Olive Baguettes

See the photo gallery after the recipe for target dough consistency and rise.

Mixing, Gluten Development, First Rise

These instructions are for using a stand mixer, but hand mixing is fine too.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the ingredients except the olives. Mix on low speed for about 2 minutes, followed by medium speed for about 2 minutes. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes (detach and leave the dough hook in the bowl).

Mix again on low-med speed for 1-2 minutes, then transfer the dough to a bowl or straight-walled container and cover. Let the dough rest 20-30 minutes.

Add the olives by laminating them into the dough. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and mark the level on the bowl. Let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes.

Perform two rounds of coil folding separated by a 20-30 minute rest.

When the dough is puffy and has expanded by about 75%, end the first rise. For this batch of baguettes, it was about 7 hours from the initial mixing at about 70F. If you want to refrigerate the dough to increase the sourness, it is easier to do so at this stage rather than when the dough is shaped.

Pre-shaping, Bench Rest, Shaping, Final Proof

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and divide it. Three full-size baguettes at 418g each or four demi baguettes at 314g each.

Pre-shape into tubes or balls, cover, and rest the dough for 20-30 minutes.

Prepare a linen couche or a couple of tea towels by rubbing flour into them and making channels for the baguettes to lie in.

Flip over each dough and shape into baguettes using either of the techniques depicted in the videos above. Transfer the baguettes to the channels in the couche and cover with the couche itself or with another tea towel.

Let the dough proof at room temperature for 30-90 minutes depending on the room temperature. This batch proofed for 1 hour.

Oven Prep, Baking

Preheat the oven and your baking setup to 500F for at least 30 minutes.

Baking Stone or Sheet

Put the baking stone on the middle shelf of the oven and put an aluminum pan with a pinhole in it on the oven shelf underneath. This creates a drip system for steam creation when you pour a cup of boiling water into the pan. When making the pinhole, test over your sink that water drips through it about 1-2 drops a second. You can prep a large sheet of parchment paper that will fit your baguettes or you can use a floured peel for transferring the dough to the hot stone. I use a large sheet of parchment paper placed on an upside down baking sheet as my peel.

When proofing is complete, boil a cup/mug of water. Then flip the baguettes onto the parchment paper or peel, and score several times on the diagonal. See this photo for scoring guidance.

Using a peel or upside-down baking sheet, slide the parchment onto the stone and immediately pour the boiling water onto the aluminum tray below. Quickly close the oven door to trap the steam.

Bake at 500F for 15-18 minutes, rotating if needed.

Turn off the oven, prop open the door with a wooden spoon, and leave the baguettes in the oven for an additional 10 minutes to crisp the crust.

Enclosed Vessel (Demi Baguettes only)

The Breadtopia Hearth Baker and Challenger Bread Pan have flat bases that fit two demi-baguettes and a lid that traps steam from the dough. Cut a sheet of parchment paper to fit the base so that precise transferring of the baguettes to the hot base is easier. You can reuse a single sheet to bake the second pair of baguettes. If using a Challenger Bread Pan, prep a piece of aluminum foil for the pan base as well to prevent the bottom of your baguettes from burning.

When proofing is complete, flip the baguettes onto the parchment paper.

Score the baguettes on the diagonal. See this photo for scoring guidance.

Remove the hot pan base from the oven. For the Challenger, add the aluminum foil layer to the base.

Using a peel or upside down baking sheet, slide the parchment onto the base, cover, and put in the oven.

Bake at 500F for 15 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and bake an additional 5 minutes. Leave the lid in the oven after you remove it so it doesn't cool down for your second batch.

When you take the first pair of baguettes out of the oven, let the vessel re-heat for about 3-5 minutes, and then bake the second set.

Storage

To keep the baguettes crispy, leave them uncovered for about a day. After a day, bag or wrap them to slow staling, and toast to re-crisp. You can wrap the baguettes tightly in plastic and freeze them as well.