Crusty, Open-Crumb Baguettes | Alexandra’s Kitchen

Made with a no-knead, four-ingredient dough, these baguettes have an open crumb and a shatteringly crisp crust. The final course of is simple, nevertheless the necessary factor to an excellent baguette is twofold: time, which develops style, encourages browning, and promotes a light-weight and ethereal crumb; and baking in a steamy setting, which you will create merely in your home oven. You’ll uncover step-by-step instructions beneath.

Nearly every week anyone writes me asking if I’ve a baguette recipe. They’ll say: “I checked your bread archives and couldn’t uncover one, nevertheless wanted to make sure that I didn’t miss one thing.”

They hadn’t!

I’ve hesitated in order so as to add a baguette recipe proper right here for quite a lot of causes, notably on account of sooner than not too way back, I hadn’t had loads success with them. By the years I’ve dabbled, nevertheless I’ve found the strategy discouraging from the shaping (requiring very practiced arms) to the instruments (couches, lames, lava rocks) to the baking (demanding steam). Baguettes, I resigned, have been best left to the professionals.

Nonetheless in some unspecified time sooner or later a lot of months up to now, I rolled a further spherical of pizza dough proper right into a log, threw it in my Challenger Bread Pan, and baked it. And when it emerged golden and crusty, I felt hopeful. And after I halved it to reveal a wild amorphous crumb, I virtually cried.

Kidding. Nonetheless, there’s one thing very satisfying about producing a deeply burnished, light and ethereal baguette, in your private kitchen.

Since this major worthwhile bake, I’ve experimented with quite a lot of completely completely different baking methods, and on this publish, I’ve outlined the two (actually three… see beneath) I’ve had basically probably the most success with: one calling for the Challenger Bread Pan or completely different oval-shaped Dutch oven and the alternative for a Baking Metallic or baking stone plus a turned-over disposable aluminum pan.

What do the two methods have in widespread? They every use a lid for the first ten minutes of the baking course of. Why? To create steam. And why is steam good? Let’s leap correct in.

Warning: This publish will get barely nerdy. I consulted two books, Chad Robertson’s Tartine Bread and Jeffrey Hamelman’s Bread, whereas penning this publish. Know this: if I can get it, so can you!

Why is steam good for baguettes?

Steam is good for baguettes (and plenty of breads, resembling this simple sourdough bread recipe and Jim Lahey’s no-knead bread) for two causes: oven spring and crust enchancment (every shade and texture).

Let’s start with oven spring. Initially: what’s oven spring? Briefly, oven spring is exactly as a result of it sounds: dough springing throughout the oven upon entry.

Dough springs throughout the oven for a lot of causes: 1. Elevated fermentation train, which implies as a result of the yeasts shortly multiply throughout the scorching oven, the dough produces carbon dioxide gasoline. 2. Steam: As water throughout the dough evaporates it transforms into steam. Every the carbon dioxide gasoline and the steam push in opposition to the gluten development, inflicting the dough to spring.

A moist, steamy setting permits for optimum oven spring on account of it permits the dough to broaden to its fullest potential sooner than a crust sorts. In several phrases: when dough stays delicate in the midst of the early phases of baking, its oven spring is likely to be bigger on account of it isn’t being restricted by a dry, laborious crust.

And the rationale we wish dough to spring to its potential is on account of a bigger spring promotes a crumb that is light and ethereal.

Make sense?

Now onto crust shade and texture. Throughout the early phases of baking, the speedy enhance in enzymatic train on the ground of the loaf breaks down the starches throughout the dough into simple sugars. These sugars ultimately contribute to crust shade. In a steamy setting, the enzymes keep full of life for longer, leading to a very good richer shade.

A steamy setting may even help produce a crust with a fragile sheen. It is as a result of, in the midst of the early phases of baking, the starches on the ground of the loaf gelatinize — which implies they swell with water, and as they break down, they type a gel. Over the previous 10 minutes of baking, when the lid is eradicated and the baguettes are baking in dry heat, that gel layer dries out, remodeling proper right into a shiny crackly crust versus one which’s uninteresting and laborious.

