BEFORE DAY ONE

Place the polish ingredients into a small bowl and mix together by hand for 2 minutes until the mixture is well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature to ferment overnight.

** If you are using instant yeast, bloom the yeast in a small amount of water to activate before using.

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DAY ONE

Add the poolish to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 35g of the dough water and mix together, using your fingers, to dissolve the poolish. Add the flour and mix lightly for 2-3 minutes until the dough becomes a shaggy mass.

** If you are using instant yeast, bloom the yeast in a small amount of water to activate before using.

Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set aside for 20 minutes to begin the autolyse process.

After 20 minutes, add the remaining 15g of water and the salt. Massage the water into the dough with your fingers until it forms a smooth dough without lumps. Cover the bowl again and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, attach the dough hook and knead the dough on low speed for 8–10 minutes to develop the glutens. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and bulk ferment for 60 minutes.

Do a sequence of folds at 20 and 40 minutes.

To fold the dough, scoop one side of the dough up and let it drop down over the opposite side. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and fold the dough again. Repeat two more times so that all 4 sides of the dough have had folds.

The dough will double in size each time between folds and become more elastic.

After 60 minutes, weight the dough and divide into two equal pieces.

Pre-shape the dough by gently flattening each piece into a rectangle. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up, pinching the seams to seal. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and rest for 15 minutes.

Take the first piece of dough, flatten it slightly, then fold the top edge down toward the center, followed by the bottom edge, pinching the seam. Roll the dough gently on the work surface, applying light pressure to elongate it into a baguette shape, aiming for approximately 15” in length, with slightly pointed ends. Repeat with the second piece of dough.

Place the shaped baguettes seam-side up on a floured baking sheet pan or linen cloth, covered with a cloth, for approximately one hour, until the dough has proofed, springing back gently to the touch.

When the dough is proofed, use a sharp blade or knife to make a few diagonal cuts on the top of the baguettes.

Place the tray into the fridge to ferment overnight.

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DAY TWO

Pre heat the oven to 450F (230C).

Remove the baguettes from the fridge, score and bake until crisp and golden.

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