Baguette

Ingredients

Poolish

  • 150 grams all purpose flour
  • 150 grams water
  • tiny pinch of yeast

Dough

  • 312 grams all purpose flour
  • 177 grams water
  • 1.5 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon yeast

Instructions

  1. The night before, mix all the poolish ingredients and set it aside, covered.

  2. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, including the poolish. Mix until everything is evenly incorporated. Cover and let it rest for about 2 hours.

  3. Shape the dough into baguettes on a couche. Cover and rest for 45 minutes.

  4. Set the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, with baking surface (preferably a stone or steel) inside, with a cast iron pan on the bottom rack.

  5. Transfer a loaf to a transfer peel, then score the bread decisively, and then transfer to the baking surface. Repeat for each loaf.

  6. Carefully pour boiling water into the cast iron pan to generate steam. Shut the door.

  7. Bake for 20 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown.

Equipment

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Below are some useful tools for making baguettes.

Food scale

It’s all about the proportions. I find that weighing food is a pretty sure-fire way of getting the measurements just right.

Couche

Shape and proof the dough on a baker’s couche.

Transfer Peel

Use a transfer peel to lift the baguette and move it from the couche to the baking surface.

Baking steel

I prefer baking on steel. I find that it retains a good amount of thermal energy and transfers it pretty well into the dough, leading to a nice spring.