Baguette

Instructions

Baguette

• 1. Sift ¼ cup (1⅓ ounces) whole-wheat flour through fine-mesh strainer into bowl of stand mixer; discard bran remaining in strainer.
• 2. Add 3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast, and 1 teaspoon diastatic malt powder, if using, to mixer bowl.
• 3. Fit stand mixer with dough hook, add 1½ cups (12 ounces) water, and knead on low speed until cohesive dough forms and no dry flour remains, 5 to 7 minutes.
• 4. Transfer dough to lightly oiled large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• 5. Holding edge of dough with your fingertips, fold dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward center.
• 6. Turn bowl 45 degrees; fold again. Turn bowl and fold dough 6 more times (total of 8 folds). Cover with plastic and let rise for 30 minutes. Repeat folding and rising every 30 minutes, 3 more times.
• 7. After fourth set of folds, cover bowl tightly with plastic and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 72 hours.
• 8. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, pat into 8-inch square (do not deflate), and divide in half.
• 9. Return 1 piece of dough to container, wrap tightly with plastic, and refrigerate (dough can be shaped and baked anytime within 72-hour window).
• 10. Divide remaining dough in half crosswise, transfer to lightly floured rimmed baking sheet, and cover loosely with plastic. Let rest for 45 minutes.
• 11. On lightly floured counter, roll each piece of dough into loose 3- to 4-inch-long cylinder; return to floured baking sheet and cover with plastic. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• 12. Lightly mist underside of couche with water.
• 13. Drape over inverted baking sheet, and dust with flour.
• 14. Gently press 1 piece of dough into 6 by 4-inch rectangle on lightly floured counter, with long edge facing you.
• 15. Fold upper quarter of dough toward center and press gently to seal.
• 16. Rotate dough 180 degrees and repeat folding step to form 8 by 2-inch rectangle.
• 17. Fold dough in half toward you, using thumb of your other hand to create crease along center of dough, sealing with heel of your hand as you work your way along the loaf.
• 18. Without pressing down on loaf, use heel of your hand to reinforce seal (do not seal ends of loaf).
• 19. Cup your hand over center of dough and roll dough back and forth gently to tighten (it should form dog-bone shape).
• 20. Starting at center of dough and working toward ends, gently and evenly roll and stretch dough until it measures 15 inches long by 1¼ inches wide.
• 21. Moving your hands in opposite directions, use back and forth motion to roll ends of loaf under your palms to form sharp points.
• 22. Transfer dough to floured couche, seam side up.
• 23. On either side of loaf, pinch edges of couche into pleat, then cover loosely with large plastic garbage bag.
• 24. Repeat shaping of second piece of dough and place on opposite side of pleat.
• 25. Fold edges of couche over loaves to cover completely, then carefully place sheet inside bag, and tie or fold under to enclose.
• 26. Let stand until loaves have nearly doubled in size and dough springs back minimally when poked gently with your fingertip, 45 to 60 minutes.
• 27. While bread rises, adjust oven rack to middle position, place baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.
• 28. Line pizza peel with 16 by 12-inch piece of parchment paper with long edge perpendicular to handle.
• 29. Unfold couche, pulling from ends to remove pleats.
• 30. Gently pushing with side of flipping board, roll 1 loaf over, away from other loaf, so it is seam side down.
• 31. Using your hand, hold long edge of flipping board between loaf and couche at 45-degree angle, then lift couche with your other hand and flip loaf seam side up onto board.
• 32. Invert loaf onto parchment-lined peel, seam side down, about 2 inches from long edge of parchment, then use flipping board to straighten loaf.
• 33. Repeat with remaining loaf, leaving at least 3 inches between loaves.
• 34. Holding lame concave side up at 30-degree angle to loaf, make 4-inch-long, ½-inch-deep slash along length of loaf.
• 35. Using swift, fluid motion, make two more slashes, similar to first, overlapping each slash slightly. Repeat with second loaf.
• 36. Transfer loaves, on parchment, to baking stone, cover with stacked inverted disposable pans, and bake for 5 minutes.
• 37. Carefully remove pans and bake until loaves are evenly browned, 12 to 15 minutes longer, rotating parchment halfway through baking.
• 38. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Consume within 4 hours.

Total Time: 2 days
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Active Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 baguettes
Make Ahead: Best when freshly baked
Difficulty: Advanced

Ingredients

• ¼ Cup (1⅓ ounces) whole wheat flour
• 3 Cups (15 ounces) King Arthur all-purpose flour *
• 1½ Teaspoons salt
• 1 Teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 Teaspoon diastatic malt powder * *
• 1½ Cups (12 ounces) water

• * If you can’t find King Arthur all-purpose flour, substitute bread flour. King Arthur has a protein content of 11.7 percent, which is high for all-purpose flours but necessary for the baguettes' structure. Bread flour has a similarly high protein content so is the best substitution if you can't find King Arthur.
• * * Purchase diastatic malt powder (available from Amazon, $7.63 for 1 pound), not plain malt powder or malt syrup.

