Sourdough Baguettes

Sourdough baguettes are a staple in our home. Since there are only two of us, I make a full batch and freeze what we don’t use. I find they come in handy to round out a meal at the end of a busy workday.

Ingredients

• 1070 grams all purpose organic flour
• 670 grams filtered water
• 180 grams active* sourdough starter
• 20 grams unrefined salt (such as Redmond Real Salt**)

Instructions

1. Autolyse – In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and warm water until no dry bits remain. Cover the bowl and let rest for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour.
2. Mix – Add the salt and active starter to the top of the dough in autolyse. Using wet hands, mix until the dough comes together. This will take about 5 minutes of kneading. (I usually do this right in the bowl.) Cover the bowl with a damp towel in a warm place.
3. Stretch & Folds – Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then begin 3 rounds of stretch and folds every 15 minutes, then do 3 more rounds of stretch and folds every 30 minutes. (You will complete 6 total rounds of stretch and folds.)
4. Warm Bulk Fermentation – When you are done with the stretch and folds, cover your dough with plastic wrap sprayed with oil, and allow it to bulk ferment for 2 hours.
5. Cold Bulk Fermentation – After the warm bulk fermentation, place the covered dough in the refrigerator overnight.
6. Divide and Preshape – Gently scrape the fermented dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 3 equal parts and preshape the pieces of dough into rounds, providing some slight tension to each round. Because the dough is cold and firm, very little bench flour is needed to pre-shape. Let the preshaped dough rest for 20 minutes uncovered on the counter.
7. Shape – Shape the dough by gently stretching each round into a rectangle and then rolling into a baguette shape, creating tension as you form the baguette shape. Place each baguette into your baguette mold.
8. Proof – Cover the baguettes lightly with a damp towel, and allow the them to rise until they are slightly risen, about 45 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature.
9. Bake – Preheat your oven to 450°F for an hour with baking stone/steel inside. Score each baguette with three large slashes. Fill a 9×13 pan with boiling water and place on the bottom rack of your oven. Spritz the tops of the baguettes with more water, and bake for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!

*Baking Notes: Feeding your starter at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours before baking ensures a good, active starter.

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