I really wish that, years ago- before spending over $200 on bread books, and countless hours trying different bread recipes- someone would have said: “Come on in. For the price of one good bread book, I’ll show you how to bake an excellent baguette or boule in your home oven”.
I have been in pursuit of a respectable baguette for over 20 years. When Peg and I had Turtle River Pasties I baked an 8 pound batch of baguettes on Saturdays, sold a few, and supplied our family and friends with them. I would mix up a batch of straight dough on Friday afternoon, put it in the cooler overnight, and shape the loaves the following morning. I nestled the loaves in a large linen couche (French for put to bed), and baked them in either our convection oven- which had steam injection- or in our stone deck oven, which did not.
I am still amazed that 4 simple ingredients-flour, water, salt and yeast- can result in such different flavors and textures-simply by manipulating time, temperature and quantities. The recipe I am sharing with you is a simple, versatile one that can be used for boules or baguettes. Bread formulas are broken down by the percentages of the other ingredients, relative to the weight of the flour, which is always at 100%. A very lean Ciabatta dough uses up to 80% hydration-meaning the weight of the water is 80% of the weight of the flour. This is very wet dough that takes patience and skill to handle. I wanted dough that was lean enough to create the desired open crumb, but also one that was workable. My recipe has a 69 -70% hydration.
Boules
Boule is French for ball. A Boulangerie is therefore French for a bakery where the traditional ball-shaped loaves are baked. Other shapes came later, but the easiest one was simply a ball that was held captive in a willow basket while it rose, so the lean dough would not sprawl out and form an Armenian flatbread. Boules are baked in hot brick ovens with steam; something most of our home kitchens lack. Ken Forkish, in his wonderful book, Flour Water Salt Yeast, describes how we can use a Dutch oven to mimic a $15,000 steam injection oven by holding heat and containing the steam created as the loaf bakes. For a $35 investment we can now create a spectacular boule at home.
Baguettes
A French version of fast food, the baguette is one of the simplest and-at the same time- most complicated types of bread to make. Commercial operations with steam injection ovens can crank them out by the hundreds, but making one at home is a different story. There are 2 issues that we need to address when tackling a baguette at home. First, we need to shape a loaf without it becoming a flatbread, and then we need steam to get a crackling crust while the loaf bakes. We can do that.
We don’t need to buy a fancy linen couche, but we do need to corral the loaves so they hold their shape while they rise, and expel a bit of moisture in the process. A cotton dish towel works OK for this purpose, but a piece of thicker, rough linen fabric would be ideal. Next, we will bake our loaves on hot tiles with a pan of hot water beneath them to provide the steam.
Poolish
A Poolish is a pre-ferment that apparently came to France from Poland, via Vienna. In the old days, bakers found that the flavor of their loaves was greatly improved by adding some old dough from a previous batch to the new batch. A Poolish mimics that practice by allowing a small amount of yeast-and a lot of time- to transform starches to sugars, and unleash the full flavors locked in the endosperm of a wheat kernel. Decent bread can be made without a Poolish, if making one does not fit your time-table. But I think you will find that the results are worth the effort.
10 ounces bread flour
10 ounces water-room temperature
Scant 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
Blend all together in a bowl using a rubber spatula, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to ferment at room temperature for about 12 hours.
Final Dough
10 ounces bread flour
¼ cup (1.5 ounces) whole wheat flour (optional-but adds flavor)
5 ounces water- 100 degrees
2 teaspoons salt (sea salt is preferred)
½ teaspoon instant yeast
Blend the dry ingredients together in a gallon sized (preferably) square food storage container (Rubbermaid makes a good one). Pour the water into the poolish, stir with the spatula to loosen it, and pour the works into the tub. Use the rubber spatula to blend the ingredients. This will be a wet, sticky mess, and what comes next is the messiest part of the whole operation. But we need to distribute all the ingredients, so we must persevere. Wet your hands, and squeeze, pinch, flip, and blend the dough. The dough is at its stickiest at this point, and will adhere a bit to your hands. Wet your hands another time or 2, as necessary. I perform this task right next to the faucet, with a small stream of warm water flowing, so I can easily re-wet my hands. When the dough is well blended, cover, let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes. The dough will look a bit rough at this point, but it will look (and feel) amazingly different within the hour.
Even after this first brief rest, you will find the dough to be much more cooperative. With wet hands, reach under each corner, pull them to the center, lift the dough, stretch it into a ball, and flip it back into the container. Repeat this every 15-20 minutes 2 or 3 more times. By the last session, the dough will be smooth and elastic. We are developing the gluten during this process, which is basically kneading in slow-motion.
