Apple Cider Rustic Baguette
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Today, we let the TGV be our guide, whisking us west from Paris into the emerald heart of Bretagne. We are traveling not just for the granite coastlines or the salt-kissed air, but for the soul of our next baguette. For in Brittany, two essential components of this bread have been perfecting their partnership for centuries. Look out the window as we pass the ancient, low-rise farmhouses. In the fields beyond, the humble buckwheat plant blooms, its small white flowers eventually yielding the dark, speckled flour that is the cornerstone of the region's identity. This farine de sarrasin is not just an ingredient; it is the main event. It forms the backbone of the batter for la crêpe Bretonne au sarrasin—that iconic, savory buckwheat pancake that has warmed generations of fishermen and farmers. And what is a crêpe without its perfect companion? The same cider that fills ceramic bowls to accompany those golden-brown pancakes is the very liquid we will use to start our dough.
So, the baguette we'll be making today reflects just that—a delicious homage to a classic pairing. It begins as an epic liquid starter, a poolish where apple cider meets the rustic strength of rye and that dark, nutty Breton buckwheat flour. After a night of slow, pre-fermentation, where the yeasts work their magic on the cider's sugars, this living culture is slowly, deliberately kneaded with crisp spring water, traditional unbleached flour, and a touch of yeast. The final result is a baguette of profound character: a brittle, brownish crust that springs open in the oven's heat, revealing a unique, airy crumb that carries the faint, haunting whisper of apple and the earthy soul of Brittany.
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The final result is a baguette of profound character...
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What Apple Cider to Use
- French apple cider, or cidre, is different from the non-alcoholic apple cider common in the US and Canada. It is an alcoholic (around 5% ABV), sparkling beverage made from specific varieties of cider apples. Le Cidre de Bretagne (Breton Cider) is a particularly famous type, hailing from the Brittany region and extending down to the South of France. However, for this bread recipe, it is important to use an unpasteurized apple cider with no added sugar. This kind is often labeled as being made using the méthode ancestrale. Unpasteurized cider is essential because it retains the nutrients and microorganisms necessary to develop a liquid starter. I found an excellent cider in Gaillac, in the Occitanie region.If it is unavailable, freshly extracted apple juice from a juicer will do the trick. However, the fruit juice will have to undergo fermentation, just like making your natural starter from scratch.
Liquid Starter (Poolish)
- In a measuring jug, whisk together the cider, water, and fresh yeast. Add the flours and mix until it forms a pasty mixture. Cover the poolish and let it ferment for 12 to 14 hours at room temperature (22-25ºC), until the mixture has tripled in volume and live bubbles appear on the surface.
Kneading
- To release the poolish easily, pour the water into the bubbly poolish.
- Add it to the mixing bowl along with the fresh yeast and the remaining flour. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes until it comes together.
- Add the salt and knead for another 25 minutes on low speed. Alternatively, mix for 5 minutes on low and 8-10 minutes on medium speed.
Windowpane Test
- Grab some dough, as you pull, the dough in the center will become thinner and thinner until at some point it tears. The point where the break occurs tells you just how developed your dough is, and whether or not you should continue to knead it. After mixing, the internal temperature should reach 24-25ºC.
Bulk Fermentation
- Since the overnight liquid starter has already done much to develop the dough's aroma and texture, the subsequent bulk fermentation time is reduced to just 90 minutes.
Pro Tips
- At home, to better manage the proofing and baking schedule, prepare your bakers couches accordingly. Cut each couche to roughly twice the width of your baking tray—each one should hold four baguettes. Keep in mind that the baguettes will not all be baked at the same time. Instead, plan to bake four baguettes every 45 minutes (allowing 20 minutes for baking and about 20 minutes for the pizza stone to reheat to 250ºC). To prevent the remaining dough from over-proofing while waiting to be baked, the other 16 baguettes should be kept at a cool temperature, around 5 to 10°C. You can store them covered in the refrigerator, or outside if the weather is cold enough. If the dough has over-proofed, you can rapidly slow the fermentation process by placing the baguettes in the refrigerator for up to an hour, or in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Dividing Dough
- Dust your work surface and dough with flour. In order to quickly release the dough from the mixing bowl, run down your plastic dough scraper all around the edges to take it off. Flip the bowl and dust dough with flour. Do not deflate it.
