Rustic French Baguettes

Step 1

In a large mixing bowl, combine the room temperature water and yeast. Use a whisk to stir, until the yeast has begun to dissolve. Add the unbleached flour and salt. Use a Danish dough whisk, or your hands, to mix until there are no dry patches of flour left.Scrape your hands off well, and cover the bowl in plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature for the autolyse phase.

Step 2

Do the first stretch and fold. Dampen your hands with water to prevent the dough from sticking. With the dough still in the bowl, you want to gently stretch one side of dough up until there's no more give, and fold it over the rest of the dough. Be gentle wit the stretching so that you don't tear the dough. Work your way around the dough until all sides have been stretched and folded. Then pick the whole ball of dough up and plop it over in the bowl.Cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for another 30 minutes at room temperature.

Step 3

Stretch and fold #Cover, let rest for another 30 minutes.

Step 4

Stretch and fold #3, then let the dough bulk ferment at room temperature for 5-6 hours until the surface of the dough is puffy and jiggly.

Step 5

Line a rimmed sheet pan with a clean kitchen towel. Sprinkle the towel generously with AP flour or rice flour. Set aside.

Step 6

Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide it into 3 equal parts. With the tips of your fingers, gently press one piece of dough into a rectangle about 8 inches long. Bring the top 1/3 of dough down to the midline, and press down with your fingertips.Rotate the dough 180 degrees, and bring the open edge up over the folded edge, and use your thumb to press down on the seam. Flour your hands gently, and roll the dough out into a long baguette shape.Repeat with the remaining 2 pieces of dough.

Step 7

Place the shaped baguettes onto the prepared towel-lined baking sheet. Gently lift the towel up between the baguettes to create separation between the loaves. Sprinkle the baguettes lightly with flour, and gently lay another clean towel on top. Let rise for one hour at room temperature.

Step 8

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500°F with a pizza stone on the middle rack. Place a small cast iron pan on the bottom rack. Boil a kettle of water. Set aside.

Step 9

After the baguettes have risen, transfer to a piece of parchment paper. Slash the tops of the baguettes with a lame or a sharp chef's knife. The cuts should be at a sharp angle going down the axis of the baguette. Place the parchment paper directly onto the preheated pizza stone.Be sure to wear thick oven mitts for this next step. While the oven door is open, pour the hot water from the kettle into the preheated cast iron pan. There will be a big burst of hot steam, so do this carefully. Slide the pan of water into the oven to create steam in the oven while the baguettes bake. Close the oven door immediately.

Step 10

Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway if necessary, until the the crust is deeply golden brown, mahogany in places. Allow the baguettes to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!