Cover, and let the dough rise about 3 hours, or until it is about 2 and ½ times its original size. Do not rush this step. Flavors and an open crumb are enhanced by a complete rising.
This dough will make one large boule, or 2 or 3 baguettes. To make a boule, first coat a banneton (proofing basket) with flour. I used plastic baskets in the past, which were first sprayed lightly with oil, then dusted with flour. The results were OK, but not great. I now use inexpensive wicker baskets (available on Amazon), which are always kept dry and simply coated with flour. These leave the striking rings on the crust, which will amaze your guests.
Baking a Boule
Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. The dough is still slack, and may need a bit of loosening around the edges, but by inverting the container the dough should succumb to gravity and fall out onto the surface. With floured fingers, pull the corners to the center and press the seams together. Stretch the skin on the dough ball a bit as it is gently placed, seam side down, into the floured basket. We want to form the ball, but also want to avoid overworking it, to avoid de-gassing it too much. The big, open crumb is what we are after. Place the whole works in a plastic bag to proof for an hour. Meanwhile, place the Dutch oven in the oven and pre-heat it at 475 degrees for about 45 minutes. I leave the lid slightly ajar, to allow smoke to escape, should there be any residual flour or oil remaining in the Dutch oven. Use the dent test to determine if the dough is fully proofed. Using a floured finger, make a dent in the dough about ½” deep. If the dent rebounds slowly, and incompletely, the dough is ready to bake. If it springs back quickly, give it another 10 minutes, and test again. If it does not spring back at all, it is likely over-proofed. Bake it immediately, but it may not be a stellar loaf.
Carefully lift the Dutch oven out (using oven mitts of course), set it on the stovetop, and remove the lid. If the lid had been left slightly ajar, seat it completely before lifting the Dutch oven out of the oven. We certainly do not want the lid to make its way through the oven window, or a ceramic oven top. Invert the dough from the basket onto a lightly floured surface as close to the Dutch oven as possible. Reach under the dough with both hands, and carefully set it into the Dutch oven. Cover immediately (remember the oven mitts!) and put in the oven for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the cover and bake another 20-30 minutes, depending on the degree of darkness you want; a deep amber crust has superb flavor. Turn the loaf out onto a rack to cool.
Baguettes
The less we handle the dough, the more trapped gases remain, which creates the desired open crumb. Proofing the dough in a square or rectangular tub helps here. When the dough is turned-out onto the counter, the square shape can be cut in half with a dough scraper or a pizza cutter, and each half is folded into thirds, like folding a letter. The resulting seam is pinched to crimp it, and is carefully rolled to create an 18” baguette. This is still soft, sticky dough, so gently roll it into an 18” long cylinder on a very light dusting of flour, and do not over-work it. If you prefer smaller diameter baguettes, divide the dough into 3 pieces, and shape. I like to make 2 loaves, which make larger slices-especially for toasting. Each loaf will be about 1 pound.
Carefully lift the finished loaves onto a cotton towel that has been well sprinkled with flour. The first loaf is placed about 4” in from the edge of the towel. The second loaf is next to the first one, about 3” apart. Pull the towel up between the loaves until they are next to each other. Fold the 4” towel edge over the loaves, and then fold the larger portion of the towel back over both loaves, and roll the excess up along them. This puts the loaves to bed; it allows for expansion, while drying the skin of the dough a bit, and prevents sprawl.
While the dough is rising, line the 2nd or 3rd oven rack from the bottom with tiles and pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees for about 45 minutes. About 15 minutes before baking, place a cake pan containing about an inch of hot water on a rack below the tiles. Cut a piece of parchment paper to cover the 16”x18” transfer board. Carefully uncover the loaves, pull them apart, and carefully transfer them to the parchment. Cut diagonal slits, about ½” deep, using a scissors. In the past I used a lame (razor blade) or a sharp knife, but the slack dough was too difficult to cut without de-gassing it. The scissors makes quick work of it, without disturbing the dough. Just make quick, decisive, deep diagonal cuts about every 3 inches.
Transfer the parchment to the tiles by sliding the loaves from the transfer board. Bake for 20 minutes, and then remove the water pan, and spin the loaves if they appear to be baking unevenly. Continue baking until the loaves achieve the desired color. Resist the temptation to remove the loaves too early, be brave and let a deep amber color develop. The flavor will be greatly enhanced. Each loaf will be about a pound, and should bake in about 25 to 30 minutes.
Eating and Re-Heating
Rustic loaves are best enjoyed within a half day of baking them. This method allows us to plan our baking to accompany a meal. Baguettes, being small, are easily cut in half, bagged and frozen, and then re-heat in 10 minutes or so. I use a toaster oven to thaw and crisp a frozen baguette that tastes, to me, even better than it did fresh from the oven.