- Reverse dough so that the skin is now facing up, and to ease the following portioning step, form an elongated rectangle.
- With the help of the large triangle dough scraper or chef knife, cut the dough lengthwise into three equal potions. This procedure will ease the next portioning step. Flour dough between cuts.
- At home, divide the dough into twenty 250g portions. If you are working in a professional environment, divide it into fourteen 350g portions instead.
- Gently deflate each piece and form them into oval shape keeping the original skin facing up. Arrange dough in order and in rows from left to right.
Bunch Rest
- Bench rest is the period when bread dough is allowed to relax on the work surface after pre-shaping and before final shaping. This short resting time helps the dough settle and become easier to shape without tearing. Cover and let rest for 25 minutes.
Shaping Rustic Baguette
- Flour your baker's couche. To shape a baguette properly without damaging its built-up structure, you must first ensure your work surface is spotless. Uncover the rested ovals/batards. Lightly dust the breads, your countertop, and your fingertips with flour. Grab the first shaped batard from the upper left row, gently stretch it, and lay it skin side down. Gently degas the dough using your fingertips.
- Fold the upper half over and seal it with the palm of your hand, maintaining a well-proportioned log.
- This is another baguette-shaping technique worth trying. Instead of repeating the previous folding step, try this: using both hands, fold the bottom edge of the dough up toward the middle.
- Then lastly fold again the upper half over and seal it. Finish shaping by stretching and rolling it into a 15-inch (38cm) cylinder—about the length of your baking tray/pizza stone.
- To create a finish that is both epic and old-fashioned, the baguette ends can be tapered into a pen tip. To do so, swiftly press and roll the ends into sharp points with minimum flour.
- Arrange 3 baguettes onto the floured couche at approximately 3-inch (7.5 cm) intervals (seam side up for a better development). Lift the empty spaces upward to create a natural barrier, then lay the fourth baguette next to it. Roll up what's left of the couche toward the last bread side. This will allow the baguettes to keep their oblong shape during proofing.
Proofing
- If the weather is dry and warm, cover the baguettes with a lightly moistened towel during the proofing step. If making baguettes at home, keep 16 shaped baguettes (4 trays) in a cool temperature as suggested above, and leave just one tray out (4 baguettes). It will take about 90 minutes to proof.
Baking
- Preheat your conventional oven to 480ºF/250ºC with the pizza stone positioned on the bottom third of the oven for 45 minutes before baking your first series of 4 baguettes.
- Lightly dust the top of the proofed baguettes. Using a pizza peel or wooden board, grab the corner of the couche, lift upward, and carefully reverse the bread onto the edge of the peel (skin facing up)...
- Score each baguette 3 times. Spray water inside the oven, then bake the 4 baguettes for 18 minutes at 465°F/240°C. Turn the oven off. Carefully open the oven door to let the steam escape, then leave the baguettes in for 2 more minutes.
- Transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
- Immediately, reheat the oven to the same temperature and repeat the same baking process for the remaining baguettes.
How To Store Baguettes
- Baguettes are a type of bread that, due to their narrow shape, dry out faster than other kinds. Therefore, they should ideally be eaten within 24 hours. Note that old-fashioned baguettes and those made with natural leaven will keep longer. However, after a day, reheating them isn't a bad idea.For later events: To enjoy them as crispy as they were on the first day, store them in sealed freezer bags just a few hours after baking—they can be kept this way for up to two months. An hour before serving, place them in a preheated (220ºC) oven, turn it off, and leave them inside for 5 minutes. Let the baguettes rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before eating.
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