Recently tried the King Arthur Flour recipe for Sourdough Baguettes.  You can find a video of the process below and the original recipe here:

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-baguettes-recipe

I used the half measure to make three French style baguettes.  In a large bowl combine 1 cup sourdough starter, just shy 3/4 cup lukewarm water and 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, mixing until smooth.  Stir in 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon instant yeast, and 2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten.  Add additional 1/2 cup to 1 cup flour, just until the dough pulls away from the the side of the bowl.

Knead the dough by hand about 10 minutes (or 7 minute in stand mixer or use the dough cycle on your bread machine).  Turn the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and let the dough rise until doubled in but, about 90 minutes.

Gently deflate the dough and divide into 3 pieces.  Shape each piece into a 16″ long loaf and place in lightly greased baguette pans.  Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let them rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until nice and puffy.  Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

If desired, gently brush the loaves with egg yolk glaze (1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water) and sprinkle with topping of your choice.  If not adding toppings spray with olive oil to encourage browning.

Bake the baguettes for about 20 minutes or until rich golden brown.  Remove from oven. Turn off oven, crack it open a few inches and return the loaves to the coming oven without the pans – this will help preserve their crunchy crust.

My first attempt went pretty well.  I’ll be making this one again.

As always you can find more at http://www.walterthinnes.com and on Twitter @walterthinnes

TOMORROW: A crispy delicious National Day and my recent tasty try