Step 1

Place sourdough starter in a bowl and add to it a cup of flour. Mix with a spoon or in a stand mixer set to medium-low speed until the flour has incorporated into the sourdough. Add another cup of flour and salt and knead again until a smooth but slightly sticky dough forms.

Step 2

Continue kneading for six minutes until the dough is very smooth and supple but still slightly tacky (a bit should stick to your fingers when you touch it). You can add a few more tablespoons of flour if the dough is too sticky to handle. If doing this without a stand mixer, a bench scraper really helps get the dough off the surface.

Step 3

When you've finished kneading, shape the dough into a smooth ball and place in an oiled bowl, turning it over once to coat it with oil. Cover with cling wrap or a tight lid and set aside to rise overnight or for eight hours.

Step 4

After eight hours the dough will be very puffy and should have risen quite a bit. Turn it on to a lightly floured surface. Using your fist, punch down the ball of dough into a disc, about eight inches in diameter. I like flipping the disc over next so if there are any rough spots on the bottom they will disappear inside the loaf and the top will be smooth.

Step 5

Begin rolling the disc of dough into a cylinder. Roll once, press the seam down into the dough with your fingers or the heel of your palm.

Step 6

Continue rolling until a cylindrical loaf forms. Press the seam firmly into the dough and turn the loaf seam-side-down.

Step 7

Use your palms to roll the baguette to a length of about 12 inches. Make sure you seal the tips. Place the baguette on a floured baking sheet and then coat the baguette lightly with flour. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise two hours.

Step 8

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit/260 degrees Celsius. Place a small oven-safe pan with water on the lowest rack in the oven.

Step 9

Once the oven has preheated, make three gashes in the risen loaf using a bread lame or a sharp knife or blade, taking care not to deflate the loaf. Bake the bread 10 minutes, then turn heat down to 400 degrees F/205 degrees C and bake 20 more minutes. Cool thoroughly on a rack.