Featured Recipe
Rustic French Baguettes
By Kate
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French baguettes made with a bubbly poolish starter. Long fermented dough, salt, yeast, water, flour. Shaped gently, rested, rolled tight. Baked with steam from hot water in cast iron pan for crusty surface. Yields 4-6 loaves depending on length. Times shifted. Two ingredients swapped: bread flour for all-purpose and sea salt swapped with smoked salt. Added herbs to twist. Dough rests short bursts and long bulk fermentation. Scoring diagonal slashes before baking. Steam helps crust form. Cool on racks for air flow.
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Prep:
50 min
Cook:
20 min
Total:
Serves:
4 to 6 baguettes
bread
French cuisine
baking
artisan
Introduction
French baguettes. Crunchy, but tender crumb. Big bubbles from fermentation. Poolish starter. Soft wet dough, restless hands. Yeast wakes in warm water, flour swells. Dough folds, rests, folds again. Strength builds without macho kneads. Salt smoky not plain. Rosemary adds twist, aroma sharp. Long proof, gentle shape. Score the loaves with razor-precision. Water hisses in hot pan below, creates the steam to crack the crust. Smells like artisan streets of Paris. Wait for cooling, air flows under racks, loaf breathes. Not rushed. Taste of bread is time and patience.
Ingredients
Poolish
- 700 g bread flour (about 5 1/2 cups)
- 650 ml warm water (2 3/4 cups)
- 6 g instant yeast (1 1/2 tsp)
- 140 ml warm water (approx 2/3 cup)
- 10 ml smoked salt (2 tsp)
- 4 g instant yeast (1 tsp)
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary (optional)
Dough
About the ingredients
Switched flour from all-purpose to bread flour for better gluten, stretch, chew. Smoked salt instead of plain for subtle flavor pop on crust. Rosemary optional, but it brings earthiness. Hydration bumped slightly by 10% to account for flour change. Yeast adjusted up a smidge for poolish and dough, shortens proof time. Water warmed moderately, not hot, to wake yeast but keep dough cool enough. Poolish bubbles up in under 2 hours now, faster fermentation. Dough folds build strength without sweat. Dough sequence crucial: mixing, resting, folding, resting, shaping, proofing. Parchment paper helps slipping baguettes off trays. Cast iron creates steam oven environment. The twist spices the old classic.
Method
Poolish
- 1 Mix poolish ingredients briskly in large bowl with whisk till smooth. Cover with damp cloth. Keep warm spot. Wait about 90 minutes until volume doubled or bubbly.
- 2 Add warm water around edges of bowl with poolish. Add bread flour, smoked salt, instant yeast, rosemary. Stir by hand or wooden spoon to combine.
- 3 Dump dough on lightly floured surface. Knead 2 minutes max. Ball it up. Place dough in clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with damp cloth. Rest 25 minutes at room temp.
- 4 Stretch and fold dough gently: pull dough edges up and fold over center forming 4 folds. Return to bowl. Cover. Rest 25 minutes. Repeat fold 2 more times, with 25-minute rests between. Then cover and let bulk ferment 2 hours.
- 5 Turn dough on floured surface. Divide into 4-6 equal pieces. Handle minimally. Shape each into rough oval. Cover with damp cloth. Rest 20 minutes.
- 6 Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- 7 Working one piece at a time, roll dough on floured surface while elongating to roughly 40 cm (16 inches). Place on baking sheets spaced 8 cm (3 in) apart. Cover with damp cloth.
- 8 Place baking sheets in warm spot to proof 65 to 75 minutes until puffy.
- 9 Preheat oven to 240 °C (475 °F). Middle rack. Put cast iron pan on bottom rack.
- 10 Score each baguette with sharp blade diagonally, several cuts about 3/4 length.
- 11 Pour 150 ml hot water into cast iron pan quickly to create steam. Bake first sheet 17-22 minutes. Remove pan with water 5 minutes before end for crust finish.
- 12 Repeat steam pour and bake second sheet same way.
- 13 Cool baguettes completely on wire racks for air circulation.
Dough
Technique Tips
Mix poolish first, bubbles first sign. Dough additions careful; not too dry, not too wet. Kneading minimalist, more folding. Folding builds gluten, traps gas. Rest 25-minute bursts develop dough softness. Bulk fermentation gives time for flavor and bubbles. Pre-shape rest prevents tearing. Long shaping stroke produces classic long baguette shape. Proof about an hour. Score right before oven to control bloom of crust. Hot water on cast iron quickly, steam bursts crust open. Timing matters: steam removal early to avoid soggy crust. Bake in two batches for steam and heat balance. Cooling fully for crust snap. Use racks. Bread shaped by time, humidity, touch, temperature.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Mix poolish first. Bubbles tell you fermentation working. Get warm spot for rise. Flour quality matters. Bread flour creates stronger dough. Hydration bump? Just a bit. Not too dry or too sticky. Control water temp. Yeast wakes but dough cools.
- 💡 Knead only two minutes max. Fast. Avoid overload. Think folds, not brute force. Stretch edges and fold to center. Repeat for builds strength. Minimal handling keeps bubbles. Rest phases key to soft dough but lots of flavor.
- 💡 Shaping is crucial. Avoid tearing dough during pre-shape rest. Lengths about sixteen inches. Use dusting flour. Space loaves out well on sheets. Allows puffy rise. Proof time is vital, 65 to 75 minutes. Cover to avoid drying.
- 💡 When baking, steam creates magical crust. Pour hot water into preheated cast iron pan. Timing is essential. First batch must steam correctly. Remove water pan five minutes before finish. Check crust color for perfect bake.
- 💡 Cooling is every bit as important. Fully cool baguettes means better crust. Air flows underneath racks when cool. Smells come alive, aromas spread. Timing on cooling important too, don’t rush. Crust gets better past initial cooling.
Kitchen Wisdom
How long to ferment dough?
Bulk fermentation lasts two hours. Not too rushed. Watch dough grow. Bubbles forming is good sign. Pull out the flavor. Must be patient.
Why use smoked salt?
Adds flavor layer. Plain salt too simple. Enhances crust. Rosemary optional gives earthiness. Different but not overdone. Subtle, yet distinct taste.
How to store baguettes?
Keep covered at room temp. Paper bags work. Avoid fridge, makes bread stale faster. Freeze loaves too. Wrap well. Thaw then reheat.
What if my dough is sticky?
Check flour ratios, hydration. Too much water? Adapt next time. Add flour slowly when kneading to remedy a bit. Or let it hydrate properly.
