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Homemade french baguettes with olives and olive oil.
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How to Make Homemade French Baguettes

How to make Homemade French Baguettes from scratch with a crispy crust. Easy baguette recipe using a bread starter Poolish.
Course Bread
Cuisine French
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
resting time 2 hours
Total Time 29 minutes
Servings 3 Baguettes
Author Jenn

Ingredients

Poolish

  • 1 Cup (128 g) Bread Flour
  • 1 Cup ( 250 ml) Warm Water
  • ¼ tsp Active Dry Yeast

Dough

  • 2 Cups (256 g) Bread Flour
  • 1 ½ Cups (192 g) All Purpose Flour
  • 1 ¼ Cups (312.5 ml) Warm Water
  • 1 ½ tsp Active Dry Yeast
  • 1 ½ tsp Kosher Salt

Instructions

Poolish

  • Add the flour yeast, and water together in a small to medium bowl.
  • Gently stir together with a wooden spoon until a wet sticky dough is formed.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for up to 12 hrs.

Baguettes

    Make Dough:

    • Sift flours into a medium bowl then hand whisk. Add in yeast and salt, then stir.
    • In bowl of stand mixer combine entire poolish and dough ingredients.
    • Using dough hook turn mixer onto low speed.
    • Work dough until formed and only sticking to bottom of bowl.
    • Dough will be tacky and slightly rough in texture.
    • Transfer to lightly oiled bowl cover with plastic wrap.
    • Set in warm draft free location for 30 minutes.
    • Uncover dough grab dough with a slightly oiled hand, pull then stretch and fold the dough over itself.
    • Cover and set for another 30 minutes.
    • Repeat this process once more.
    • After you have done two stretch and rest periods allow the dough to rest for a final 30 minutes.

    Shape Baguettes:

    • Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently deflate with hands and divide it into three equal pieces.
    • Shape each section into a ball. Lightly oil three small bowls put a dough ball into each container, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for up to an hour.
    • While your dough is resting prepare your Couche. see note in post above.
    • Take one dough ball out to work with at a time. Place on a light floured surface and flatten.
    • Fold the dough from the bottom third up and then the top down. Rotate and repeat.
    • This folding and pressing with the heels of your hands to flatten the seems with help the dough to stretch out lengthwise.
    • Keeping the seem side down start to gently roll the dough across the work surface until it reaches about 16 inches long. (shape the ends into a point as desired)
    • Ever so gently transfer the elongated dough to the couche and place seem side down on the flat linen.
    • Next create a wall, by pinching the linen on both ends to protect the long side of the dough.Repeat this process with the final two pieces of dough.
    • Allow baguettes to rest in the couche for 45-60 minutes.

    Bake the Baguettes:

    • Preheat Oven to 450 F and place a pan on the bottom rack on bottom of oven.
    • Take a large rectangular baking pan flip upside down and cover with a sheet of parchment paper.
    • To transfer baguettes place a cookie sheet next to dough on the couche.
    • Gently lift the linen and roll the baguette onto the cookie sheet.
    • Only do one baguette at a time.Then simply let the baguette softly roll onto the prepared pan.
    • Repeat with the other two baguettes. space two inches apart
    • Next score your bread with a sharp knife or baker's lame at a 45 degree angle.
    • Cut three diagonal slashes down the length of the baguette.
    • Fill pan in the bottom of the oven with boiling water.
    • Place the tray in the oven.
    • I also spray the walls of the oven with a little water for extra steam.
    • Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown.