Bakery Style French Baguettes

Why this recipe works A great baguette is hard to come by outside of France. The ideal: a moist, wheaty interior punctuated with irregular holes, and a deeply browned crust so crisp it shatters into shards. But home cooks rarely attempt to make baguettes since existing recipes provide little instruction and explanation. We wanted to create a detailed, authentic recipe for the home oven. First order of business: the mixing method. We chose a hybrid approach for the ideal structure and open crumb: We mixed the dough in a stand mixer and then folded the dough several times during the first rising period. We got the best flavor when we then gave the folded dough a slow rise 16 to 48 hours—in the fridge. We added a little diastatic malt powder to our dough to boost exterior browning and flavor; during the dough’s long refrigerator stay, the yeast consumed nearly all of the available sugars, and the malt powder unlocked more sugar by converting starches in the flour. A little whole-wheat flour provided even more depth. For a shatteringly crisp, flavorful crust, we covered the bread with a disposable roasting pan while it baked so it could cook in its own steam. If you can’t find King Arthur all-purpose flour, you can substitute bread flour. This recipe makes enough dough for four loaves, which can be baked anytime during the 16- to 48-hour window after placing the dough in the refrigerator in step 3. The baguettes are best eaten within 4 hours of baking.

MAKES: 4 loaves

RESTING TIME: 1 to 1½ hours

RISING TIME: 18½ to 19 hours

BAKING TIME: 17 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 21¼ to 22¼ hours, plus 20 minutes cooling time

KEY EQUIPMENT: rimmed baking sheet, couche, water-filled spray bottle, baking stone, pizza peel, flipping board, lame, 2 (16 by 12-inch) disposable aluminum roasting pans

INGREDIENTS:

• ¼ cup (1⅓ ounces) whole-wheat flour
• 3 cups (15 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 teaspoon diastatic malt powder (optional)
• 1½ cups (12 ounces) water, room temperature

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Sift whole-wheat flour through a fine-mesh strainer into the bowl of a stand mixer and discard the bran remaining in the strainer.
2. Whisk all-purpose flour, salt, yeast, and malt powder (if using) into the mixer bowl. Using the dough hook on low speed, slowly add water to the flour mixture and mix until a cohesive dough starts to form and no dry flour remains. This should take about 5 to 7 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased large bowl or container, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise for 30 minutes.
3. Using a greased bowl scraper or your fingertips, fold the dough over itself by gently lifting and folding the edge of the dough toward the middle. Turn the bowl 45 degrees and fold the dough again. Repeat this process of turning the bowl and folding the dough 6 more times, for a total of 8 folds. Cover the dough tightly with plastic and let it rise for 30 minutes. Repeat the folding and rising process every 30 minutes, 3 more times. After the fourth set of folds, cover the bowl tightly with plastic and refrigerate it for at least 16 hours or up to 48 hours.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and press it into an 8-inch square without deflating it. Divide the dough in half. Return one piece of dough to the bowl, cover it tightly with plastic, and refrigerate it (this dough can be shaped and baked anytime within the 48-hour window). Divide the remaining dough in half crosswise, transfer it to a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet, and cover it loosely with greased plastic. Let it rest until it is no longer cool to the touch, which should take about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Working with one piece of dough at a time (keeping the remaining piece covered), roll it into a loose 3- to 4-inch-long cylinder on a lightly floured counter. Cover it loosely with greased plastic and let it rest for 30 minutes.
6. Mist the underside of a couche (a linen or cotton cloth) with water, drape it over a second rimmed baking sheet that has been inverted, and dust it evenly with flour. Gently press one dough cylinder into a 6 by 4-inch rectangle on the lightly floured counter, with the long side parallel to the counter edge. Fold the upper quarter of the dough toward the center and press gently to seal. Rotate the dough 180 degrees and repeat the folding step to form an 8 by 2-inch rectangle.
7. Fold the dough in half toward you, using the thumb of your other hand to create a crease along the center of the dough, sealing it with the heel of your hand as you work your way along the loaf. Without pressing down on the loaf, use the heel of your hand to reinforce the seal, but do not seal the ends of the loaf.
8. Cup your hand over the center of the dough and roll it back and forth gently to tighten it, forming a dog-bone shape.
9. Starting at the center of the dough and working toward the ends, gently and evenly roll and stretch the dough until it measures 15 inches long by 1¼ inches wide. Moving your hands in opposite directions, use a back-and-forth motion to roll the ends of the loaf under your palms to form sharp points.
10. Transfer the loaf seam side up to the prepared couche. On either side of the loaf, pinch the edges of the couche into pleats, then cover it loosely with a large plastic garbage bag.
11. Repeat steps 6 through 10 with the remaining piece of dough and place it on the opposite side of the pleat. Fold the edges of the couche over the loaves to cover them completely, then carefully place the sheet inside the garbage bag. Tie or fold under the open end of the bag to fully enclose the loaves. Let the loaves rise until they are nearly doubled in size and the dough springs back minimally when poked gently with your knuckle. This should take about 30 minutes to 1 hour (remove from the bag to test with your knuckle).
12. One hour before baking, adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position, place the baking stone on the rack, and preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a pizza peel with a 16 by 12-inch piece of parchment paper, with the long edge of the paper perpendicular to the handle. Unfold the couche, pulling from the ends to remove the pleats. Gently push with the side of a flipping board and roll one loaf over, away from the other loaf, so that it is seam side down.
13. Using your hand, hold the long edge of the flipping board between the loaf and the couche at a 45-degree angle, then lift the couche with your other hand and flip the loaf seam side up onto the board.
14. Invert the loaf seam side down onto the prepared pizza peel, about 2 inches from the long edge of the parchment, then use the flipping board to straighten the loaf. Repeat this process with the remaining loaf, leaving at least 3 inches between the loaves.
15. Holding a lame (a tool used for scoring bread) concave side up at a 30-degree angle to the loaf, make three 4-inch-long, ½-inch-deep slashes with a swift, fluid motion along the length of the loaf. Repeat this process with the second loaf.
16. Slide the parchment with the loaves onto the baking stone. Cover the loaves with stacked inverted disposable pans and bake them for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the pans and continue to bake the loaves until they are deep golden brown, which should take 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the loaves halfway through baking. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack, discard the parchment, and let them cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.