Sourdough Baguettes with Einkorn Wheat

In a warm 78°F kitchen and using ripe sourdough starter, the first rise took a little over 4 hours from the initial mix. The final proof was about 30 minutes. With cooler temperatures or less lively starter, you can expect this timeframe to be significantly longer.

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

Do three to four rounds of gluten development with 20-30 minute rests in between. I chose stretching and folding, followed by laminating, and coil folding for a third, final round.

When the dough is puffy and has expanded by 50-75%, end the first rise. In a summer kitchen, this was a little over 4 hours after the initial mix. 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 into four demi baguettes (268g each) or three full-size baguettes (357g each).

Pre-shape the pieces into tubes or balls, cover, and let the dough rest about 20 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.

Shape each dough into a baguette using the techniques depicted in the videos above or another of your choosing. Transfer to the channels in the couche. I prefer to lay them seam-side up and later score the non-seam side. 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. These batches proofed for 30 minutes.

Oven Prep, Baking

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

BAKING STONE

Put a baking stone on the middle shelf of the oven and 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 steadily drips through it.

Prep a large sheet of parchment paper that will fit on your stone or flour a peel for transferring the dough directly to the hot stone. I place my parchment paper on an upside down baking sheet to use as my peel.

When the dough proofing and oven preheating is complete, boil a cup of water.

Flip the baguettes onto the parchment paper or peel (seam down), and score several times on the diagonal. I find the curved blade of the Breadtopia lame is ideal for creating the grigne -- curled back score opening -- on baguettes. See the photo gallery below for cut positioning guidance.

Slide the baguettes onto the stone, pour the boiling water onto the aluminum tray below, and quickly close the oven door to trap the steam.

Bake at 500°F for 13-15 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 5 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 the dough proofing and oven and baking vessel preheat are complete, flip the baguettes onto the pre-cut parchment paper (seam down).

Score several times on the diagonal. I find the curved blade of the Breadtopia lame is ideal for creating the grigne -- curled back score opening -- on baguettes. See the photo gallery below for cut positioning 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 13 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and bake an additional 3-5 minutes if needed for browning. 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 minutes, and then bake the second set.

Storage

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