After experimenting, I have found "my" baguette recipe.
Warning, this is a very sticky dough.
Baguettes with poolish
PoolishStart this the night (at least 8 hours) before you want to bake baguettes.
200g bread flour
300g lukewarm water
1/2 tsp active dry bread yeast
Whisk all three together in a medium bowl. Cover and set on the counter until ready to bake.
Next day ingredients
220g warm water
500g bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
MethodMix water into poolish as well as you can. It may take a little while to get it to incorporate
In a separate larger bowl, whisk together salt and flour.
When that is done, whisk in the extra yeast. I add extra yeast here because at my altitude it helps with keeping the rise from hanging up, and doesn't seem to affect the finished bread.
Now add the poolish to the flour and stir the mess together to form a shaggy dough. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl to get the flour all incorporated.
Cover the bowl and set in a warm place for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, wet down your counter top, and turn dough out of bowl, scraping the bowl clean. Keep your hands and the counter very wet.
slap and fold 8-10 times. The dough should become elastic and smooth
Slap and fold video
Put dough back in the bowl, cover and rest/raise for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, do another round of slap and fold, maybe 6 or so times.
Put back in bowl and rest/raise for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, do it again. In total, slap and fold 3 times with a rest after, folding at least 6 times each.
Put back in bowl and rest/raise for 45 minutes.
This time, dry the countertop, and flour it. Turn out dough on counter and flour the top of the dough.
Degas the dough and divide it into 4 equal weight pieces.
Form each quarter into a small, loose loaf shape and line up on floured counter.
Cover them with oiled plastic wrap and let rest 15-20 minutes. This is not a raise. It just lets the dough relax.
One at a time, form each mini loaf into a baguette shape and set aside to raise. If you have a baker's couche, you can use that, otherwise place them on a greased baking tray.
Cover the baguettes with oiled plastic wrap and let raise for a half hour, or until the oven comes to temp.
If using a couche, transfer loaves to a greased tray before baking. I use a baguette pan.
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place a pan of hot water in the bottom.
When ready to bake, spray baguettes down with water and slash the tops.
Place in oven and spray oven well with water. Bake for ten minutes. Turn tray around and bake until golden brown.
Any questions, I'll try to answer them.
Finished product...
