19/08/2026
Demi-Baguettes recipe is one of my all-time favorites. While the shaping can be a bit of a challenge, the payoff is more than worth it-a crispy, blistered crust and a lacy crumb that's deeply satisfying to bite into and absolutely delicious.
INGREDIENTS
400g tap water
160g sourdough starter
12g fine sea salt
600g all-purpose flour
METHOD:
1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the dough ingredients and mix with a dough whisk, a wooden spoon, or your hands until well combined. Cover with a bowl cover or plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 45 minutes.
2. After the allotted time has elapsed, perform a stretch-and-fold
Cover and rest for 45 minutes more.
3. Over the next 3 to 4 hours, perform 4 sets of coil folds 30 to 45 minutes apart. Cover and let the dough bulk proof at room temperature until the dough has increased in volume by about 50 to 60 percent. (This may take 2 to 6 hours depending on the ambient room temperature.) Place the covered bowl in the refrigerator for an overnight cold proof.
Preshape the dough (10 minutes active, 45 minutes rest)
1. In the morning, remove the dough from the fridge. Lightly sprinkle your work surface with all-purpose flour and turn the dough out onto the surface. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 4 equal-size pieces.
2. With floured fingers, gently degas the dough pieces and shape them into loose rectangles
3. Cover the dough pieces with a cotton tea towel and let them rest for 45 minutes.
Shape and proof the dough (10 minutes active, 2-5 hours room-temperature proof)
1. Flip each dough piece topside-down onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently pat the pieces out into the middle of the dough. Rotate the pieces 180 degrees and fold them in half, bringing the edges together. Seal the edges with the heel of your hand, creating little cylinders
2. Using your hands, gently roll out the cylinders pressing more firmly toward the end of the cylinder to create a tapered shape. Place each baguette topside down in a linen baking couche or linen cloth dusted liberally with rice flour, lifting up the couche to create a barrier between each demi-baguette.
3. Allow the demi-baguettes to proof until doubled in size and a finger-poke test reveals a slow return of the dough. (This can take 2 to 5 hours depending on the ambient room temperature.)
Bake and store the demi-baguettes (18-20 minutes)
1. Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) with your bread cloche, baking steel, or stone in the oven. If you plan to do an "open bake" (not in a bread cloche, but on a stone or steel directly in the oven), place a deep, oven-safe tray in the bottom of the oven and bring a kettle of water to boil over high heat.
2. Flip the demi-baguettes onto a cutting board dusted with rice flour and slide them off onto parchment paper or a board to transfer the dough to the cloche or baking steel or stone.
3. Use a bread lame to score 2 to 3 slightly slanted lines into the baguette dough and transfer the dough directly into the bread cloche or onto the bread steel or stone. Add ice to your cloche (to create steam) and cover. If you are doing an "open bake," very carefully fill the deep tray at the bottom with the boiling water. (Be very careful when adding the water, you can easily burn your skin while following this step.)
4. Bake for 15 minutes covered and then 6 minutes uncovered. If you did an "open bake," carefully remove the deep tray of water if it has not all evaporated. Bake until the crust is a deep golden brown or until the internal temperature measures
195°F (91°C).
5. Store the bread at room temperature in a resealable bag for up to 3 days or freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag.
