Ingredients
Poolish Starter:For 750g dough total:
150g strong white flour
150g cool water
1/8 tsp dry yeast (or 2g fresh yeast)
For 1kg dough total:
200g strong white flour
200g cool water
1/6 tsp dry yeast or 3g fresh yeast
Dough:
For 750g dough total:
300g strong white flour
1.5 tsp dry yeast or 13g fresh yeast
150g cool water
2tsp salt
the poolish as above based on the 750g total
For 1kg dough total:
400g strong white flour
2 tsp dry yeast or 17g
200g cool water
2 2/3 tsp salt
the poolish as above based on the 1kg total
1. 12 - 15 hours before you want to start the actual dough (16 - 19 hours before you want the bread to be completely finished and ready to eat) make the poolish by mixing all the poolish ingredients together with a rubber spatula until just combined. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave 12 - 15 hours (overnight) at room temperature. At this stage, make sure you have some ice cubes made ready for baking the bread.
2. The poolish should be bubbly and expanded after that time, so add all the dough ingredients and mix roughly with the rubber spatula again - it will be cohesive, but lumpy with some flour. Leave it for 20 minutes for the liquid to absorb.
3. Knead the dough, either by stretching, pulling and folding by hand, or in the Kitchen Aid with the dough hook for 3 - 4 mins. Do not over-knead - it should not be smooth at this stage, otherwise the finished bread will be tough.
4. Take the dough out of the bowl, oil the bowl, put the dough back and leave it for half an hour, covered.
5. Stretch and fold the dough a couple of times and replace in the bowl, cover. Leave for another half an hour and repeat the stretching and folding. Cover and leave for a further hour to rise
6. Transfer the dough to an oiled work surface, divide into 3 pieces and gently pre-form into 3 log shapes. Leave to rest for 20 minutes.
7. Shape the dough properly into baguettes by folding and rolling gently a few times.
8. Put the baguettes into a floured couche or greased baguette pan or baking sheet (you can improvise a couche using cylindrical items such as rolling pins.) Cover with greased plastic wrap and leave for about 40 minutes to rise.
9. About half way through the proving time, pre-heat the oven to the hottest it can go. Put a baking pan at the bottom of the oven.
10. When the baguettes have risen about 85%, score them with 4 diagonal cuts with a sharp blade, spray them with water and put them in the oven (removing the linen couche and/or any cylindrical objects if you used them!) Throw some ice cubes into the pan at the bottom of the oven and bake for around 20 minutes until golden brown. Ideally, leave them to cool down before cutting them, or they will contain to much moisture and the texture will be gummy. However, you need a will of iron for that.
Example timings:
Day before 7pm make the poolish, make ice cubes
Day of baking
8am Mix the dough, leave to rest
8.20am Knead the dough 3-4 mins, put in oiled bowl, leave covered.
8.50am Stretch and fold the dough, re-cover.
9.20am Stretch and fold the dough, re-cover.
10,20am Divide into 3
10.40am Shape into baguettes and put in couche to prove
11am Preheat oven to hottest you can, put a baking pan in the bottom to heat up.
11.20 - 11.30
Put the baguettes onto a baguette pan/baking sheet, score them, spray them.
Put them in the oven and at the same time throw ice cubes into the hot tray at the base of the oven.
11:40 - 11:50 (about 20 minutes baking time) remove from oven, leave to cool before devouring!
12pm go on then, try them if you must!
12.10 ideally leave them until at least now before you try them, but you probably haven't.
