I think I’m getting better at the whole baguette making thing. Okay, not nearly as good as Yuko, from over at A Kitchen Blog (hi Yuko!), which is where I found this recipe. But I’m getting there, step by step. And you know what? I don’t think baguettes are supposed to be easy. Don’t get me wrong, I would like them to be. But they clearly wouldn’t be one of our most beloved breads if they were so easy to bake. Right? And you should really try this recipe, because it’s by far the best baguette recipe I have ever tried. And when it comes down to it, it doesn’t really matter what they look like (the shaping part is what’s holding me down), it’s the inside that counts (well, and the crust, too).
Just mix chili flakes and garlic with some olive oil, and you got the perfect dipping sauce for your sourdough baguette.
Sourdough baguettes
Total time: 36 hours. Most of it is just waiting time. (Recipe adapted from A Kitchen Blog)
Ingredients
- 75 g (2.6 oz) white starter
- 150 g filtered water (5.3 oz, not fluid!)
- 0.5 tbsp sea salt
- 212 g (7.5 oz) bread flour
Instructions
Mix flour and water in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge 12 hours. Mix in the sourdough and then the salt. Take out the dough on your working bench and stretch and fold it for about 4 minutes, or until it looks like a ball. Let the dough rest in a lightly oiled bowl 30 minutes.
Take out the dough on a lightly oiled working bench. Fold the dough over itself four times (bottom over the top, top over the bottom, left over right, right over left). Put it back in the oiled bowl, seamside down and let it rest in room temperature half an hour. Repeat this step about 6 or 7 times (the stretch-and-fold treatment and the 30 minutes rest). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in room temperature for about 6 hours.
Put the bowl in the fridge and let it ferment for about 16-18 hours. Take out the bowl from the fridge and leave it out in room temperature for 1 hour.
Divide the dough into two parts, preshape them, and let them then rest on the counter for 15 minutes. Shape into baguettes (google if you want expert tips!). If you have a couche, put the baguettes there. If not, you can just flour a kitchen towel and put the baguettes on there (see picture). Let the baguettes rest for 1 hour.
Homemade baguette couche; it’s easier than you think to work with what you have.
Preheat the oven to 500°F. Score the baguettes with a sharp knife. Put the baguettes in the oven, throw in half a cup of water on the bottom and quickly shut the oven. Turn down the temperature to 480°F and bake the baguettes for about 20 minutes. Let them cool on a rack.
Baguettes, baguettes, baguettes. It’s a love-hate relationship making them.
But they’re totally worth some love. See that inside?
This post has been submitted to #bakeyourownbread, SweetBellaRoos, and YeastSpotting.
Yvonne!
I am very happy you enjoy your sourdough baguettes
These baguettes look amazing, also I like your dipping sauce idea. I’ve got to try it!
I always preheat 500°F because it works for my oven, but please feel free to change the temperature if it is too high for yours. Some recipe calls for 480°F preheating and bake 460°F or so… Please find the perfect temperature works for you
Oh, by the way, thanks for converting metric unit to US unit. It must be helpful for people!
Happy Saturday!
Yuko
Thank you Yuko, you’re too sweet! I have to practice to reach up to your standards though! The dipping sauce is delicious, you should definitely give it a try! The oven temperature is a tricky thing. Sometimes it just seems like my oven is living its own life..
Hi Yvonne and Yuko, thanks for maintaining your blogs. Your recipes and tips are great! I have been trying to produce such a crust in my breads. It is probably because of my oven (it is a gas oven). Cheers, Antônio.
Hi Yvonne and Yuko, thanks for maintaining your blogs. Your recipes and tips are great! I wish I could produce such a crust in my gas oven! I am aways frustated about that! Cheers, Antônio.
Hi Antônio! Thanks so much for the compliment, I really appreciate it! I know what you’re talking about, I used to have a gas oven as well.. even getting color on your bread is hard! My bread turned out better when I got a baking stone though, maybe you can try that
Cheers, Yvonne
Thanks for your reply, Yvonne. Humidity is difficult to control in gas ovens too, so I am having some fun to improve the quality of breads! The best results I get are with a dutch oven, but I don’t get baguettes with that! Thanks for suggesting to use a baking stone. I have one at home so I should make an attempt to use it this week!
By the way, I am trying to start blogging my breadmaking experiences too! I have two trial posts in opaododia.wordpress.com; it is in Portuguese, though…
Cheers,
Antônio.
I like your blog! I translated it through Google translate, and although the translation is not perfect, I get the big picture. Look forward to follow your way to the perfect baguette!
Oo, I’ve never used a dutch oven. I’ve heard many good things about them though!
Yvonne
Thanks Yvonne, for being my first reader! I may possibly move it to opaododia.blogspot.com.br. I learned to use the dutch oven with the
NYT no-knead bread recipe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Ah9ES2yTU).
Cheers, Antônio.
My pleasure
I really need to try that recipe, I would love to have that much air in my bread every time!
Looks so yummy! You’ve done a great job on this.
Thanks Jean! There will be more baguettes for sure