Baguette

Baguette

recipe v2.1, 76% hydration, 25 min prep, 17 min bake

Ingredients

Makes 2 baguettes

flour    420g
water    320ml
salt     9g
yeast    2g

Use strong white bread flour. It makes a difference.

Recipe

1. Mix until no dry patches of flour are visible:

[flour 420g, water 320ml, salt 9g, yeast 2g]

It should look shaggy at this point, close to porridge consistency. Cover and let rest for 30 mins.

2. One set of stretch and fold. Cover and let rest for 30 mins.

show photo | watch: stretch and fold

3. Two sets of coil fold 30 mins apart. Cover and leave in fridge overnight.

Open it out sideways too. Otherwise it gets stiff under its own tension, like folding paper too many times.

Baking across multiple days? Use the dough storage calculator.

4. Flour the work surface, turn out the dough and dust the top. Divide into two, shape into rough baguettes, cover and rest for 15 mins.

5. Final shape: Flatten, fold and pinch into baguettes to ensure they are tight. This will allow them to spring in the oven. Place on tray, cover with tea towel and prove until 1.5x in size.

show photo | watch: shaping baguettes

6. Preheat oven to 230°C with an empty metal tray on the bottom rack.

7. Score baguettes with 3/4 lines down the middle using a sharp blade.

8. Load baguettes into the oven and immediately pour a cup of boiling water into the hot tray. Bake at 230°C for 10 mins then 210°C for 7 mins.

❄ Freezer
Freeze: bake until just set but still pale, cool fully, then freeze in a bag.
Reheat: from frozen into a hot 230°C oven with a splash of water for steam, 14–18 mins until golden.
Keeps: 6–8 weeks frozen.