Sourdough Baguettes - Third Try

If you're new to the world of sourdough bread - quite honestly, my blog should not be your first resource for recipe tutorials.😅  I'm still very much a beginner just stumbling my way through the science of sourdough.  I'm dedicated to sharing all of my successes and failures throughout my sourdough journey though so if you'd rather think of me as a cautionary tale - fair enough.🤣  

In my quest to master the art of baking the perfect sourdough baguette - I went through a LOT of different recipes.  I ate so much bread during my testing phase - I had to double up on my morning workouts just to burn off all the extra calories.🚴🏻‍♀️  Totally worth it though.😆  There's nothing better than freshly baked sourdough bread in the morning.  ​

If you've ever gone down the sourdough recipe rabbit trail on the internet - you know how many thousands of recipes and video tutorials are swirling around in cyberspace.  When I first started my research, it felt like there was an infinite number of ways to make a sourdough baguette with a bubbly, chewy middle and a crispy, golden crust but once I started to look a little closer, I realized that most of the recipes followed a very similar pattern - with only slight variations.  

This particular recipe caught my eye because it had both sourdough starter and yeast in the recipe which was somewhat unusual.  It also had a little extra gluten sprinkled into the dough - something my husband requests every time I serve him a gluten free dessert.🤣  If you're as curious as I was about how a starter/yeast fusion baguette would turn out - this recipe is for you. 

Sourdough Baguettes - Third Try
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 cups sourdough starter
4 1/2 bread flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoons instant yeast
4 teaspoons vital wheat gluten

Egg wash (Optional)
1 egg, beaten
​1 teaspoon water

Combine starter, water and 3 cups flour.

Stir in salt, sugar, yeast, gluten and 1 1/2 cups flour. 

Knead 7 minutes. ​

Place dough in a greased bowl. 

Cover and let rise 1 1/2 hours. 

Fold dough 4 times. 

Transfer dough to refrigerator and proof overnight. 

Transfer dough to counter.  

Divide dough into 4 or 5 pieces. 

Roll each piece into a long cylinder. 

Place logs into a well floured couche. 

Cover and let rise 2-3 hours. 

Preheat steel in a 450 oven. 

Brush each baguette with egg wash.

Score each baguette.

Transfer baguettes to hot steel.  

Bake 20 - 25 minutes.  

This was a delicious baguette - even though it didn't have many sourdough qualities - especially the egg brushed loaves.  These baguettes were great for sandwiches, avocado toast and soup dipping devices but honestly, they tasted more like dinner rolls than a sourdough baguette.  That's not a bad thing - just not what I was trying to achieve with this recipe so my quest for the perfect sourdough baguette continues.🤣  

Ciao!

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