Sourdough Baguette Made with Fresh Milled Flour
This sourdough baguette recipe is made with freshly milled hard white and hard red wheat berries, an active sourdough starter, water, and salt. It develops a deeply golden, crisp crust and an open, chewy crumb through a long bulk ferment and classic French shaping technique.
Servings: 12
Calories: 148kcal
Equipment
- 1 Kitchen digital scale
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- 1 Linen baker's couche or floured cean kitchen towel
- 1 Baking stone or cast iron griddle
- 1 Bread lame or sharp serrated knife
- 1 Baguette transfer peel
- 1 Wire Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups hard white wheat berries freshly milled, 212 grams
- 1¼ cups hard red wheat berries freshly milled, 213 grams
- 1½ cups water filtered, room temperature, 370 grams
- 1½ teaspoons fine salt 9 grams
- ½ cup active sourdough starter at peak rise, 100 grams
Instructions
- Mill and measure the flour – Mill the hard white and hard red wheat berries immediately before mixing, dividing them evenly for a half and half blend. Weigh the freshly milled flour to 425 grams on a kitchen scale for an accurate result.
- Build the autolyse – Combine the freshly milled flour, 370 grams of room temperature filtered water, and 9 grams of fine salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rest undisturbed for a full 60 minutes. The dough will feel shaggy and rough at frist and noticeably smoother and more cohesive after the resting time and remixing.
- Add the sourdough starter – Add 100 grams of active sourdough starter directly to the rested dough. Work it in with wet hands, folding and squeezing until fully incorporated, the dough will feel sticky and uneven at first, which is completely normal. Cover and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Stretch and fold the dough – Perform three sets of stretch and folds, resting 45 minutes between each set. To fold, wet your hand, grab one edge of the dough, pull it upward until it resists, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat around all four sides. The dough will feel progressively smoother and stronger with each set.
- Laminate the dough – Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly damp surface. Gently stretch it into a large, thin rectangle, working slowly from the center outward so it does not tear. Fold it back onto itself from both sides, then roll it into a loose ball. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. This step builds the gluten strength the dough needs for shaping and scoring.
- Bulk ferment the dough – Cover the bowl and allow the dough to bulk ferment at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours, until it has grown noticeably, the surface is domed and slightly bubbly, and the dough jiggles gently when you shake the bowl. For an overnight cold ferment, cover tightly and refrigerate after the lamination step, then shape the following morning directly from the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven – Place a baking stone or cast iron griddle on the middle rack and a heavy rimmed pan on the lower rack. Preheat the oven to 500°F and allow a full 45 to 60 minutes for the stone to fully heat before baking.
- Pre-shape and rest the dough – Divide the dough into two or three equal portions using a bench scraper. Gently flatten each piece into a rough rectangle, fold it into a loose cylinder, and place seam-side down on a lightly floured surface. Cover with a kitchen towel and rest for 30 minutes, this allows the gluten to relax so the dough extends without shrinking back during final shaping.
- Begin the letter fold – Place one rested piece seam-side up on a lightly floured surface. Pat gently to release any large air pockets, elongating it slightly left to right as you go. Fold the far edge two-thirds of the way toward you along the long axis and press gently to seal. Rotate the dough 180 degrees and repeat, the piece should now be 6 to 8 inches long.
- Fold and seal – Fold the dough in half along the same long axis, bringing the far edge to meet the edge closest to you. Press gently to seal with your fingertips or the heel of your palm. The dough will naturally elongate slightly as you work.
- Roll to length – Place the tube seam-side down and begin rolling from the center outward with both hands, moving toward the ends as you go and applying light pressure to taper the tips. The shape will look uneven at first, thicker at the ends and narrower in the middle, this is normal and evens out as you continue rolling. The finished baguette should reach 14 to 16 inches.
- Transfer to the couche – Place each shaped baguette seam-side up on a well-floured linen couche or kitchen cloth, tucking a fold of fabric between each one to support the sides during the final proof. If the dough resists elongating at any point, cover it and rest for 5 more minutes before continuing, a good baguette is coaxed, not forced.
- Score the baguettes – Transfer the proofed baguettes to a parchment-lined baking peel or baking sheet. Score each one with three diagonal cuts using a bread lame or sharp serrated knife, holding the blade at a shallow angle nearly parallel to the surface of the dough. This angle is what produces the classic baguette ear as the dough opens in the oven.
- Bake with steam – Slide the baguettes onto the hot baking stone. Immediately pour one cup of boiling water into the pan on the lower rack and close the oven door quickly to trap the steam. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pan once at the 10-minute mark if your oven runs unevenly. The baguettes are ready when they are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped firmly on the bottom.
- Cool and serve – Transfer the baguettes to a wire rack and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing. The crumb continues to set as the steam releases from the interior, slicing too early will compress it. Serve warm with cultured butter alongside Italian Cottage Style Tomato Basil Bruschetta Recipe.
Video
Notes
Cold proof option – after the lamination step, cover the dough tightly and refrigerate overnight for 8 to 12 hours. Shape the following morning directly from the refrigerator for a more open crumb and deeper flavor.
Starter readiness – your sourdough starter should be domed, bubbly, and at or just past peak rise before using. A starter that has fallen past peak will produce a baguette with reduced oven spring and a denser crumb.
Video guide – the full baguette process is demonstrated in the video included in this post. The baguette section begins at 3:01, shaping is complete at 7:30, and the crumb reveal is at 11:15.
Flour storage – store any excess freshly milled flour in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 to 3 days, in the refrigerator for 4 to 7 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Bring refrigerated or frozen flour to room temperature before baking for consistent results.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 0.5g | Sodium: 292mg | Potassium: 0.1mg | Fiber: 6g | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg