Sourdough Baguettes

Photo: flickr user moria

Ingredients

2 cups healthy active sourdough starter

cup bread flour

1 tablespoon oil

cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

cup bread flour

Preparation

Knead the first two ingredients for 5 minutes, then allow to sit in the pan for 8 hours. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Select the dough cycle and press start.

When the dough is done remove from the pan and form into 3 balls of roughly the same size. Form a long narrow rope from each ball. Ropes should be as long as your baking sheet and bout 1 1/2-inch in diameter. Allow to rise on a greased baking sheet for 1 to 2 hours. If you arrange the ropes within 1 inch of each other and seperate them with narrow strips of wax paper, they will support each other as they rise and have less tendency to flatten.

Just before baking, brush with cold water and then make short diagonal slashes along the entire length. Leave the waxed paper in place and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 35 minutes. Every 10 or so minutes drop ice cubes on your oven's floor, this will generate steam and give your bread that traditional crust. Once they have done, seperate them and place on a cooling rack to cool.

This recipe yields 3 baguettes.

Yield: 3 baguettes