Look at the two photos beneath. This major one reveals a baguette baked with steam:

Throughout the beneath image, the baguettes have been baked on the Baking Metallic with out steam. Throughout the above image, observe the caramelization of the crust, the score differentiation, and the slight sheen. Look at it to the dry, lusterless crusts beneath:

Phrase: In my experiments, I tried using completely different methods to create the steamy setting: ice (together with ice cubes to a skillet positioned subsequent to the loaf in the midst of the primary 10 minutes of baking) and water (pouring water proper right into a scorching skillet set subsequent to the loaf). Whereas every methods definitely created steam, I found them largely ineffective on the subject of creating a pleasing crust.

So, to recap: baking in a sealed setting is important to create steam, which is ideal for good oven spring and crust formation. Nonetheless steam is simply not the one subject liable for producing a baguette with a fantastically burnished crust and light-weight and ethereal crumb.

Time is essential, too.

Why is time good for baguettes?

When dough rises slowly, good points happen: all through a protracted, gradual fermentation, enzymes in every the flour and the yeast break down the starches throughout the flour into simple sugars, which contributes every to style and to browning.

Within the occasion you make your dough not lower than a day sooner than you propose on baking it, you’ll discover improved style and browning. It’s for these causes, I on a regular basis make my pizza dough two to three days sooner than I plan on cooking it.

Timelines

This dough requires a protracted gradual preliminary rise, roughly 6 to 10 hours counting on the time of 12 months and the temperature of your kitchen. Following this major rise, you’ll ball up your 4 components of dough and, ideally, retailer them throughout the fridge for a day or two for the above-mentioned causes: time = goodness.

The beauty of this method is which you could possibly retailer the dough balls throughout the fridge for as long as each week, and you will bake off the baguettes one after the opposite as needed. Besides you is likely to be baking for plenty of folks, you don’t have to have a number of additional baguettes available — whereas they reheat constructive on subsequent days, baguettes are best eaten the day of.

On baking day you’ll want to remove your dough three hours sooner than you propose on baking.

All of this talked about, you probably can skip the fridge time all collectively — uncover an image merely sooner than the recipe card on the bottom of the publish that reveals a baguette that expert no fridge time: the dough was mixed Friday evening; the baguettes have been baked Saturday afternoon.

Occasion Timeline #1: Fridge Time

• Wednesday Night time: Mix Dough
• Thursday Morning: Ball Up Dough, Swap to Fridge
• Friday Afternoon (or any subsequent afternoon for as long as each week): Take away Dough Ball From Fridge 3 Hours Earlier to Baking
• Friday Night time: Bake Baguette

Occasion Timeline #2: No Fridge Time

• Thursday Night time: Mix Dough
• Friday Morning: Ball Up Dough, Swap to a Lidded Vessel (resembling a DoughMate), Go away at Room Temperature for Two Hours.
• Friday Midday: Type the Dough Balls into Baguette Type and Return to Lidded Vessel, Go away at Room Temperature for Roughly Two Hours Further.
• Friday Afternoon: Bake the Baguettes

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Ready? You got this 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖

Simple strategies to Make Baguettes, Step by Step

I’ve broken down this step-by-step data into three sections:

Half I: Mixing and Portioning the Dough

Gather your elements: flour, salt, yeast, and water. I carried out most of my experiments with King Arthur Bread flour, because it’s extensively accessible and such a reliable flour. SAF quick yeast is my favorite. See notes throughout the recipe area regarding salt.

I moreover had great outcomes using this Petra 0102 flour, which is made out of partially sprouted wheat flour and which I actually like for the flavour and texture it lends to a bread or pizza.

Measure all of the issues out, ideally with a scale:

Combine the dry elements collectively first:

Whisk them collectively:

Then add the water:

Mix until you’ve got received a shaggy dough ball:

Let it leisure for half-hour or so, then stretch and fold it (see video for steering):

Cowl the bowl with an airtight lid, then let it rise at room temperature until it doubles in amount and its ground is roofed in bubbles.

Using frivolously floured hand, deflate the dough:

Then flip it out onto a chunk ground and divide it into 4 equal components. I do wish to make use of a scale to verify each portion is the same, roughly 237 grams each.

Ball up each portion:

Swap to storage vessels:

Then change to the fridge ideally for not lower than a day. The dough balls can hold throughout the fridge for as long as each week.

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Half II: Shaping and Proofing

Shaping baguettes takes barely little little bit of apply, nevertheless I uncover using chilly, refrigerated dough makes the strategy simple. Beneath you’ll uncover video and film steering of the strategy.