Tools

• Dry measuring cups
• Fine-mesh strainer
• Measuring spoons
• Stand mixer *
• Liquid measuring cup
• Large bowl
• Plastic wrap
• Ruler
• Bench scraper
• Couche * *
• Rimmed baking sheets (2)
• Large plastic garbage bag
• Baking stone
• Pizza peel
• Parchment paper
• Flipping board * * *
• Lame * * * *
• 2 (16 by 12-inch) disposable aluminum roasting pans
• Cooling rack

• * You will need a dough hook attachment for your stand mixer.
• * * Alternatively, use a double layer of 100 percent linen tea towels at least 16 inches long and 12 inches wide.
• * * * A homemade substitute, made by taping two 16 by 4-inch pieces of heavy cardboard together with packaging tape, works equally well.
• * * * * Alternatively, an unused box cutter blade will work.

Step By Step

1. Sift ¼ cup (1⅓ ounces) whole-wheat flour through fine-mesh strainer into bowl of stand mixer; discard bran remaining in strainer.

2. Add 3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast, and 1 teaspoon diastatic malt powder, if using, to mixer bowl.

3. Fit stand mixer with dough hook, add 1½ cups (12 ounces) water, and knead on low speed until cohesive dough forms and no dry flour remains, 5 to 7 minutes.

4. Transfer dough to lightly oiled large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

5. Holding edge of dough with your fingertips, fold dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward center.

6. Turn bowl 45 degrees; fold again. Turn bowl and fold dough 6 more times (total of 8 folds). Cover with plastic and let rise for 30 minutes. Repeat folding and rising every 30 minutes, 3 more times.

7. After fourth set of folds, cover bowl tightly with plastic and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 72 hours.

8. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, pat into 8-inch square (do not deflate), and divide in half.

9. Return 1 piece of dough to container, wrap tightly with plastic, and refrigerate (dough can be shaped and baked anytime within 72-hour window).

10. Divide remaining dough in half crosswise, transfer to lightly floured rimmed baking sheet, and cover loosely with plastic. Let rest for 45 minutes.

11. On lightly floured counter, roll each piece of dough into loose 3- to 4-inch-long cylinder; return to floured baking sheet and cover with plastic. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

12. Lightly mist underside of couche with water.

13. Drape over inverted baking sheet, and dust with flour.

14. Gently press 1 piece of dough into 6 by 4-inch rectangle on lightly floured counter, with long edge facing you.

15. Fold upper quarter of dough toward center and press gently to seal.

16. Rotate dough 180 degrees and repeat folding step to form 8 by 2-inch rectangle.

17. Fold dough in half toward you, using thumb of your other hand to create crease along center of dough, sealing with heel of your hand as you work your way along the loaf.

18. Without pressing down on loaf, use heel of your hand to reinforce seal (do not seal ends of loaf).

19. Cup your hand over center of dough and roll dough back and forth gently to tighten (it should form dog-bone shape).

20. Starting at center of dough and working toward ends, gently and evenly roll and stretch dough until it measures 15 inches long by 1¼ inches wide.

21. Moving your hands in opposite directions, use back and forth motion to roll ends of loaf under your palms to form sharp points.

22. Transfer dough to floured couche, seam side up.

23. On either side of loaf, pinch edges of couche into pleat, then cover loosely with large plastic garbage bag.

24. Repeat shaping of second piece of dough and place on opposite side of pleat.

25. Fold edges of couche over loaves to cover completely, then carefully place sheet inside bag, and tie or fold under to enclose.

26. Let stand until loaves have nearly doubled in size and dough springs back minimally when poked gently with your fingertip, 45 to 60 minutes.

27. While bread rises, adjust oven rack to middle position, place baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.

28. Line pizza peel with 16 by 12-inch piece of parchment paper with long edge perpendicular to handle.

29. Unfold couche, pulling from ends to remove pleats.

30. Gently pushing with side of flipping board, roll 1 loaf over, away from other loaf, so it is seam side down.

31. Using your hand, hold long edge of flipping board between loaf and couche at 45-degree angle, then lift couche with your other hand and flip loaf seam side up onto board.

32. Invert loaf onto parchment-lined peel, seam side down, about 2 inches from long edge of parchment, then use flipping board to straighten loaf.

33. Repeat with remaining loaf, leaving at least 3 inches between loaves.

34. Holding lame concave side up at 30-degree angle to loaf, make 4-inch-long, ½-inch-deep slash along length of loaf.

35. Using swift, fluid motion, make two more slashes, similar to first, overlapping each slash slightly. Repeat with second loaf.

36. Transfer loaves, on parchment, to baking stone, cover with stacked inverted disposable pans, and bake for 5 minutes.

37. Carefully remove pans and bake until loaves are evenly browned, 12 to 15 minutes longer, rotating parchment halfway through baking.

38. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Consume within 4 hours.