Baguette recipe

Method

• We begin by preparing a poolish: mix together all the ingredients for it, cover with a clean towel and leave overnight.

  

• When the next morning, the poolish is ready, start making the dough. Mix altogether with your hand and then start to knead the dough for 10 minutes on a floured worksurface. Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover with a towel and leave for 3 hours, while you knead it again every half hour, but not too hard, just stretching and folding it every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours - gently pull up one side of the dough using wet hands and fold it over the rest. It's ready when it is really bubbly and has nearly doubled in size.

  

• Divide the dough into the desired number of portions (the number of future baguettes), form them into circles, cover with a towel and leave for 15 minutes. Then, sprinkle the dough with flour, turn it over, pull one side up to the center of the circle, do the same with the other, you should form an oval. Press a little dough from the edges with a towel and flip it over. Gently roll the oval into a baguette shape. Cover with a towel and leave again for 2 hours.

  

• Preheat the oven to 460 F for 45 minutes with a large, heavy baking sheet on the middle shelf and a tray on the bottom shelf. Pour 16.9 fl oz water into a baking sheet, place the baguettes on the baking sheet, sprinkle a little flour on top and make small cuts with a knife. Put the baguettes in the oven, then the tray with the water, and close the oven immediately. Bake the baguettes for 20-25 minutes.

• Before serving, the baguettes should cool and then can be sliced.