On baking day, flip the dough out onto a chunk ground. I do not use any flour proper right here, nevertheless while you uncover the dough to be sticky, use flour frivolously as needed.

Pat the dough into roughly a 6×7-inch rectangle:

Fold the dough from the best down:

Rotate the dough 180 ranges, and fold from the best down (additionally known as an “envelope” fold).

Then fold as soon as extra from the best down, mainly folding the envelope in half.

Then, repeat (see video for steering):

Pinch the seam closed.

Flip over so that the seam is down and gently roll.

Swap to a floured, lidded storage vessel. I actually like these DoughMates, nevertheless you should use an enormous Tupperware or a 9×13-inch dish tucked inside a 2-gallon ziptop bag.

Usually I’ll proof two at one time, though I try and stagger the entry of each by half-hour with a view to steer clear of overproofing the dough.

Cowl the container and let the dough proof for 2.5 to a few hours or…

… until it feels very light and ethereal to the contact. One analysis software program it’s best to make the most of is the “poke” check out: using a frivolously floured finger, poke the dough making an indentation roughly 1/2-inch deep; if it springs once more immediately, the dough desires additional time; if it springs once more slowly initially, nevertheless then holds a partial indentation — in numerous phrases, if it doesn’t totally refill — the dough is ready to be baked. (And if it doesn’t spring once more the least bit, the dough is overproofed, nevertheless push on anyway, on account of it might bake up merely constructive.) I don’t love this method on account of I uncover it to be misleading: my dough behaves virtually the similar method on the 2-hour mark as a result of it does on the 3-hour mark, and however my baguettes persistently have a lighter, airier crumb if I wait 3 hours sooner than baking them. Nonetheless, it is a software program it’s best to make the most of.

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Half III: Baking

When the dough is ready for baking, take away it from the DoughMate and place it on a sheet of parchment paper — I take full sheets, fold them in half lengthwise, then decrease them in half.

Use a razor blade to achieve it.

Then bake it…

Methodology 1: Preheated Challenger Bread Pan. Place the Challenger or completely different oblong-shaped Dutch oven into an oven and preheat to 450ºF. This takes roughly half-hour in my oven. Lower the scored log, parchment paper and all into the preheated pan.

Cowl it and return it to the oven for 10 minutes.

Uncover it, and return it to the oven for a further 10 minutes…

… or until the baguette is fantastically golden brown:

Swap to a cooling rack. Let cool for quarter-hour or so sooner than…

… serving.

As well-known above, I’ve been experimenting with Petra 0102 flour. The baguette on the left is made with Petra flour; the one on the right is King Arthur bread flour.

Left: Petra flour; correct: King Arthur bread flour.

Methodology 2: Baking Metallic or stone. Phrase: This system is impressed by this publish on Extreme Eats. Place a Baking Metallic (the distinctive or the skilled) or a baking stone in the midst of your oven and preheat it to 450ºF. This may take 30 or so minutes.

Ranking your dough:

Then shimmy it onto the latest Baking Metallic or pizza stone using a peel (that’s my favorite peel).

Cowl the baguette with a disposable aluminum pan (lasagna-sized) and weigh it down with one factor heavy ample to seal it down with out collapsing it:

Bake for 10 minutes. Then take away the burden and pan.

Proceed baking the baguette for a further 10 minutes…

… or until it’s golden and bronzy to your liking:

Let cool for 20-ish minutes or so sooner than halving:

A few completely different bakes with this method: left Petra; correct KAF bread flour.

The beneath pictured loaf is made with KAF bread flour, and this dough expert no refrigeration: I mixed the dough on Friday evening time, portioned it and balled it up Saturday morning, let the balls leisure in a DoughMate for 2 hours or so, fashioned into baguettes and let leisure as soon as extra for a further 2 hours; then baked:

Bonus Methodology: Lined Emile Henry Baker

I bought this Emile Henry baguette baker on a whim a lot of years up to now however it has largely sat unused in my basement. I pulled it out to experiment on account of after I talked about I had been baking baguettes in my e-newsletter, anyone emailed me telling me she had merely purchased an Emile Henry baguette baker and was attempting forward to using it.

