Baguette (same day)

This recipe will make 4 baguettes of approximately 30 cm, and takes about 4 hours from start to finish, so it can be made in an afternoon. It uses plain all-purpose flour with some whole wheat for a light brown bread, and is made completely by hand: the dough is not kneaded, but folded in the bowl.

The dough is only slightly wet on purpose. All-purpose flour absorbs less water than bread flour, and a wetter dough is a lot more work to handle by hand. The crisp crust and light crumb come from steam, a very hot oven and a baking surface that has fully heated up.

For 2 baguettes, halve all the amounts. For a white baguette, replace the whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour and use 330 g of water.

Ingredients

350 g all-purpose flour
150 g whole wheat flour
340 g lukewarm water (~30 °C)
6 g dry yeast
pinch of sugar
10 g salt

Tools

a baking stone, a baking steel or a heavy baking tray
a tray for the steam (any old metal pan)
a clean kitchen towel
a sharp knife or razor blade

Directions

Mixing and folding

put the yeast, the sugar and about 80 g of the water in a cup and stir
let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, it should be foamy (if it stays flat the yeast is no good, do not use it)
mix both flours in a large bowl and add the yeast water and the rest of the water
mix until there is no dry flour left, it will look rough and sticky
cover and let it rest for 30 minutes
sprinkle the salt on top and squeeze it into the dough with a wet hand
fold the dough: with a wet hand, pull up one side and fold it over the middle, turn the bowl a quarter and repeat 4 times in total
cover and rest for 30 minutes
fold again, cover and rest for 30 minutes
fold a third time, then leave covered in a warm place for about 1 hour, until the dough has about doubled and is bubbly (if it has not, give it another 20 to 30 minutes)

Shaping

carefully tip the dough onto a lightly floured counter, try not to press out all the air
cut it in four equal parts (~215 g each) and tuck each into a loose ball
cover and let rest for 15 minutes
flatten each ball into a rough rectangle, fold the top third down and press, fold the bottom third up, press the seam closed
roll the dough out to about 30 cm, using the palms of your hands and working from the middle outwards
place on a floured kitchen towel with the seam facing up, pleating the towel between and next to the loaves to support them
cover and let rise for 45 minutes

Baking

30 minutes before baking, put the stone, steel or tray on the middle rack and a metal pan on the bottom rack, and preheat the oven to 250 °C
turn the loaves seam side down on a piece of baking paper
make 3 to 5 shallow, overlapping diagonal cuts in each loaf, just before baking
slide the loaves (on the paper) onto the hot surface
immediately pour a cup of boiling water into the pan on the bottom rack and close the door quickly (or add a few ice cubes)
after 10 minutes remove the steam pan and lower the oven to 240 °C
bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is a deep golden brown
prop the oven door open a little and leave the loaves for 5 minutes to dry out
cool on a rack, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes before cutting

Notes

the timing depends on the temperature of your kitchen, judge by the dough and not by the clock
if the dough is too sticky to fold, wet your hand rather than adding flour
if the loaves come out pale, bake them a few minutes longer
if the yeast only foams a little and slowly, it is weak: add 1 to 2 g extra and allow 30 to 60 minutes more
the stone or tray will probably fit only 2 baguettes: bake in two batches and keep the other two in the fridge on their towel in the meantime so they do not over-proof; reheat the oven to 250 °C, slash and add steam again for the second batch

Hot kitchen (~30 °C, humid)

use 4 g of yeast instead of 6 g and cool water instead of lukewarm
use 320 g of water instead of 340 g, as the flour will already hold some moisture
rest for 20 minutes before adding the salt, fold 3 times 20 minutes apart, and bulk rise for 30 to 45 minutes
bench rest for 10 minutes and proof the shaped loaves for 20 to 30 minutes
start preheating the oven 20 minutes before baking
if the dough turns slack and sticky, chill the bowl for 15 to 20 minutes before shaping