Crusty Olive Baguettes

This one is a bit more involved than my other bread recipes, and for good reason...a great baguette requires a little magic and I'am going to show you the trade secrets.
There are 3 things we do that are different from making other type bread: (1) The dough, in addition to "proofing" at warmer room temperatures, spends between 12-24 hours "fermenting" in the refrigerator. (2) The bread is baked at a VERY HIGH temperature. (3) Steam is crutial for developing the crisp crust expected and so must be added in some manner to the hot oven. The recipe is below, or you can watch the action on my YouTube channel. Lets get into it.

Feb 29, 2024 (makes 4 small loaves)
Crusty Olive Baguettes

INGREDIENTS

Watch on Youtube
  • 2 cups flour
  • 5 tbs whole wheat flour (optional)
  • 1 cup warm water (approximate)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 1 package yeast
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • Sliced Olives (about half the contents of a small 2¼ oz can...more or less to your suiting)
  • 1 tbs chopped rosemary (optional)
Happy Dough

METHOD

→ PREP THE YEAST: add the yeast and honey to the warm water, stir and let sit for 10 minutes.

→ In a large bowl, mix the flour(s) and salt together with a large fork or spoon and after the 10 minutes slowly add the yeast liquid, olives, rosemary and olive oil until you get a slightly thick consistency. If you need more liquid, simply add small amounts of warm water until you have the perfect mixture (see picture). Use your hands to mix the dough into a ball. Dust it slightly with flour and cover with a tea towel thats been soaked in hot water (wring it out well). Let it sit on the counter for an hour. The hot/damp tea towel will assist in the initial "proofing" (rising) of the dough.

→ After an hour we will do the first of several "stretch & fold" routines. Place your hand between the dough and the bowl on one side and grab the dough, gently pull it up to give it a good stretch (if the dough starts to break, stop pulling) and then fold it back down into the middle of the bowl. Repeat 2 or 3 times. Place the tea towel back over the bowl and let sit for 30 more minutes then repeat the "stretch & fold" routine. Do this one more time after waiting 30 minutes, then place the bowl, now covered in plastic wrap, into the refrigerator. Keep it there for between 12 and 24 hours.

4 happy campers

→ Remove the dough from the frig. On a lightly floured surface, partition the dough into 4 equal pieces and form each one into a rectangle as shown here, cover with a dry tea towel and let sit for about an hour.

4 happy cigars

→ SHAPE THE DOUGH: Take one of your rectangles, stretch it out a bit then fold it 3 ways like a "letter going into an envelope" pinching the seams as you go. Then roll into cylinders and gently stretch them out to the desired length 14-15 inches. Taper the ends and let rest for another 30 minutes.

→ Meanwhile, place a heat proof empty pot or pan onto the bottom oven rack and set it to 500 degrees. Over the stove bring about 2 cups of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, carefully open the oven and pour the water into that pan. This is how we incorporate steam into the process.

score it

→ SCORE THE DOUGH. After the final 30 minute rest, use a razor blade or VERY sharp knife, cut 3 or 4 diagonal lines across each loaf. With your fingers, sprinkle a small amount of flour over each loaf.

→ When the oven reaches 500 degrees, place the loaves on a cookie sheet with either parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

→ Insert the loaves into the oven, on a rack above the hot water if possible, and REDUCE THE TEMP TO 450 degrees. Baking time will vary but should be in the 20 minute range. You'll know they are done when the crust is a medium golden brown. I start looking at the 15 minute point.

→ When they appear to be done, turn off the oven and open the door 2 inches and let the bread slowly cool to room temp in the oven. This, in addition to helping to guarantee a really crusty loaf, keeps the bread warmer longer for serving to your guests.

    CHEFS NOTE:
    (1) I've done this using both regular and convection ovens and either way works fine.
    (2) You can eliminate the olives, olive oil and rosemary for a "Classic French Baguette".
    (3) This recipe will make 4 smaller individual size rolls, 2 medium size or one large family size.
    (4) To ensure a "fresh" taste, make sure your flour is fresh. If its been in the pantry over 8 months its too "old".
    (5) Although not absolutely necessary, I like to use the honey to give a "kick start" to the yeast tin helping to create those magical carbon dioxide bubbles that make our baguettes light and soft. It also provides the slightest hint of sweetness to the bread.
    (6) You can freeze the bread and reheat it in the oven.

 
|top|