I was extraordinarily completely happy by the outcomes, which persistently produced an exceptional crust if barely a lot much less crusty than the two methods outlined above. The crumb, whereas light, equally isn’t as open or ethereal as the alternative two methods. That talked about, it’s nonetheless delicious. Moreover, a barely smaller amount of dough might produce a lighter, airier baguette on account of it wouldn’t fill the baguette properly so tightly.

This system is perhaps the very best of the three in that you just don’t should preheat a vessel. For this type of baker, merely place the baguette into the buttered properly, score it, then bake coated at 450ºF for 10 minutes after which uncovered for 10 additional minutes.

For its ease, this could be a good alternative:

The crumb is the least open of the three methods, nevertheless the style stays to be good:

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Description

Tailor-made from the outside variation of the Neapolitanish pizza dough recipe from my cookbook, Pizza Night time time.

Notes

• For best outcomes, use a scale to measure all of the issues.
• Flour: In most of my experiments I used King Arthur Bread flour nevertheless I moreover obtained great outcomes and often an far more open crumb after I used Petra 0102 Flour, which is made out of partially sprouted wheat.  
• Salt:  I exploit Diamond Crystal kosher salt, nevertheless you should use constructive sea salt as a alternative. As soon as extra, for best outcomes use a scale to measure. 16 grams of salt may look like fairly loads, nevertheless the rule for bread and pizza dough is that the amount of salt must be 2 to a few% the burden of the flour. 16.5 grams is 3%; 11 grams is 2%. In case you might be using Diamond Crystal kosher salt, you’ll use roughly 5 teaspoons. In case you might be using Morton kosher salt or constructive sea salt, you’ll use 2.5 teaspoons. 
• Yeast: SAF quick yeast is my favorite.

Timing

Plan Ahead: This recipe requires a protracted gradual preliminary rise of roughly 6-10 hours adopted, ideally, by some fridge time.

Occasion Timeline #1: Fridge Time

• • Wednesday Night time: Mix Dough

• • Thursday Morning: Ball Up Dough, Swap to Fridge

• • Friday Afternoon (or any subsequent afternoon for as long as each week): Take away Dough Ball From Fridge 3 Hours Earlier to Baking

• • Friday Night time: Bake Baguette

Occasion Timeline #2: No Fridge Time

• • Thursday Night time: Mix Dough

• • Friday Morning: Ball Up Dough, Swap to a Lidded Vessel (resembling a DoughMate), Go away at Room Temperature for Two Hours.

• • Friday Midday: Type the Dough Balls into Baguette Type and Return to Lidded Vessel, Go away at Room Temperature for Roughly Two Hours Further.

• • Friday Afternoon: Bake the Baguettes

Three baking devices for baguettes:

Completely different Instruments:

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• 550 grams (about 4¼ cups) bread flour or all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting, see notes above
• 15 to 16 grams salt, see notes above
• 2 grams (about ½ teaspoon) quick yeast, see notes above
• 385 grams (about 1 2/3 cups) chilly (about 60°F) water
• Extra-virgin olive oil

