Baguette – Pain à l’Ancienne Bread Recipe

Start with a batch of Pain à l’Ancienne dough (a cold-fermented wet dough.) This is a very hydrated dough mixed with ice water, stretched and folded a few times, then put straight into the refrigerator. You bring the dough out the next day to proof and bake.

The theory, as Peter Reinhart explains, is that the cold stops the yeast from getting started until after enzymes get a head start in breaking down starch into sugar. As a result, there is more sugar for the yeast to work with, and some of the sugar stays in the dough for flavor, texture, and for the crust.

It worked really well for me the first time, which is a good sign. My baguettes were nicely brown and crusty (just using a pizza stone). This will be great in a brick pizza oven.

Basic Recipe:

567 grams bread flour
454 grams ice water (about 55°F)
1 ¾ tsp coarse kosher salt
1 ¼ tsp instant yeast

That’s right. 80% hydrated.

Forming and Baking Directions

Mix the dough, let it rest for covered for 10 minutes, then on an oiled surface, use a stretch and fold method to form a ball. Return to the bowl and cover, leaving it to sit for another 10 min at room temp. Repeat this process 3 more times, every 10 min. After the final stretch and fold, cover the bowl tightly and put it straight into the refrigerator to rest overnight (or up to 4 days.) The dough will double in size in the refrigerator.

Remove from the refrigerator the next day and proof at room temperature. When the dough has doubled the next day (it takes a long time to warm up and proof), pour/scrape the ball with a wet or oiled ball scraper into a floured surface. Gently pull to a 6″ x 8″ oblong, being careful not to degas it, then cut it into three strips that become the baguettes. Let them rest a short period (5-10 minutes), slash and bake in your brick pizza oven at apx. 500°F for about 12 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the bread is 205°F. Be sure to add steam to your oven for the best crust results.

Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes (the crust will soften slightly as the bread cools.)

*Adapted from a recipe by Peter Reinhart

Click here for an alternate Baguette recipe made with a Pâte Fermentée (a French-style pre-ferment)