Baguettes are something new to me. I tried a few specialty recipes, all turned out pretty good, but not spectacular, at least not in the looks department.
This is my first attempt at pure sourdough baguettes, recipe borrowed from Artisan Bread Bakers Facebook group files. Baguettes came out tasty, but crust was tough, color is sub par, and crumb, though looking fairly decent, was not the baguetty type. The bread came out like a decent loaf of sourdough bread, but not a baguette. Verdict: try again.
Timeline:
- Levain ____________ 12 hours fermentation + in the fridge 14 hours
- Mixing ____________ 5 minutes on low (2)
- Autolyse ___________ 45 minutes
- Kneading __________ 10 minutes on medium (4)
- Fermentation _______ 3 hours with 1 folding at 30 minutes.
- Dividing + rest ______ 15 minutes
- Shaping ____________ 5 minutes
- Final proof _________ 1-1/2 hours
- Baking (450F) ______ 20 minutes with steam, 20 minutes dry
Levain:
- 45 g wheat starter (100% hydration)
- 300 g water
- 300 g flour (bread)
Dough:
- 600 g levain
- 365 g water
- 500 g bread flour + ~1/2 cup more if needed
- 40 g whole wheat all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp barley malt
- 14 g salt dissolved in 1 tbsp water, added after autolyse
Notes:
- wrong flour was used
- retardation is needed
- try, try again