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1. Mix the dough: In an enormous bowl, whisk collectively the flour, salt, and yeast. Add the water and use a spatula to mix until the dough comes collectively proper right into a shaggy dough ball. If the dough is dry, use your arms to softly knead it throughout the bowl until it comes collectively. Cowl the bowl with a towel and let leisure for not lower than quarter-hour and as a lot as half-hour.
2. Stretch and fold: Fill a small bowl with water. Dip one hand into the bowl of water, then use the dry hand to stabilize the bowl while you seize an fringe of the dough alongside along with your moist hand, pull up, and fold it in the direction of the center. Repeat this stretching and folding motion 8 to 10 events, turning the bowl 90 ranges after each set. By the tip, the dough ought to transform from shaggy in texture to wash and cohesive.
3. Pour about 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the dough and use your arms to rub it all through. Cowl the bowl tightly and let the dough rise at room temperature until it has virtually doubled in amount, 6 to 10 hours. The time will differ counting on the time of 12 months and the temperature of your kitchen.
4. Portion the dough: Flip the dough out onto a frivolously floured work ground and use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 4 equal components, roughly 237 grams each. Using flour as needed, type each portion proper right into a ball by grabbing the edges of the dough and pulling them in the direction of the center to create a troublesome ball. Then flip the ball over, cup every your arms throughout the dough, and drag it in the direction of you, creating rigidity as you pull. Repeat this cupping and dragging until you’ve got received a very good ball.
5. Retailer the dough: Place the dough balls specifically particular person airtight containers (see notes above) and change to the fridge for 1 to a few days.
6. Type and proof the dough: On baking day, take away nonetheless many rounds of dough you wish to make into baguettes. Place on a transparent work ground. I wish to make use of no flour proper right here, nevertheless in case you might be discovering the dough to be too sticky, frivolously flour your work ground. (Phrase: I counsel watching the video sooner than you attempt shaping.) Pat the dough into roughly a 6 inch sq. or 6×7-inch rectangle. Fold the best down in the direction of the center and pinch it gently. Flip the dough 180º and fold the best down as soon as extra in the direction of the center and pinch it gently (creating an “envelope”). Fold the best down as soon as extra in the direction of the center, pinching gently. Repeat one last time folding the best down all one of the simplest ways to complete, pinching to seal the two halves collectively. (As soon as extra: Best to watch the video proper right here!) Use every hand to softly roll the dough, then flip the log over and pinch the seam collectively. Flip the log over one last time, roll gently, then change to a frivolously floured DoughMate container. (Alternatively you should use a 9×13-inch baking pan, which you will tuck inside a 2-gallon ziptop bag to create an airtight setting.) Roll the log throughout the flour, letting it leisure seam-side down. Cowl the vessel and let leisure for 2.5 – 3 hours or until the dough passes the poke check out: when it’s pressed gently, it springs once more slowly.
7. Put collectively Your Baking Vessel of Choice: 
   • Challenger Bread Baker: After the dough has proofed for roughly 2 hours, place your Challenger bread pan throughout the oven on a middle rack and preheat it to 450ºF. It is going to take roughly half-hour. Fold a typical sheet of parchment paper in half vertically, and tear or decrease alongside the seam. 
   • Baking Metallic: After the dough has proofed for roughly 2 hours, place your Baking Metallic throughout the oven on a middle rack, and preheat it to 450ºF. It is going to take roughly half-hour. Fold a typical sheet of parchment paper in half vertically, and tear or decrease alongside the seam. Have the disposable aluminum pan on the ready along with a small oven-safe skillet or vessel, sturdy ample to crush the pan with out collapsing it. 
   • Emile Henry Baguette Baker: Butter your baguette baker and put apart. Preheat your oven to 450ºF (you do not preheat this vessel). 
8. Ranking your Dough: Open the lid of the DoughMate and gently roll the log backwards and forwards a lot of events to launch it from the underside of the vessel. Use your hand to brush away the excess flour. In case you might be using the Challenger Bread Baker or Baking Metallic, elevate up the dough and change it to one in all many parchment paper strips. Using a sharp blade, make three diagonal slashes evenly spaced alongside the best of the log. Within the occasion you using one factor similar to the Emile Henry lidded baguette baker, merely change it to the buttered baker, then using a sharp blade, make three diagonal slashes evenly spaced alongside the best of the log. 
9. Bake  Your Dough: 
   • Challenger Bread Baker: Using reliable oven mitts, take away the lid from the baker and reduce the parchment sheet into the underside of the pan, orienting it on the diagonal to allow for basically probably the most home. Cowl the vessel. Shut the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes additional or until the baguette is evenly golden brown or to your liking.  
   • Baking Metallic: Place the parchment sheet on a peel, and shimmy it parchment paper and all onto the steel. Cowl with the aluminum pan. Place a small oven-safe skillet or one factor heavy ample to weigh the pan down with out collapsing it. Bake for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes additional or until the baguette is evenly golden brown or to your liking.  
   • Emile Henry Baguette Baker: Your scored dough is throughout the baker (per step 8). Cowl the vessel and change to your preheated oven (450ºF). Bake for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes additional or until the baguette is evenly golden brown or to your liking.  
10. Let Cool: Take away the baguette from the oven and let cool for 20-ish minutes sooner than serving. 
11. Storing: Baguettes are best eaten the day they’re made, nevertheless when it’s best to retailer them, change them to a ziplock bag and retailer at room temperature for as a lot as 3 days or throughout the freezer for as a lot as 3 months. Always reheat sooner than serving: 350ºF for quarter-hour or so.   

• Prep Time: 2 days
• Cook dinner dinner Time: 20 minutes
• Class: Bread
• Methodology: Oven
• Delicacies: American, French