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Zoe Bakes Baguette

Baguette

byZoë François
Total 3 hours and 15 minutes (includes rising times)
Active 20 mins
Makes 1 baguette
Special Equipment
a pizza stone
Special Equipment
a pizza stone
Ingredients
  • 1/2 pound (orange-size portion) No-Knead Artisan Master Dough (recipe below)
  • All-purpose flour, for dusting
  • 1 large egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for the egg-white wash
    No-Knead Artisan Master Dough:
    • 3 cups (710 milliliters) lukewarm water
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons Platinum Yeast
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt (or to taste)
    • 6 1/2 cups (910 grams) all-purpose flour
    • Cornmeal or parchment, for the pizza peel
      Directions
      1. Position a pizza stone near the center of the oven and a metal broiler pan on a lower rack. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
      2. Sprinkle the surface of the No-Knead Artisan Master Dough with flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Shaping should take no more than 20 to 40 seconds.
      3. Elongate the ball into a rope by rolling it on the work surface with your hands and gently stretching until it is about 16 inches long. You can taper the ends by rolling them against the counter with your hands. Use enough flour while working to prevent sticking. Transfer to a sheet of parchment paper.
      4. Cover loosely with plastic and allow it to rest for 40 minutes.
      5. Paint the surface of the dough with the egg-white wash. Slash the dough with three 1/2-inch-deep cuts along the length of the baguette.
      6. Slide the parchment paper with the loaf directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot water into the broiler pan. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until richly browned and firm. Allow to cool on a wire rack before eating.
      1. No-Knead Artisan Master Dough:
        1. In a 5-quart container, mix together the warm water, yeast, and salt. Add the flour, then use a spoon, Danish dough whisk, or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment to mix until uniform. Cover (not airtight) and allow to rise at room temperature for about 2 hours.
        2. The dough can be shaped and baked after the 2-hour rise or refrigerated in a lidded container (not airtight) for up to 14 days. The dough will be easier to work with after at least 4 hours of refrigeration. Adapted from "Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day Recipe: The Homemade Bread Revolution Continues" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François © Thomas Dunne Books, 2011. Provided courtesy of Zoë François. All rights reserved.