Wholemeal baguette with pre-dough

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 250 g wheat flour (wholemeal)
• 250 g water
• 3 g yeast, fresh
• 750 g wheat flour (wholemeal)
• 15 g flour (bean)
• 430 g water, for beginners 390 g water
• 20 g salt
• 12 g yeast, fresh
• some flour, for the work surface

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Rest time approx. 16 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 17 hours

for 6 baguettes

For the poolish starter dough, mix the wholemeal flour with the water and fresh yeast until you have a smooth dough and let it rise for 12-14 hours (e.g. overnight). After this time, the dough should have a nice bubbling effect. Place all ingredients, including the starter dough, in a bowl and knead slowly for 4 minutes using a dough mixer/hand mixer. The dough will still be cracked and barely binding. Then knead for 5-7 minutes at a faster speed, sprinkling in the salt as you go. The surface should now be smooth and shiny, and you should stop kneading with the mixer. Place the dough in an oiled bowl. It should be large enough, as the dough will rise quite a bit. Now wet your hands and carefully fold all four corners into the middle once. After 60 minutes of proving, the dough should have risen quite a bit, about 2.5-3 times its original size. Now fold it carefully again. Take each corner and very slowly fold it into the middle at all four corners. This is done in the oiled bowl. You now have a firm dough that holds its shape well. The dough is then set aside to prove for another 60 minutes. After the proving time, carefully tip the dough onto a floured work surface. Dust with flour. Cut the dough into 6 pieces (about 280-287 g per piece). Roll each piece into a cylinder, very carefully so as not to knead out too much air. Cover the dough and let it prove for 20-30 minutes. Now the dough is rolled out on the floured work surface to a length of about 20-30 cm. Place on baker’s linen, non-stick foil, or baking paper, and fold the linen or foil up a little in between so that the baguettes keep their shape. It is best to start at the wall and then work forward and then put something down at the end to prevent it from slipping. Proving time: 60 minutes. Three baguettes will bake easily on one baking tray/sheet of foil. The advantage of using non-stick baking foil is that you can place the baguettes directly onto the baking tray. Preheat the oven to 240°C (475°F). Place the baguettes on the baking tray and score them. Hold the blade at an angle, and make the cuts as follows. They should overlap by about 1/3. Make the cuts quickly and accurately. A razor blade is best for this. Don’t press too hard when cutting, or the air will easily escape from the pores. Place the baguettes in the preheated oven. Steam the oven thoroughly and bake for 10 minutes. Release the steam, and bake for another 10-12 minutes at 240°C (475°F). You can, of course, extend the final rising time a little to create even larger pores. But be careful not to overdo it! From the amount of water I always get a bread with many medium to large pores and many smaller, beautiful pores.