KS Quotient
Fairly Easy: Fuss-free ingredients, added all at once. Hand-shaping required.
It seems ironic that the most magnificent of French breads, the baguette, is called pain ordinaire, meaning ordinary, or everyday, bread. True, the ingredients are few in number and completely ordinary, but good baguettes are a thing of beauty, combining a shatteringly, breathtakingly crisp crust; soft, moist, yeasty interior; and a simple, balanced shape brilliantly designed for breaking, not sawing, a loaf into portions.
The Kneadlessly Simple method is well-suited to making fine-tasting baguettes because the long, slow, retarded rise coaxes out as much flavor as possible from the flour and yeast, which are, of course, all you've got to work with besides the salt. (Some bakers feel that using sea salt and spring water can add a flavor dimension, but in my blind tastings, almost nobody—including me—noticed any difference.) The "micro-kneading" that naturally occurs during the lengthy rise also ensures thorough gluten development, an essential for the good loaf structure. And, the more fully hydrated Kneadlessly Simple dough keeps the interior of the loaves soft longer than is normal for French bread—for up to three or four days!
The only "gotcha" is the shaping, which is really just a matter of practice. Plus, the loaves will taste wonderful and seem impressive even if they don't look quite as perfect as those from a French bakery. Moreover, you've also got a convenient fallback position: If your baguettes come out looking a little stubby, just say you were aiming for the slightly shorter loaves called bâtards! (Or that longer loaves wouldn't fit in your oven!)
This recipe requires a two-loaf baguette tray, but not to worry—if you don't have one on hand it's easy to fashion homemade trays from heavy-duty aluminum foil; see To Make a Baguette Tray for instructions. This dough can also be used to make another attractively shaped loaf called a fougasse (see Fougasse (or Black Olive Fougasse) for instructions).
Yield: Two 14-inch baguettes (or 10-inch bâtards)
3¼ cups (16.25 ounces) unbleached all-purpose white flour or white bread flour, plus more as needed
1½ teaspoons table salt
¾ teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast
1½ cups ice water, plus more if needed
Corn oil, canola oil, or other flavorless vegetable oil for coating dough and pan
First Rise In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. Vigorously stir the water into the bowl, scraping down the sides and mixing until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. If the mixture is too dry to incorporate all the flour, a bit at a time, stir in just enough more water to blend the ingredients. The dough should be very stiff; if necessary, add in enough more flour to stiffen it. Brush or spray the top with oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 20 to 24 hours. If convenient, vigorously stir the dough partway through the rise.
Second Rise If the dough is sticky, working in the bowl, lift and turn it while dusting with and smoothing in more flour until stiffened and easy to handle; don't worry if it is not completely deflated. Divide the dough in half (preferably with oiled kitchen shears), placing each portion on a flour-dusted work surface. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Dusting with flour as needed to facilitate handling, shape one portion into a rough log, then press out the dough into a 7 x 11-inch evenly thick rectangle. Working from a 7-inch side, lift up and fold the rectangle into thirds as if folding a business letter. Again press out into a rectangle; then working from an 11-inch side, roll up tightly into a log. Carefully press and pinch the seam tightly closed all along the length of the log. Dusting with flour as needed, roll the log back and forth on the surface, stretching and smoothing it out from the center until evenly thick and about 13½ to 14½ inches long. (For a bâtard, roll and stretch out until about 10 inches.) Transfer to an oiled metal baguette tray (or to a well-oiled, homemade foil tray set on a baking sheet—see To Make a Baguette Tray). Repeat the shaping with the second portion. Using a single-edged razor blade if possible, or well-oiled serrated knife or kitchen shears, make four or five 3-inch-long, ¼-inch-deep, evenly spaced slashes on a slight diagonally along each loaf. Brush or spray the tops with oil. Tent the pan (or homemade tray) with nonstick spray—coated foil.
Let Rise Using Either of These Methods The extended rise will produce the absolute best flavor: for a 45- to 75-minute regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours, then set out at room temperature. Continue the rise until the dough doubles from the deflated size, removing the foil if the dough nears it.
Baking Preliminaries 20 minutes before baking time, put a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 500°F. Place a broiler pan on the oven bottom. Have ready a large rimless or low-rimmed baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
Baking Reduce the temperature to 475°F. Immediately add a cup of ice water to the broiler pan, being careful of splattering and steam. Generously spritz or brush the loaves with water. Bake on the lower rack for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the loaves are just firm enough to hold their shape. Roll them out onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once or twice for all-over browning, until the loaves are well browned and their crusts very crisp. Test with a skewer inserted in the thickest part until it comes out with just slightly moist particles clinging to the bottom portion (or until the center registers 210° to 212°F on an instant-read thermometer). Then bake for 5 minutes more to be sure the centers are done. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool thoroughly.
To Make a Baguette TrayTear off two 20-inch-long sheets from a large (18-inch-wide) roll of heavy-duty foil. Lay one sheet on top of the other, shiny sides facing. (The dull side promotes browning better than the shiny side.) Working from an 18-inch side, fold the two layers in half, producing a long, sturdy 10-inch-wide strip. Still working from the 18-inch side, fold the strip in half, then pinch and press together along the fold line to produce a sturdy 2-inch-high center pleat. Next, working just below the pleat, open the two foil layers out away from the pleat on each side and bend them to create two parallel, connected U-shaped troughs. Lay the tray on a large rimmed baking sheet.
Serving and StoringTear or cut the loaves into portions; the bread tastes good warm but the texture will be better when it cools. Cool completely before storing. To maintain the crisp crust, store draped with a clean tea towel or in a heavy paper bag. Or store wrapped in foil: The crust will soften, but can be crisped by heating the loaf, uncovered, in a 400°F oven for a few minutes. The baguettes keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 1 month.