How to Make Crusty, Open-Crumb Baguettes at Home

flour

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: all-purpose flour

Whole wheat flour offers more nutrients and fiber.

yeast

💰Cheaper: instant yeast

Instant yeast is often more convenient and has a longer shelf life.

Mix together 550 g of bread or all-purpose flour, 15 g of salt, and 2 g of instant yeast.

Add 385 g of room temperature or cold water and mix until you have a shaggy dough ball.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Using a lightly wet hand, perform a set of stretches and folds on the dough.

Drizzle the dough with a small amount of olive oil, cover the bowl, and let it rise for 6 to 10 hours or until doubled in volume and bubbly.

Using a flexible dough scraper, deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.

Divide the dough into four equal portions, roughly 237 g each, and shape them into balls.

Transfer the dough balls to individual storage containers and refrigerate for at least a day or up to a week.

On baking day, remove the dough ball from the fridge at least 3 hours before baking.

Flatten the dough gently and shape it into a log, then transfer it to a lightly floured vessel and cover it.

Let it rest at room temperature for roughly 2.5 to 3 hours.

When ready for baking, handle the dough delicately and transfer it to a sheet of parchment paper.

Using a sharp blade, make three vertical slits in the dough.

For the first method, preheat the Challenger bread pan in the oven at 450°F for 30 minutes, then place the dough in the pan, cover it, and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, uncover it, and return it to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Transfer the baguette to a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

For the second method, use a baking steel with a turned-over disposable aluminum pan weighed down over the top.

Allow the shaped baguette to rest at room temperature for 2.5 to 3 hours before scoring and baking.

Shimmy the baguette onto the steel, cover with the disposable aluminum pan, and weigh it down.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the weight and pan, and continue baking for another 10 to 12 minutes or until browned to your liking.

Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool for roughly 20 minutes before slicing.

For the third method, use an Amil HRI baguette baker, butter the wells, and place the proofed baguette dough into the well.

Make three vertical slits, cover the vessel, and place it in a 450°F oven for 10 minutes.

Uncover the vessel and return it to the oven for another 10 to 12 minutes or until browned to your liking.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Allergens