remove the steam pan, then bake 12 to 14 minutes more until deep golden brown and they sound hollow when tapped.
10. Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes. Listen for the crust crackling as it cools.

Tips for success

• Make each scoring slash overlap the previous one by about a third and keep them nearly parallel to the length of the loaf; perpendicular cuts open as flat stripes instead of ears.
• If your oven or steel is shorter than 38 cm, bake the baguettes on a diagonal or shape them a little shorter.
• Weigh each piece. Even weights mean even baking.

Substitutions

Bread flour

All-purpose flour gives a more tender, less chewy crumb closer to many French baguettes. Reduce the water by 10 to 15 g, since it absorbs less.

Linen couche

A smooth cotton dish towel dusted heavily with rice flour. Avoid terry cloth; the dough sticks to the loops.

Overnight retard

Proof the shaped baguettes at room temperature for 45 to 75 minutes instead. They will be milder and harder to score.

Variations

Épi (wheat stalk)

Instead of scoring, cut into the baguette at a sharp angle with scissors every 5 cm (2 in) and lay each piece alternately to the left and right.

Seeded baguettes

Mist the shaped baguettes with water and roll them in sesame or a mix of seeds before they go into the couche.

Troubleshooting

Score marks did not open

Too little steam, a blade held too upright, or an overproofed dough. Use a shallow angle, add steam right after loading and bake straight from the refrigerator.

Pale, dull crust

The oven or steel was not hot enough, or the steam stayed in too long. Preheat for a full 45 minutes and remove the steam pan after 12 minutes.

Thick, flat baguettes

Not enough tension when shaping, or the dough was too slack. Seal the seam firmly and roll with even pressure; reduce the water by 10 g next time.

Storage

Baguettes are best within 8 hours. Keep them unwrapped or in a paper bag at room temperature. To keep longer, freeze whole in a bag for up to 1 month and refresh in a 200°C (400°F) oven for 6 to 8 minutes.

Safety notes

Be careful when adding water to the hot pan; the burst of steam can scald. Do not taste raw dough. Contains wheat.