Poolish Baguettes
Crispy, golden baguettes made with a long-fermented poolish for maximum flavour and open crumb.
| Prep | 30 min |
| Poolish | 12–24 hours |
| Bulk ferment | 2 hours |
| Final proof | 45–60 min |
| Bake | 25 min |
| Total | 16–28 hours (mostly hands-off) |
| Servings | 4 large or 6 smaller baguettes |
| Video | Watch |
Ingredients
Poolish
- 150g (⅔ cup) water, room temperature
- Pinch of instant yeast
- 150g (1 cup) bread flour
Dough
- All of the ripe poolish
- 240g (1 cup) water, 32°C (90°F)
- 3g (¾ tsp) instant yeast
- 400g (2¾ cups) bread flour
- 11g (2¼ tsp) salt
- 10g (2.5 tsp) diastatic malt powder
Method
Make the poolish
- Stir together water, yeast, and flour until combined. Cover and ferment at room temperature for 12–24 hours until bubbly and ripe.
Mix the dough
- Add poolish, water, yeast, flour, salt, and diastatic malt powder to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low for 3 minutes until combined.
- Increase to high speed (speed 4 on a KitchenAid) and mix for 6 minutes.
Bulk fermentation
- Transfer dough to a bowl, cover, and ferment at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Perform a strength-building fold, then cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Perform a second strength-building fold, then cover and rest for a final 60 minutes.
Divide and preshape
- Transfer dough to a floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces (~240g each) for larger baguettes, or 6 equal pieces (~160g each) for smaller baguettes.
- Preshape each piece (see video at 11:15). Cover with a towel and rest for 15 minutes.
Shape and proof
- Shape each piece into a baguette (see video at 7:05). Transfer to a floured couche seam-side up, cover, and proof for 45–60 minutes.
Bake
- Preheat oven to 240°C (465°F) with a Challenger bread pan inside for at least 30–45 minutes.
- Dust the hot pan with semolina. Score each baguette with a bread lame and place in the pan.
- Bake covered for 12 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for a further 12–15 minutes until deeply golden and crusty.
Nutrition (approximate)
| 4 baguettes | 6 baguettes | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | ~510 kcal each | ~340 kcal each |
| Protein | ~18g each | ~12g each |
Notes
- Diastatic malt powder aids crust colour and crust development — worth sourcing if you can.
- A Challenger bread pan traps steam for the first bake, giving good oven spring and a thin, crackling crust. A Dutch oven can work as a substitute.
- The poolish is ripe when it’s domed, bubbly, and just starting to fall in the centre.
- Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL9UfafFZgo
Tags: #recipe #bread #baked #fancy #vegetarian #vegan #dairyfree