simple same-day 100% naturally leavened sourdough baguettes – no-knead technique yields a creamy airy crumb and a shatteringly crispy thin outer crust
I have made approximately 1 million sourdough baguettes in the past 2 months. No one is complaining. As you probably know by now, my obsession with Homemade Sourdough Bread is all consuming at times. It’s important to get all the elements of a great loaf of bread, while keeping the steps as simple as possible. The goal after all is to get all of you to bake this, so I try really really hard to eliminate any unnecessary steps. Or, streamline them as much as possible. That being said, most traditional sourdough baguette recipes are a 2-3 day process to let the dough cold-proof in the fridge for 12-18 hours. This may seem blasphemous, but I’ve eliminated that step here, because I didn’t notice a huge difference in flavor or texture. Instead, the advantage of being able to mix up the baguettes in the morning, and bake them in the late afternoon before dinner was VERY appealing. I hope that you agree.
Another potentially controversial move? You don’t *NEED* to knead the dough on a board, by slapping and folding. I do a quick Rubaud-like kneading method IN THE BOWL. This helps build up the strength and extensibility of the dough. Then we gently stretch and fold the dough in the bowl a few times. These stretches build up the gluten strength, so that the dough can effectively stretch out around the gassy air bubbles without breaking. I bake these baguettes on a heavy duty pizza stone like this to get a really crispy crust, then toss some ice cubes in the oven to create steam. The steam is VERY important because you want the outer crust to stay soft until it rises fully.
Where do baguettes come from?
Some say that Baguettes actually originated in Austria, and were brought to France in the early 19th century. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that they became an iconic symbol of Paris. At that time, Paris was a bustling metropolitan city full of young people and artists, who were often single. They didn’t need a whole boule of bread to feed a big family, as people who lived in the countryside would. Instead, the baguette was enough for a meal or two, for 1 person. Also, it was super portable and could be thrown into the basket of a bicycle or knapsack.
What makes a good baguette?
One of life’s greatest questions. This recipe only has 4 ingredients, but they magically bake up into a dreamy baguette that is better than anything you can buy in commercial supermarkets. The hallmarks of a great baguette are: a shattering, thin, crispy outer crust, and an airy, open creamy interior crumb. Using a sourdough starter here adds SO much complexity to the flavor, it’s truly addictive. Although it’s called sourdough, the bread doesn’t just taste sour. It lends an overall tang and earthiness that can only be described as artisanal. You will never be able to achieve that depth of flavor when using commercial yeast.
How do you shape a sourdough baguette?
Shaping a sourdough is pretty straightforward. We’ve all played with playdoh and clay as kids, so rolling out a baguette is a similar motion. The most important thing to remember is to work gently with the dough. You DO NOT want to de-gas the dough or deflate the air bubbles that we’ve worked so hard to create. When shaping the dough, you want to do a pre-shape first. When you gently scoop the dough out of the bowl, this first pre-shape is getting the dough in the direction of the elongated baguette shape. I then let the dough rest on the bench for about 5 minutes. This gives the gluten a chance to relax, so that it’s easier to work with when I’m ready to do the final shaping of the dough. For the final shaping, I create tension by pulling the dough over on itself and pinching it shut. There’s a little technique involved here, but I’ve included shaping tutorial videos on my Instagram to help you along.
stretch and fold
stretch and fold
Sequence of Events – Schedule
Day 1: 10pm – Feed Sourdough Starter the night before, late
Day 2: 8am – Mix flour and water – autolyse for 1.5 hours
9:30am – Add ripe starter, mix in. Cover and rest for 45 mins.
10:15am – Add salt and 5g water. Mix in, Rubaud kneading for 2 minutes. Cover and rest for 30 mins.
10:45am – Stretch and fold. Cover and let rest for 45 mins.
11:30am – Stretch and fold. Cover and let rest for 45 mins.
12:15pm – Stretch and fold. Cover and let rest for bulk fermentation at room temperature for 2.5 – 3 hours.
3:00pm – Preshape
3:10pm – Final shape and preheat oven and pizza stone to 500 degrees F.
4:00pm – Place small baking tray with ice cubes and water in oven to create steam.
4:15pm – Slash baguettes and bake immediately. Put extra ice cubes on the bottom of the oven as the bread goes in. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes, and reducing the temperature to 450 degrees. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
How to Store Homemade Baguettes
The thing about sourdough baguettes is that they taste their best within the first 24 hours after you make them. I always store mine in an airtight bag or bin. One thing I do all the time to revive a baguette that may have hardened a bit is I run the whole baguette under the tap water for about 2 seconds to moisten the crust. Then I pop it in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. The baguette emerges crispy and soft on the inside, as if you just baked it! If you make 2 baguettes and want to save one, I suggest freezing the other baguette right away. Cut it in half and place in an airtight bag, and freeze.
I realllllly hope you love this recipe as much as I do. I put my heart and soul into it. There’s truly nothing like a fresh homemade sourdough baguette. Disclaimer: It might ruin you for all other bread haha. Please remember to tag me on Instagram if you make these @lions.bread, and remember to tap any image on this post to Pin It to your favorite Pinterest boards.
love always, LeAnne
Sourdough Baguettes
Ingredients
- 350 g unbleached all purpose flour
- 215 g filtered water, warm about 80 degrees F
- 75 g active sourdough starter
- 8 g kosher salt I like Morton's
Instructions
Day 1: 10pm - Feed Sourdough Starter with 60g whole wheat flour and 60 g filtered water.
Day 2: 8am - In a large mixing bowl, combine the all purpose flour and water. Mix well with your hands until the shaggy dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 1½ hours.
9:30am - Add the ripe sourdough starter, and mix in with your hands, pinching and pulling. Cover with plastic, and let rest at room temperature for 45 mins.
10:15am - Add the salt and 5g room temperature water. Mix in by hand, and use the Rubaud kneading method for 2 minutes. Cover and let rest for 30 mins at room temp.
10:45am - Gently stretch and fold the dough by pulling up one side and stretching it vertically, then folding it over on itself. Work your way around the whole perimeter of the dough. Cover and let rest for 45 mins at room temperature.
11:30am - Stretch and fold. Cover and let rest for 45 mins.
12:15pm - Stretch and fold. Cover and let rest for bulk fermentation at room temperature for 2.5 - 3 hours.
3:00pm - Pre-shape the dough. Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half. With floured hands, gently fold each piece like a letter, bringing the top ⅓ of dough down, then bringing the bottom ⅓ of dough up. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Allow to rest on the floured work surface, uncovered for about 5-10 minutes.
3:10pm - Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Final shape and preheat oven and pizza stone to 500 degrees F. With the dough facing you horizontally, pull the top edge down over the dough and pinch. Then pull the bottom edge up and over the dough and pinch shut. Use your hand to roll and stretch the dough into a long rope about 10-11" long, tapering slightly at the ends. Place the shaped baguettes on the prepared baking sheet.
4:00pm - Place small baking tray with ice cubes and water in oven to create steam.
4:15pm - Slash baguettes and bake immediately. Put extra ice cubes on the bottom of the oven as the bread goes in. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes, and reducing the temperature to 450 degrees. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
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