French Baguettes

Makes 3 (13-inch) Baguettes (12 Crostini)

Sinless Sourdough baguettes are a delightful alternative to the traditional artisan loaf, offering a crispy crust and soft interior that make them perfect for a variety of uses. The process begins by combining wheat flour of your choice to create a smooth, elastic dough, with the flour selection impacting both the carb count and texture. Once the dough is ready, shape it into baguettes, which can be baked whole or cut into smaller pieces. Each baguette can be sliced into four cubes to make croutons or transformed into crostini by cutting off 1/2-inch from each end and slicing the baguette into 12 half-inch rounds—one recipe yields about 36 crostini rounds. When baked, these baguettes develop a beautiful golden-brown crust that is both chewy and flavorful, making them an excellent accompaniment for cheeses, meats, or spreads. Their versatility allows them to shine as an appetizer at gatherings or as a hearty addition to any meal. Sinless Sourdough baguettes provide a satisfying option for those looking to enjoy the classic bread experience while being mindful of their carb intake.

Equipment needed:

• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Container with cover, such as a t-towel or paper towel (for preferment)
• KitchenAid stand mixer with flat beater and dough hook attachments or any stand mixer with these attachments (or mix by hand)
• Baguette pan (i.e. Emile Henry Baghette Mold) or baking sheet
• Parchment Paper (to line baguette pan or baking sheet).
• Sharp paring knife for designing the loaf (called scoring the loaf)

Ingredients:

Preferment:

• 1 cup Sinless Sourdough Levain (active starter)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour(of choice)
• ½ cup spring water (pH 7.  Most brands are pH 7.  Some brands such as Costco Kirkland has a pH of 8.5.  Higher than 7 pH may hinder the starter’s growth.)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar (or honey) for low carb flours

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 cup spring water (pH 7.  Most brands are pH 7.  Some brands such as Costco Kirkland has a pH of 8.5.  Higher than 7 pH may hinder the starter’s growth.)

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups oat fiber
• ¾ cup vital wheat gluten
• 2 tsp Celtic salt
• 3 tablespoons of psyllium
• 2 teaspoons double acting baking powder
• 3 teaspoons SAF Red Label Instant Yeast
• 3 teaspoons sugar or honey (for proofing yeast)

The Night Before:

1. Creating Preferment:In a sterilized glass container (with lid), add preferment ingredients.  Mix well into a fluffy dough. Cover the container and set in a warm area of the kitchen.
2. After measuring 1 cup of levain from your starter jar, you need to maintain your starter left in the jar:
3. Maintaining Your Starter:  After using 1 cup of your starter, you should have left about 1/4 amount in the glass jar.  Transfer this ¼ amount to a clean, sterilized jar.  Add 1 tablespoon of oat fiber to the jar. Add 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten to the jar. Pour 2 tablespoons of spring water into the jar. Using your jar spatula or chopstick, mix these ingredients together until they form a thick, pancake-like mixture.
4. Mix back and forth in a vertical direction, then pull up the mixture from the bottom and fold it over the top, and mix in circles.  This mixing process adds air to your starter to help it begin a new fermentation.
5. Put the lid loosely on the jar.
6. Place the jar back in a warm area of your kitchen.

Baking Day:

*The recipe calls for SAF Instant Dried Yeast, allowing you to add the dried yeast along with sugar or honey directly into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients. However, you can also proof the yeast in advance if you prefer this method; I personally enjoy proofing the yeast beforehand, as the sweet aroma enhances the baking experience. To do this, heat a cup of spring water in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds (depending on how hot it gets), then add the yeast and sugar or honey. Let it sit until a dome of foam forms, indicating that it’s ready to use. Add it to the mixer bowl after the preferment, and before the dry ingredients.

Shaggy Dough:

1. Combine wet ingredients and then dry ingredients into your stand mixer bowl with a flat beater.
2. Mix on low until they form a shaggy dough. Keep in mind that different varieties of wheat flour require varying amounts of spring water. Begin with one cup of water, then gradually add one tablespoon at a time. Continue this process until all the dry ingredients have incorporated and the dough becomes cohesive, sticky, and no longer crumbly.
3. Turn off the machine.
4. Using your hand pull the mixture into a ball.
5. Let shaggy dough rest for 30 minutes (autolyze).
6. (This resting time allows the ingredients to bind together, to activate the gluten and instant yeast.)
7. Remove the flat beater and replace with a dough hook attachment.

Extended Kneading:

8. A stand mixer is highly recommended.
9. To knead the dough, start by setting your stand mixer to low and knead for 1 minute.
10. After that, increase the speed to #3 for 1 minute, then to #4 and let the dough mix for an additional 4 to 5 minutes.
11. After a total of 6 minutes, remove the dough from the mixer and shape it into a ball.
12. Gently stretch the top of the ball; if it cracks, return it to the mixer and knead for another 2 minutes.
13. Check again—the dough is ready when you can gently stretch the top without it breaking apart.
14. The total kneading time should be between 6 to 8 minutes on speed #4.

Hand Kneading:

Kneading by hand is not recommended because it requires at least 15 minutes of intense effort, and there is a chance that the dough may be under-kneaded, which can lead to it breaking during shaping and ultimately affect oven spring. To knead low-carb sourdough by hand, hold the dough in one hand and use the heel of the other hand to push it away from you, then pull it back. Rotate the dough slightly and repeat this push-and-pull motion for several minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.

Shaping The Dough

15. Cut three pieces of parchment paper to fit inside each cavity of the Emile Henry Baguette Mold.
16. Divide your dough into three equal portions.

For each portion:

17. Form a rough ball and let rest for 30 minutes.
18. On a lightly floured surface, flatten the ball.
19. Roll it back and forth to form a 13-inch log.
20. Place each log on its own piece of parchment paper.

Bulk Fermentation

21. Set logs on parchment on baking sheet. Cover with t-towel.
22. Set in a warm spot. Let rise for 2 hours.

Preheat Oven:

23. About 45 minutes before baking, place the empty Dutch oven in the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F (190°C).

Score The Baguettes:

24. Remove the logs from the refrigerator.
25. Dust the top and sides of the logs with Red Fife flour.
26. Smooth out the flour to make sure there are no flour chunks on the logs.
27. Just before baking score each baguette with 3 evenly spaced, vertical with slight diagonal cuts.

Baking:

28. When ready to bake, using oven mitts, carefully remove the hot mold from the oven. Remove the lid.
29. Transfer the baguettes with their parchment to the mold.
30. Cover with the lid.
31. Be careful not to touch the mold o with your hands.
32. Place the mold into the oven.
33. Bake for 40 minutes with the lid on.
34. After this time, open the oven and remove the lid of the mold.
35. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until the baguettes are golden.
36. Remove the mold from the oven.
37. Immediately transfer the baguettes to a cooling rack.
38. Allow the baguettes to cool completely before slicing.