There is little better than a baguette pulled warm from the oven: a crackling crust, an open, airy crumb, and that faint sourdough tang. On the bench each morning, the baguette is the loaf we judge ourselves by. It is simple enough that there is nowhere to hide, and honest enough that good flour, patience and a confident hand are the only things that matter.
We started baking baguettes the week we opened in Holetown, mostly because we missed them. The island has wonderful bread of its own, but the long, slim French loaf, all crust and air, was harder to find. So we built ours slowly, leaning on a ripe starter and an unhurried overnight prove to coax out flavour that a quick bake never could.
This recipe uses both white and plain flour to imitate the medium-to-strong French flour of a traditional baguette. It gives enough strength for an open crumb without the chewiness of a pure bread flour.
A loaf built on time
The secret is not really a secret at all: it is time. We mix late in the afternoon, fold the dough gently through the early evening, then let it rest cold overnight. By morning it has developed the gentle sourness and strength that makes the crumb open up in the oven. Nothing about it is rushed, and you can taste that.
Shaping is where it becomes a baguette rather than just dough. We pre-shape, let it relax, then roll each piece out long and even before it proves a final hour on a floured couche. A confident score down the length lets it bloom, and a burst of steam in the oven gives that lacquered, crackling crust.
Prefer to leave the early start to us? You will find these baking fresh at the counter most mornings in Holetown. They are best eaten the day they are made, torn rather than cut, with good butter and not much else.
Let the loaves cool fully before slicing. The crumb is still setting as they rest.