Cold-Rise Baguettes

One thing in life that I love is baking bread. I am particularly obsessed with baguettes, and especially in making them as “Correctly French” as possible, much to the bemusement of my other half. I have followed many recipies over the years, and have arrived at my own particular routine.Much credit goes to Hamelman’s Bread and (Goofy Dawg)[https://dawghousebakery.com/woof/]’s excellent website, among others.

Unfortunately, I do not have access to a large enough oven to make full-length baguettes, and so I must content myself with demi-baguettes. On the other hand, the smaller size does mean they are easier to shape. I will walk through the master recipe and then through each step for beginners.

Master Recipe

Mix thoroughly. Fold after thirty minutes. Put in fridge after another thirty minutes. Let bulk ferment overnight (minimum 8 hours, over 12 prefered). Divide dough into desired weights (standard batch: 240g). Preshape. Relax for 20-30 minutes. Shape. Proof for ~1-2 hours. Score. Bake in a 475F oven for 12 minutes with steam, then reduce to 450F for an additional 12-16, depending on desired doneness.

Step-By-Step

Now if everything above seemed very terrifying, but you still want to make great baguettes, I’ll walk through this recipe step by step.The only prerequisite is a working metric scale. Using volumentric measurements is too variable for an admittedly slightly finicky bread like a good baguette.

If you’ve never used bakers percentages before, they’re not particularly difficult, but start with using the metric weights. They make a small batch that lasts me and my better half around five days, unless we have company over!

Preperation

Start by measuring all the ingredients into a bowl and mixing them thoroughly. Cover well (use a lid or plastic wrap)Contrary to popular opinion, a tea towel is not good enough to cover bread dough with–it’ll dry out and be all sad and unappetizing. Sometimes you actually want skin formation, but this is not one of those times.

and let rest for a half hour. Then take a spatula and fold the dough over on itself four to eight times. This encourages gluten development. Cover the bowl again, wait another half hour, and then pop the bowl in the fridge overnight. The real flavor of this dough is made from the cold-retarted fermentation.

Shaping

The next morning, for the standard batch, divide the now-risen dough into four equal pieces with a bench scraper or a knife–don’t use your hands, it’ll degas the dough. This should of course all take place on a well-floured surface. Take each piece and gently shape it into a rectangle. There are many ways to pre-shape a baguette, but the one I use is called “stitching.” Take a pinch of the top edge of the rectangle and bring it down 2/3 of the way to the bottom, and press it together. Do that repeatedly until the whole top edge has been “stitched” down. Then flip the rectangle around and do the same thing, but bring the new top edge all the way to the bottom edge. Once you’ve done this for each dough lump, cover them with a towel or a baker’s coucheThis is one of the times we do want the skin to dry out slightly.

and let relax for around a half hour.

Once the dough has relaxed, shape the preshasped dough into a full baguette by rolling it out gently from the middle toward the ends. A baguette should be straight with a gentle taper on the ends. Transfer these to a baking vessel of some kind either by hand or with a transfer peel, and cover with a towel to rise for 1-2 hours. When the dough is proofed sufficiently, poking it should feel like poking a marshmallow; the standard indent and rebound test doesn’t work here because the shape is too long and thin. About 30 minutes before the proof is done, preheat the oven to 475F with a cast iron pan in it.

Baking

Once the proof is finished, score the baguettes (at an angle, very obliquely–not across the dough!) and load them into the oven while simultaneously pouring about a cup of hot water into the preheated cast iron. Close the door quickly to keep the steam from escaping. After twelve minutes, reduce the heat to 450F and take the pan out to remove the steam. Let bake for 12 minutes at minimum–this dough likes a good strong bake, and can go up to about 16 or even 18 minutes!

Conclusion

Baguettes are slightly finicky to get right, but they’re incredibly worth it. Remember that you shouldn’t let them cool before eating–they’re thin enough that they’re cooked through and are best eaten hot when they’re still steaming and crackly on the outside.