Sourdough Baguette
1832kcal
Ingredients
Sourdough Starter Levain (Night Before)
- 5 g Sourdough starter
- 50 g Water
- 45 g All-purpose flour or bread flour
- 5 g Rye flour
Main Baguette Dough (Next Day)
- 100 g Active sourdough levain 20% – from stage above
- 400 g Bread flour 80%
- 100 g Whole grain whole wheat flour 20%
- 340 g Water 68% – for initial autolyse
- 15 g Extra water reserved for bassinage
- 10 g Salt 2%
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (or KitchenAid mixer)
- Linen Couche (baker's canvas cloth for horizontal proofing)
- Scoring Lame (razor blade for scoring)
- Parchment Paper & 10 Ice Cubes (for oven steam generation)
Method
- 1. Night Before: Build Starter Levain (10:00 PM) Dissolve 5 g starter in 50 g water. Add 45 g bread/AP flour and 5 g rye flour. Mix well, cover loosely, and let sit at room temperature (70–75°F) for 10–12 hours until peak (tripled in size).
- 2. Next Day: Autolyse, Mixing & Bassinage Autolyse (8:00 AM): Mix 340 g water with 400 g bread flour and 100 g whole wheat flour until fully incorporated. Cover and rest for 1–2 hours. Levain Integration (10:00 AM): Add 100 g active sourdough levain. Mix on low speed for 2–3 minutes (or KitchenAid speed 3 for 3–4 minutes). Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Salt & Bassinage (10:30 AM): Add 10 g salt and 15 g extra water. Mix on low speed for 2–3 minutes (or KitchenAid speed 3 for 5–6 minutes) until the dough comes together cohesive but slightly sticky on bottom. Bulk Fermentation & Folds: Perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds spaced 45 minutes apart at 11:00 AM, 11:45 AM, 12:30 PM, and 1:15 PM. Rest 15 minutes after the final fold until you see a 30%–40% rise. Cold Retard (1:30 PM): Transfer dough container to refrigerator for overnight slow cold fermentation.
- 3. Following Day: Dividing, Shaping & Baking Preshaping: Turn cold dough onto a un-floured counter. Divide into 4 equal pieces (~240–250 g each). Round each piece with a scraper and rest uncovered for 30–45 minutes. Shaping: Flatten each portion into a rectangle. Fold the top third down, then bottom third up. Use thumb to crease the center, fold in half, seal edges, and roll gently from center outward to 24–28 cm (10–11 inches). Transfer to a floured linen couche, seam-side up, and proof for 1 hour 30 minutes. Steam Bake Setup: Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C) with a baking stone inside and an iron tray on bottom rack for 1 hour. Bake: Flip baguettes onto parchment paper, score with 3–4 overlapping cuts. Transfer onto baking stone, toss 10 ice cubes into the bottom iron tray, and slam door shut. Bake with steam for 10 minutes. Lower heat to 475°F (246°C), remove water tray, and bake uncovered for 15 minutes until golden-brown and crisp. Cool 1 hour before slicing.
Nutrition
Calories1832kcalCarbohydrates372gProtein60gFat8gSaturated Fat1gPolyunsaturated Fat3gMonounsaturated Fat1gSodium3518mgPotassium625mgFiber17gSugar2gVitamin A8IUCalcium91mgIron6mg
Notes
- **The Purpose of Adding Rye Flour:** Traditional French baguettes rely primarily on high-quality white wheat flour. However, blending 10% fine rye flour (or whole wheat flour) into the autolyse stage serves an important artisan purpose. Rye flour introduces essential natural enzymes and minerals that feed the wild yeast cells, subtly shifting the flavor profile toward an authentic, rich old-world grain depth without weighing down the open, airy structure.
- **Mastering the Baguette Scoring Angle:** The spectacular blistered "ears" and symmetrical diamond shapes on a bakery baguette depend entirely on your blade angle. Never slice straight down into the dough at a 90-degree angle, as this causes the dough to flatten out wide like a football. Holding your lame flat at a shallow 45-degree angle slices a thin flap of dough skin that peels backward cleanly under steam, directing the oven spring upward.
- **The Core-Tension Rolling Method:** Extending a baguette rope requires creating high internal core tension. When folding the dough cylinder over itself and pinning down the seam, you are trapping air and tightening an outer skin. When rolling out the length, ensure you are rolling from the middle outward using the palms of your hands. If the dough snaps back aggressively, do not force it; cover it for 5 minutes to let the gluten relax before finishing the roll.