In the 17 years, one month and 14 days that I have been a professional baker, I estimate that I have baked hundreds of thousands baguettes. And yet every time I go to do them, I feel a little uneasy. Half joking, half serious, I tell people, if you don't care about baguettes, are you even a baker?
From sticky doughs to uneven shapes, poor cuts, and “ears” that won't open, the baguette has more pitfalls than almost anything else in baking. But there is also good news. Although you may find yourself daunted or struggling more than you'd like, beautiful baguettes are achievable. It just takes practice, and in one area more than any other: shaping. So roll up your sleeves. We'll dive in where things often go off the rails – and (literally) fix things.
Preform
While great baguettes start with a good recipe, hydration of the dough, and development over time and folds, let's assume we've done our job there and that we have a beautiful dough that's ready to be divided and shaped. .
PHOTOGRAPH BY RICK HOLBROOK; FOOD STYLING BY KAITLIN WAYNE
Before we get to the final form, one thing we can do to set ourselves up for success is to perform a preform.
What is one preform? A preform is a step between dividing the leavened dough and shaping our final bread. During shaping, the dough degasses easily and is loosely shaped into rounds or tubes. By making the dough smooth and neat before the final shaping, we increase the likelihood that the shape will be even and neat from end to end. In this way, preform sets us up for success.
To preform, first divide your dough into pieces by weight (for a home oven I use a 250g to 300g piece of dough for a 16″ to 18″ baguette, depending on the size of the baking stone OR steel). Pieces of dough that are the same weight will be closer in length and circumference – even the shapes are beautiful shapes!
Lightly knead the divided dough to degas, then fold or gather into a tubular or round shape. Once pre-shaped, the split pieces should all be the same shape and size, setting you up for the neatest, even shapes possible during final shaping.
Cover the dough and place the dough seam side down on a lightly floured surface until it has risen, about 10 to 15 minutes.
The final form
Once the dough has relaxed (making it easier to stretch to the desired length), proceed with shaping. A note here: Knowing if a dough is ready to roll takes time and experience. If, when you go through the shape, you feel that the dough is fighting you, resisting the stretching process, give it a few more minutes to relax further, then try again. A good baguette should be inclined, not forced.
To make the final shape, place a piece of preformed dough seam side up on a lightly floured surface. Gently bend to remove any air bubbles, extending slightly to the right and left in the process. (I like to think of dough pieces in cardinal directions—in this case, I'm stretching the dough east and west, or right and left, creating an axis that runs perpendicular to the direction I'm facing.)
After the dough has stretched a little and degassed, start the shaping process with a letter fold. To do this, start with the edge of the dough farthest from you and fold the dough two-thirds toward you along the long axis, east-west, then gently press to seal. Turn the dough 180° and repeat the fold: Take the edge of the dough away from you and fold two-thirds of the way down, pressing gently to seal. At this point, the piece of dough should be 6″ to 8″ in length.
PHOTOGRAPH BY RICK HOLBROOK; FOOD STYLING BY KAITLIN WAYNE
Next, fold the dough in half along the long axis, east-west, bringing the far side to the edge closest to you. Press gently to close with either your fingertips or the heel of your palm. During this process, the dough will naturally stretch a little.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Now it's time to roll. Starting in the middle of the piping part of the dough with the seam side down, roll the dough back and forth with a closed hand, starting in the middle. At first, the shape will look like a dog bone, with a thin middle and thicker edges. This is normal.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Then, starting in the center of the narrow midsection, bring both hands in and gently roll it back and forth, moving your hands outward toward the ends as you do so, flattening the high points as you go.
Once you've reached the bottom of the dough piece, apply light pressure to narrow the edges between your palms and the bench. Once shaped, loaves should be placed seam side up in a light dusting lawyer or leaven bread before baking.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
I realize that reading about shaping is like learning to speak (or coming out of a cave?) with just words – if you're like me, your eyes might cross. For visual learners, I highly recommend watching our latest baguette video:
Or check out our shaping tips video from a few years ago for additional insight:
Once shaped, try the loaves in the shape, preheat your oven and get ready to toast, steam, load, bake and press the loaves. Are they perfect? Are you proud? Or will you lose sleep over the result? One thing is for sure: The more you make, the better the baguettes will be. And that brings me to the last thing I'll offer.
REHEARSE
Like a foreign instrument or language, improvement requires repetition. Before you can make your perfect baguette, you need to make some (perhaps even more than a few) approximations. And the sooner you start, the sooner you'll get to the good stuff. So grab your recipe and let's get rolling!
Cover photo by Martin Philip.
