French Bread
Ingredients
Instructions
Make the pate fermentée the night before, leave at room temperature for 1hr and then put into the fridge overnight or up to 3 days in advance
The next day, remove the pate fermentée from the fridge and cut into about 10 small pieces with a bench knife or serrated knife
Cover with a towel and let sit for 1 hour (or more) to take off the chill
Stir together flours, salt, yeast, and pâte fermentée in a 4-quart bowl
Add the water, stirring until everything comes together in a coarse ball
Adjust the flour or water according to need so that the dough is neither too sticky nor too stiff (it is better to err on the sticky side, as you can adjust easier by adding more flour during kneading. It is harder to add water once the dough firms up)
Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin to knead.
Knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough is soft and pliable, tacky but not sticky, and all the pre-ferment is evenly distributed.
The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77-81 F
If the dough seems properly developed but is still cooler than 77 F you can knead a few minutes longer to raise the tmperature or simply allow a lenghtier first rise.
Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with the oil
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap
Ferment at room temperature for 2 hours or until the dough doubles in size. if the dough doubles in size before 2 hours have elapsed, knead it lightly to degas it and let it rise again, covered, until it doubles from the original size
Gently remove the dough from the bowl and transfer it to a lightly floured counter. For baguettes, cut the dough into 3 equal pieces with a pastry scraper or serrated knife. Again, take care to degas the dough as little as possible. Form the pieces into baguettes.
Proof at room temperature for 45-75 minutes, or until the loaves have grown to about 1.5 times their original size. They should be slightly springy when poked with a finger
Prepare for hearth baking, making sure to have an empty steam pan in place. Preheat the oven to 500 F. Score the baguettes.
Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal and very gently transfer the baguettes to the peel or pan. Transfer the baguettes to the baking stone or bake directly on the sheet pan.
Pour 1 cup hot water into the steam pan and close the oven door.
After 30 seconds, spray the oven walls with water and close the door.
Repeat twice more at 30 second intervals.
After the final spray, lower the oven setting to 450 F and bake for 10 minutes.
Rotate the loaves 180 degrees, if necessary, for even baking, and continue baking until the loaves are a rich golden brown and register at least 205 F at their center. This can take anywhere from 10-20 additional minutes, depending on your oven and how thin your baguettes are. If they seem to be getting too dark but are not hot enough internally, lower the oven setting to 350 F (or turn it off) and continue baking for an additional 5-10 minutes
Remove the loaves form the oven and cool on a rack for at least 40 minutes before slicing or serving.
Notes
I've heard of people increasing the hydration of this recipe to 1 cup of water per round, which makes sense because in my opinion the hydration of this dough is too low. This will form a tight crumb and the best way to loosen it is additional hydration.