70% Hydration
Cold-Fermented Baguettes

Give the flour a head start

Combine 250 g bread flour and 250 g warm water. Mix thoroughly, cover, and leave on the counter for 30–60 minutes.

This flour-and-water rest is an autolyse. It gives the flour time to absorb water and begin developing gluten, the stretchy network that holds gas in the dough. Only half the recipe’s flour is resting here; the remaining flour, salt, malt, and yeast go in during Sprint 2.

Checkpoint: No dry flour pockets. Expect a wet, sticky, doughy mess: this portion is at 100% hydration, with equal weights of flour and water. It will not hold a tidy ball. The finished dough reaches 70% hydration once Sprint 2 is incorporated.

Bring the dough together

1. Heat the remaining 100 g water to 105–115°F. Stir in 3 g active dry yeast and leave for 10 minutes to bloom.
2. Mix the remaining 250 g flour with 12 g sea salt and 10 g diastatic malt powder, then add the bloomed yeast mixture. This mixture will be stiff; do not add extra water.
3. Break the stiff mixture into small pieces before adding it to the wet dough from Sprint 1. Pinch, squeeze, and fold everything together, breaking up any firm chunks as you go, until the dough is evenly combined throughout.

Checkpoint: One cohesive, sticky dough with no dry lumps or separate stiff pieces. Smoothness comes with the folds.

Build strength a little at a time

Cover and rest for 30 minutes after mixing. With damp hands, lift one edge of the dough until it resists, then fold it over the center. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat around all four sides. That is one set.

Cover between sets. Repeat at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 minutes after mixing: six sets total. Use the same gentle stretch-and-fold approach as the no-knead focaccia. Stop stretching before the dough tears.

Checkpoint: The dough becomes smoother, more elastic, and better able to hold its shape. It should still feel tacky; extra flour is not the fix.

Let the fridge do the long shift

After the sixth fold, cover the dough securely and refrigerate for at least 12 hours; 16–20 hours is preferred. Leave expansion room in the container.

Cold fermentation slows the yeast while giving flavor more time to develop. The dough remains in one piece for this rest; dividing and shaping happen tomorrow.

Checkpoint: Chilled, rested dough with signs of fermentation, such as bubbles and some expansion. Do not wait for it to double in the fridge.

Turn the dough into baguettes

For a home-oven batch, divide into three equal pieces. Keep your surface lightly floured and handle the dough gently.

1. Pre-shape: Form each piece into a loose short log. Cover and rest for about 20 minutes so it is easier to lengthen.
2. Fold and seal: Gently flatten a log into an oval. Fold the far long edge toward the center and press lightly to seal. Turn it around and repeat. Fold lengthwise in half and seal the seam.
3. Lengthen: With the seam underneath, roll gently from the middle outward, tapering the ends. Aim for a length that fits your steel or tray. If it springs back, cover it and give it a few minutes before trying again.
4. Support and proof: Lay the loaves seam-side up in a generously floured couche, drawing up a cloth ridge between each loaf. Cover loosely and rest for at least an hour. Cold dough or a cool kitchen may need longer.

A couche is a heavy linen cloth that supports the sides while the loaves rise, helping them grow upward instead of spreading flat. A well-floured, clean, lint-free towel can stand in. The cloth stays out of the oven.

Checkpoint: The loaves look puffy. A gentle fingertip press comes back slowly and leaves a slight impression. If the dough springs back immediately and feels tight, give it more time.

Shaping video from my recipe notes · Additional written shaping reference

Hot steel, steam, and a crisp finish

1. Preheat during the proof: Set the oven to 475°F conventional or 450°F convection. Heat the pizza steel on the middle rack for at least one hour. Put a rimmed metal sheet pan on the bottom rack for steam.
2. Transfer and score: Gently roll the loaves from the couche onto a floured transfer board, seam-side down. Just before loading, make 3–4 overlapping cuts along each loaf. Keep the cuts mostly lengthwise and hold the razor at a shallow angle to the surface. This creates a flap that can lift into an ear, the crisp ridge along the cut.
3. Add steam and load: Add a handful of ice cubes to the hot lower metal pan immediately before sliding the baguettes onto the steel. An optional light mist on the loaves just before loading adds surface moisture. Close the door promptly.
4. Bake: Bake for 10 minutes, rotate for even color, then bake for another 10 minutes. The crust should be well browned; extend the bake a little if it is still pale.
5. Cool: Move to a rack and let the loaves cool before cutting, ideally at least 30 minutes. Then cut, butter, and enjoy.

Steam keeps the surface flexible during the first part of baking, giving the loaves room to expand before the crust sets. Scoring gives that expansion a place to go. The hot steel supplies strong heat from underneath.

Use a metal steam pan, never glass. Keep your face and hands clear of escaping steam. Mist the bread rather than spraying oven walls, glass, lights, or heating elements; follow your oven’s guidance on added steam.

Done: A deeply colored crust, opened scores, and a crumb that has had time to set before slicing. A dramatic ear is a bonus, not the entrance exam.