Directions: |
Directions:In a medium mixing bowl add the water and honey to the bowl and stir to combine.
Add the yeast, flour and salt to the bowl and use a wooden spoon to mix well. The dough will be thick, just stir it as well as you can until the flour is incorporated. No need to mix a lot by hand at this point, just get it to come together.
Cover the bowl with plastic and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 or so minutes, stretch and fold the dough. HERE IS WHAT YOU DO: Put your hand between the dough and the bowl on one side and grab the dough, gently pull it up to give it a good stretch (if the dough starts to break, stop pulling, you are just stretching the dough as far as it wants to stretch without breaking) and then fold it back down into the middle of the bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the process, working your way around the bowl. I normally stretch and fold 4 times (each quarter turn).
Over the next 2-3 hours, every 30-45 minutes, do a stretch and fold with the dough. Be sure to cover the dough well after each session. Do about 4 stretch and fold sessions total (a little more won't hurt)
After you have stretched and folded the dough, cover the dough well and place it in the refrigerator for the next 12-18 hours.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator after it's 12-18 hour rest, and remove it from the bowl.
Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces.
Gently press each piece of dough into a rectangular shape about 1" thick. If the dough is very sticky feel free to lightly flour your surface. Cover the pressed out dough pieces with a clean dish towel and allow to rise for 1 hour.
Time to shape the loaves. Working with one piece of dough, stretch the dough gently so that it makes a rectangle that is roughly 11" by 8". Fold one third of the dough to the middle of the rectangle, fold the other side of the rectangle into the middle of the dough (like you are folding a letter) and then pinch the dough together along the seam to make a log.
Use both hands to gently roll the dough out into a 15" long log, tapering the ends just a bit with your hands.
Place on a lightly floured couche, seam side up
Repeat with the remaining dough.
Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the dough is light and puffy (it won't be quite doubled in size).
While the dough is rising PREHEAT the oven to 500º, add a small dish of water to the oven. (I use a bread pan that has about 2" of water in it). Put the water on the bottom rack and a bread baking stone in the middle of the oven. I let the oven and water preheat for at least 30 minutes so that it has time to get good and hot and steam).
When the bread has finished rising, transfer the baguettes to a piece of parchment paper, seam side down and dust off any excess flour. Use a razor blade or lame to cut 3 diagonal slashes 1/2" deep across each loaf or cut one long 1/2" deep slash down the center of each loaf.
Place the bread in the hot oven, sliding the baguettes onto the baking stone, being careful when you open the oven, as it is hot and steamy.
Close the oven door and reduce the heat to 450º right away.
Let the baguettes cook until they are deep golden brown, about 24-28 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool 10-15 minutes before cutting. |
This recipe for Classic French Baguette is from