I was inspired to make sourdough baguettes after reading a post by Debi at My Kitchen Witch. Debi was making Fig, Caramalised Onion & Goat Cheese Crostini. First step was to make the baguettes. Debi gave a recipe for sourdough baguettes. At the time, I was going through a baguette-making stage. I usually make mine with commercial yeast. The baguettes are ok, but nothing special, so I decided to give Debi’s recipe a go.
First thing I did was to up Debi’s recipe. I have a 90cm oven and have found that a kilo of flour is perfect to make four baguettes just the right length for my oven. Secondly, Debi didn’t have much salt in her recipe so I upped it. Thirdly, Debi’s recipe had less than 50% water to flour which is very low so I upped the water to 67% which is about average. I did follow Debi’s method.
My baguettes were not a success but it was not the fault of the recipe nor the method. Unbeknownst to me, just as I put them in the oven, the connection to the bottom element of my oven burnt out. As a consequence, the oven that I preheated to 250°C was very quickly losing its heat. I had to bake them for ages, at an ever diminishing temperature, just to get some colour. All was not good.
I decided to try again. As I felt more comfortable with the method I use to make all my bread, I decided to go with that. By now, the recipe bore little or no relationship to Debi’s.
These ingredients will make 4 baguettes just the right size for a 90cm oven. If you have a 60cm oven, reduce the ingredients by 33%.
Ingredients:
- 315g sourdough starter (100% hydration)
- 520g water
- 840g bread flour
- 20g salt
Method:
- Mix all the ingredients in your mixer bowl (except the salt) until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 20 minutes. It is always advisable to, initially, hold back some of the water because all flours absorb water differently. Add the balance, and extra if needed, whilst kneading.
- Add the salt and knead the dough in an electric mixer for 5 minutes or by hand until it is smooth (about 10 minutes).
- Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and leave for 50 minutes.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured bench and do a stretch and fold. Return the dough to the oiled bowl.
- After 50 more minutes, do another stretch and fold. Return the dough to the oiled bowl.
- After another 50 minutes, divide the dough into four, do a stretch and fold with each piece and shape each into a batard. Roll and stretch each batard until it is the length of your tray*.
- Place the four baguettes onto your tray*.
- Sprinkle flour over the baguettes. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Leave the dough at room temperature and allow it to nearly double in size. How long it takes will depend on the weather and the strength of your starter. Mine took about three hours.
- An hour before you are ready to bake, line your oven shelf with terracotta tiles and place a baking dish in the bottom shelf of your oven. Preheat your oven to its highest temperature.
- When you are ready to bake, boil some water.
- Slash your baguettes with a razor blade or lame.
- Pour the boiling water into the baking tray in the bottom of your oven.
- Bake the baguettes for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, take the bread out of the oven and check the undersides. If they are not brown, put them back in the oven, bottom side up, for 5 minutes.
- Remove the bread from oven and set aside to cool.
*Here is a photo of my baguette tray – Maus made it. It has been featured in a previous IMK post. It is merely a piece of zinc alume cut to just the right size for my oven. I coated it in olive oil and then seasoned it before using. It is perfect for proofing the baguettes and then plonking them straight into the oven. Cost = $0.00
Passion Fruit Garden 
Thannks for posting this
I’ve gazed longingly at baguette recipes but I’ve never tried it. I might have to give this a go. They look fantastic.
Hi Maureen, I love baking bread – I love the transformation from a few simple ingredients to something wonderful.
I am really quite rubbish at baguettes. I just can’t get the shape right. I made some yesterday and they were flat on top, but still quite lovely inside. I think I’ll try your recipe next. Flat baguettes are always good for sourdough crackers 🙂
Tania, You should get yourself a zinc alume tray. They make lovely round baguettes and are very, very cheap.
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I’m very impressed with your baguettes, they look like they have a wonderful crust.
Thanks Karen
These look perfect Glenda despite all your oven woes 🙂
Hi Moya, the oven was fixed by the time I baked these ones.
Those look great Glenda! Don’t you just love when an appliance decides to crap out on you? Of course you wouldn’t have known the element was going bad if you weren’t using it.
What a fabulous baguette tray…between the two of you, you come up with some pretty clever ideas.
Thanks Diane. At least it was better than when the door came off. I was cooking for a dinner party and had a house full of guests.
These baguettes look so so good. The crust seems wonderful to dunk into zeit and zatar… I imagine you know what that is? well done
They would be perfect, Lara.
First – great baking tray. Second, you are absolutely right in altering your ingredients to suit the types of ingredients you use and the climate this time of year in Perth. Glad, however, that I could inspire you. But, you’ve inspired me to write a post on the variables one encounters while making sourdough bread. Coming up soon!
Hi Debi, thanks for the inspiration. That is a great idea for a post.
Beautiful!
Thanks Maree.
I love the baking tray, the G.O. isn’t so sure about zincalume, but he’s been a fan of using corrugated iron when in the bush 🙂
Hi Ella The tray works a treat. I have been using it for years.
I love this post!!! Your baguettes look simply delicious even though the process to get them there wasn’t at all smooth sailing…
Thanks for sharing your recipe. Being new to Sourdough baking I am itching to try my hand at some sourdough baguettes very soon and your recipe looks like the perfect place to start, thank you.
I love your baguette tray too!!! We have loads of zinc alum corrugated iron laying about the farm and this will be the perfect project for me this afternoon – making a baguette tray for my tiny oven.
Thanks for the Inspiring post.
Happy Wednesday – Jodie xx
Sorry, my ‘word press’ account is not active, should have signed in with ‘blogger… 🙂
Hi Jodie, did you make a tray?
Not yet, going to be making 1 this weekend and can’t wait!!!
Perfect for banh mi!
Hi Liz. Mine are not as light as the Vietnamese make.
These look good Glenda. Will follow your approach when get back from the road trip. I have heaps of starter to use up.
Francesca, you better get baking then 🙂
They look good Glenda. Which do you prefer – sourdough or commercial yeast?
Hi Anne, The sourdough were better. The crust was crunchier and the crumb lighter. That is not to say the ones I make with commercial yeast could not be improved with better technique.