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Baguette with overnight poolish
Baguette · French baguette
Three long, crusty wheat loaves made with an overnight yeast poolish, shaped by hand and baked with steam for a crisp crust.
A home baguette with an overnight poolish
This King Arthur Baking formula makes three long wheat loaves. A small poolish made with flour, water and a pinch of yeast stands overnight; more flour, water, yeast and salt are mixed in the next day. The method then uses two covered rises, a fold, a short bench rest and a final proof before shaping and baking.
UNESCO records the artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread in France, including fermentation, manual shaping, scoring and baking. The recipe here is a home method from King Arthur Baking, not a single French specification. Its page lists 19 hours 50 minutes total, while the explicitly timed rests plus baking account for less time.
Sources for this section
Mix and ferment
Make a soft poolish with 120 g flour, 113 g cool water and a pinch of yeast. Cover it and leave it at room temperature for about 14 hours, until it has expanded and looks bubbly. For the final dough, mix the poolish with the remaining water, yeast, flour and salt. Knead until the dough is cohesive and somewhat smooth; it can still feel slightly rough.
Cover the dough for 45 minutes, fold its edges toward the centre, turn it over and let it rise for another 45 minutes until puffy. Divide it into three equal portions and round them loosely. Cover and rest for 15 minutes, or up to an hour if needed.
Sources for this section
Shape, proof and score
Flatten one portion at a time, fold it nearly in half and seal the seam with the heel of your hand. Repeat to build tension, then roll the seam-side-down dough into a log about 16 inches long, tapering its ends. Set the loaves seam-side down on a lined tray or in the folds of a floured cloth. Cover and proof until lighter and slightly puffy, around 45–60 minutes at roughly 20°C.
Heat the oven to 450°F (232°C) with a cast-iron pan low in the oven or a baking stone on a middle rack. Move cloth-proofed loaves to parchment. Just before loading, make three to five diagonal cuts along each loaf.
Sources for this section
Bake with steam
Heat 1½ cups water to boiling. Load the loaves onto the hot stone or keep them on a tray. Carefully pour the boiling water into the preheated cast-iron pan and close the oven promptly; the steam helps the loaves rise and forms a shiny crust. Bake for 24–28 minutes, until deep golden brown, then cool on a rack.
Flour can carry harmful bacteria before baking, so do not taste raw dough and wash hands, bowls and tools after mixing. The steam step also exposes the baker to boiling water and a hot oven; use oven gloves and keep hands and face clear.
Sources for this section
History
UNESCO inscribed the artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread in France in 2022, describing its ingredients, stages and social context. That inscription does not establish a first date for the baguette or this home formula.
Ingredients
Yield 3 baguettes · Scaling: source batch only
WaterCool; for the poolish.
113 g
Active dry or instant yeastA pinch for the poolish.
0.3 mL0.06 tsp as recorded
All-purpose wheat flourFor the poolish.
120 g
WaterLukewarm; for the final dough.
255 g
Active dry or instant yeastFor the final dough.
7.4 mL1½ tsp as recorded
All-purpose wheat flourFor the final dough.
420 g
12 g
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Pathogens in raw flour
Flour is uncooked until the baguettes bake; raw flour or dough should not be tasted.
Hazard sourceSteam and hot cookware burns
The method pours boiling water into a preheated cast-iron pan inside a hot oven, producing steam.
Hazard sourceDo not taste raw dough; wash hands and utensils after handling flour.
Control sourceWear oven gloves and keep face and hands away from the oven opening when pouring boiling water into the hot pan; close the door promptly.
Control sourceDo not taste raw flour dough.
The boiling-water steam step can burn; use oven gloves and keep clear of the steam.
Contains wheat gluten.
- Mix the poolish water, pinch of yeast and 120 g flour into a soft dough. Cover and leave at room temperature for about 14 hours, until expanded and bubbly.
- Add the lukewarm water, remaining yeast, 420 g flour, salt and all of the poolish to a bowl. Mix and knead until cohesive and somewhat smooth; by hand, mixer or bread machine. In a stand mixer, the source gives about 4 minutes at medium-low speed.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and rise for 45 minutes. Gently deflate it, fold the edges toward the centre, turn it over and cover for another 45 minutes, until noticeably puffy.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly greased work surface and divide it into three equal pieces. Pull the edges of each piece into the centre to make a rough ball, cover and rest for 15 minutes; the source allows up to 1 hour.
- Shape each piece into a long loaf: flatten slightly, fold nearly in half and seal, repeat the fold-and-flatten sequence, then roll seam-side down into a log about 16 inches long. Taper the ends. Set seam-side down on a lined tray or in the folds of a well-floured cotton cloth, cover and proof until slightly puffy, about 45–60 minutes at room temperature (about 20°C).
- Near the end of proofing, heat the oven to 450°F (232°C) with a cast-iron pan on the lowest rack or floor; if using a baking stone, heat it on a middle rack. Heat 1½ cups water to boiling.
- If proofing in cloth, transfer the loaves seam-side down to parchment on a tray or peel. Make three to five diagonal cuts along each loaf with a lame or sharp knife. Load the loaves into the oven. Carefully pour the boiling water into the hot cast-iron pan and close the door promptly to create steam.
- Bake for 24–28 minutes, until deep golden brown. Cool on a rack before slicing. For a crisper crust, switch off the oven, open the door about 2 inches and let the loaves cool fully inside.
- Store any leftover baguettes in a paper bag overnight; freeze them for longer storage. Thaw and reheat just before serving.
Conditions
Yield3 baguettes
Active time20 min
Fermentation16.5–17.5 h
Temperature20–232°C
Temperature controlMulti-stage
Places
France
Traditional preparation · Country evidenceUNESCO documents baguette bread know-how and consumption in France. This King Arthur home formula is an adaptation, not a protected specification or claim of exclusive origin.
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Sources
King Arthur BakingInspiration · Method · Food use
Classic BaguettesThe formula makes three baguettes from a poolish of 120 g flour, 113 g water and a pinch of yeast, plus final dough with 420 g flour, 255 g water, 1½ teaspoons yeast and 12 g salt.
The page specifies a poolish rest of about 14 hours, two 45-minute dough rises with a fold between them, loaf shaping, a 45–60-minute final proof and a bake at 450°F for 24–28 minutes.
The method scores each loaf and creates oven steam by pouring boiling water into a preheated cast-iron pan; a baking stone, sheet pan, cloth or peel are options.
The source lists 19 hours 50 minutes total time; that listing does not reconcile with the explicitly timed stages.
The current page recommends storing leftovers in a paper bag overnight and freezing for longer storage; it gives no longer freezer duration.
Cited in: A home baguette with an overnight poolish; Mix and ferment; Shape, proof and score; Bake with steam
UNESCO Intangible Cultural HeritageGeography · History
Artisanal know-how and culture of baguette breadUNESCO inscribed France's artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread in 2022 and describes the traditional stages, four basic ingredient types, French consumption and transmission through work-based training.
The inscription documents cultural practice; it does not date the first appearance of baguette bread or set a single product formula.
Cited in: A home baguette with an overnight poolish
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to KnowRaw flour can carry harmful bacteria; do not taste uncooked dough and clean hands and utensils after handling flour.
Cited in: Bake with steam