Pain de Epi – Baguette

Day 1: Make the poolish
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, water and yeast until consistency is smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and put a towel on top of the plastic. Put the bowl into a dark, draft free place. Allow the mixture to develop overnight at room temperature.

Day 2: Make the bread
Grease a large mixing bowl with vegetable oil and set aside.

To make the dough, place your bread flour, warm water, yeast, salt and the poolish/starter into a stand mixer bowl with the dough hook attached. Mix on low for 3-4 minutes. Increase speed to medium and knead for an additional 3 minutes or until the dough is a smooth consistency.

Pour dough into the greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for 45 minutes.

Once rested, turn out the dough onto a floured surface. Grabbing the right side of your dough, stretch and fold that half of the dough as if you were folding a piece of paper into three sections. Repeat this with the left side of the dough. Repeat this tri-fold process from the top half of the dough log and then do the same with the bottom half of the dough log.

Place the dough into a freshly greased bowl. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise again for an additional 45 minutes.

Place a baking stone into the center rack of your oven, preheating the oven to 475 F. If you don’t have a baking stone, double up two light colored baking sheets. Fill a shallow pan with water and set it aside. The pan will heat the water, creating steam—essential for a crispy crust.

Pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into four sections, approximately 8 ounces each. Pat the dough to remove any gas bubbles. Shape each section of the dough using the above tri-fold maneuver into a short log. Allow the dough logs to rest again with the seam side down on a linen dish towel, covering them with another linen dish towel. Let them rest for about 20 minutes.

Return logs to a floured surface, pressing on each section of dough to release air bubbles. Flip dough over so the seam side is facing upwards. Fold the log in half from the top down. Now seal the dough using the heel of your hand. Then use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough until it becomes a log about 14-16 inches long. Repeat this process with the rest of the loaves.

Set them onto a pan that you’ve lined with floured parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and let them rise one last time for 45 minutes.

After final rise is complete, cut small slits into the top of each of the loaves with a sharp knife or razor blade. This will allow the bread to vent while baking. Transfer 2 baguettes on the piece of parchment paper to the baking stone or doubled baking sheets. (Leave the other two—you’ll bake them in a bit). Place the baking stone in the oven.

Place the shallow dish that’s filled with water on the bottom rack of the oven and close the oven.

Bake bread, 2 loaves at a time, for 20-25 minutes. Check after 15 minutes to make sure they are not done early. All ovens are different. When toasted and brown, remove them from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Repeat the baking process with the other two loaves.

Allow to cool and serve, with butter. Lots of butter.