This is a great recipe but be warned: It's extremely slack. I almost had to
pour it into the baguette pans. Since I use non-stick perforated pans I
lined the pans with parchment paper to keep dough from seeping. At 450
degrees the baguettes bake quickly so check at 18 minutes for doneness.
joni
Ultimate Sourdough Baguettes
"risp and light, with a crackly brown crust, these baguettes earn their name
from whatever you sprinkle them with prior to baking (see below)." King
Arthur Flour
1-1/4 cups lukewarm water
2 cups white sourdough starter, refreshed
5-6 cups King Arthur Unbleached A-P Flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
4 tsp instant yeast
2 Tbsp granular lecithin (optional) (available from King Arthur Flour)
4 tsp vital wheat gluten
1 egg yolk lightly beaten with 1 Tbsp water, for glaze
Italian seasoning
Sesame seeds
Artisan Bread Topping (available from King Arthur Flours
anything else you think might be good*
In a large bowl, combine the water, starter, and 3 cups of the flour, mixing
till smooth. Stir in the salt, sugar, yeast granular lecithin (if using) and
gluten, then an additional 2 cups of flour. Stir till the dough pulls away
from the sides of the bowl, adding only enough additional flour as
necessary; a slack (sticky) dough makes a light loaf.
Knead the dough for 5 minutes, by hand on a lightly greased work surface or
in an electric mixer. Let it rest for several minutes, then knead for an
additional 5 minutes. Turn the dough into an oiled bowl, cover the bowl, and
let the dough rise until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into six pieces (for thin baguettes)
or three pieces (for thicker Italian loaves). Shape each piece into an
18-inch long loaf, and place the loaves, at least 4 inches apart, on greased
parchment-lined baking sheets, or in lightly greased baguette pans. Cover
the loaves with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let them rise for 1 hour,
or until they're nice and puffy.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Gently brush the loaves with the egg
yolk glaze, and sprinkle them generously with Italian seasoning and sesame
seeds, or Parmesan cheese, garlic slices, or anything else you think would
turn a baguette into an Ultimate Baguette. Spray the loaves with olive oil
spray, and bake them for about 20 minutes, or until they're a light golden
brown. Remove the loaves from the oven, and turn your oven to "broil."
Return the loaves to the top rack of the oven and CAREFULLY broil them till
they're a deep golden brown. Remove the loaves from the oven, and cool them
on a wire rack.
Copyright 2000 The King Arthur Flour Company, Inc. Norwich, VT 05055