Triple Rise French Baguettes
The third rise makes a huge difference in the flavor of this simple crusty french baguette. It takes a little longer, but the results are unbeatable.
Servings: 2 Loaves
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water warmed to 110 degrees
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- olive oil to oil the bowl
- 1/2 cup ice cubes to generate steam while baking
Instructions
- Whisk together water and yeast in a large bowl; let sit until yeast is foamy, about 10 minutes. Add flour, and stir with a fork until dough forms and all flour is absorbed; let dough sit to allow flour to hydrate, about 20 minutes. Add salt and knead dough in stand mixer with dough hook until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. The dough will start out looking very wet and sticky but as the gluten develops it will come together and start to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer dough ball to a lightly greased bowl; cover bowl with plastic wrap, and place bowl in a cold oven. Let dough rest until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and shape into an 8″ x 6″ rectangle. Fold the 8″ sides toward the middle, then fold the shorter sides towards the center. Return dough, seam side down to bowl. Cover with plastic again, and return to oven; let sit until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Remove bowl with dough from oven, and place a cast–iron skillet on the bottom rack of oven; position another rack above skillet, and place a baking stone on it. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface, and cut into two equal pieces. Shape each piece into a 14″ rope. Flour a sheet of parchment paper on a rimless baking sheet. Place ropes, evenly spaced, on paper. Lift paper between ropes to form pleats; place two tightly rolled kitchen towels under long edges of paper to create support for the loaves. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the loaves sit until doubled in size, about 50 minutes.
- Uncover, remove towels and flatten paper to space out loaves. Using a sharp razor or paring knife slash the top of each baguette at a 30–degree angle in four spots. Slide the loaves, still on the parchment paper, onto the baking stone. Place ice cubes in skillet (this produces steam that lets the loaves rise fully before a crust forms). Bake the baguettes until browned and crisp, about 25 minutes. Cool before serving.