S1-C5: one home-scale baguette on poolish
Fifth lean artisan wheat lesson: one large baguette-style loaf in a home oven — preshape, shaping, scoring, steam, and a thin crackly crust.
Recipe
Current recipe
For baking now: the final working formula, ingredients, steps, and baking worksheet.
Baking worksheet
Lesson block: how to read this lesson
Each bread in the course should be more than a recipe: one main question, one controlled variable, measurements, tasting, and a decision for the next bake.
- Lesson question
- What this bread is supposed to teach.
- Main variable
- One lever: fermentation, flour, water, salt, mixing, shaping, steam, scald, or sourdough.
- Why this way
- This keeps the result comparable and preserves cause and effect.
- Expected flavor
- Name the expected direction of flavor and texture before baking.
Theory
- The formula is read in baker’s percentages.
- Timing is checked against dough state, temperature, and sensory signs.
- Photos and numbers exist to drive the next decision, not only to archive the bake.
Checkpoints
- Record temperature, mass, time, dough state, and deviations.
- After baking, assess crust, crumb, aroma, flavor, and aftertaste.
Sensory
- Crust
- color, thickness, crunch, score opening, bitterness, toastiness
- Crumb
- moisture, elasticity, gumminess, chew, pore size and distribution
- Aroma
- separate crust and crumb aroma: floury, yeasty, milky, rye, malty, spicy
- Flavor
- sweetness, salt, acidity, flouriness, depth, aftertaste
- Score
- 0–10 plus one decision: repeat, increase fermentation, change flour, change bake, or close the lesson
What comes next
- The next lesson should change one main parameter and test a clear hypothesis.
S1-C5 is the first baguette lesson in the wheat track. The task here is not to make a perfect French baguette on the first try, but to set aside as a dedicated lesson the skills that used to live in the background: preshape, stretching, scoring, steam, and crust.
What This Lesson Studies
In S1-C2 the poolish was already the main flavor lever. In S1-C5 the poolish becomes a familiar base, and the new question is different: can the same simple lean formula become more tasty and expressive thanks to shape, a thin crust, and the right score opening?
The main lesson variable is dough handling and baking, not a new flour, sourdough, or enrichment.
Why One Large Piece
A home oven does not have to imitate a bakery oven. The entire mass of this dough yields not a classic thin baguette but a large home baguette-batard: elongated shape, longitudinal overlapping scores, steam, and an active crust, but more mass and a longer bake.
The formula should not be divided by a third for the sake of one small baguette: the poolish would then need about 0.17 g of fresh yeast, and the final dough about 0.83 g. That is inconvenient and less reliable on a home kitchen. So the current sheet keeps normal gram amounts and makes one piece from the entire dough mass.
| What we simplify | What we keep |
|---|---|
| dividing into three pieces | preshape and rest |
| micro-doses of yeast on recalculation | the original formula and convenient gram amounts |
| working with several pieces | extended shaping |
| classic thin geometry | elongated baguette logic |
| perfect appearance | longitudinal overlapping scores |
| a steam-injection oven | strong hand steam and a hot stone |
So the lesson stays home-scale but trains real baguette skill without unnecessary fuss with several pieces.
The Baguette System: Theory
A baguette is not just an elongated loaf. With the same flour, water, salt, and yeast, the geometry of the bread changes: the piece becomes thinner, surface relative to mass grows, the crust dries faster and takes a larger share of flavor. That is why a baguette can feel more expressive than a round or oval loaf on a similar formula.
In S1-C5 it is important to look at the whole system.
| Element | What it does | What would be an error |
|---|---|---|
| Poolish | Gives a familiar fermentation base and bread aroma without new acidity | Treating the poolish as the main lesson and overlooking shape errors |
| Mass and format | Entire dough mass goes into one piece, without recalculating yeast | Trying to make a thin bakery baguette out of 690 g of dough |
| Preshape | Sets initial direction and light tension | Making a tight mini-loaf and meeting resistance during stretching |
| Rest | Relaxes gluten before elongation | Stretching immediately and tearing the surface |
| Final shape | Creates an even tube with tension and a seam | Pressing out all gas or leaving a shapeless strip |
| Final proof | Brings the piece to lightness while leaving a strength reserve | Overproofing to collapse or underproofing to density |
| Scoring | Gives a controlled opening point | Cutting across or too shallow |
| Steam | Delays crust setting in the first minutes | Baking dry from the start and getting weak opening |
The main takeaway: if a baguette did not open, do not immediately change the formula. First work through proof, tension, score angle, score depth, steam, and stone preheat.
S1-C5 Lab Protocol
Before starting, record the hypothesis: an elongated shape, correct scoring, and steam should give a more expressive crust and flavor than S1-C2, without changing the genre of the bread.
| Stage | What to record | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Poolish | start time, kitchen temperature, dome, bubbles, smell, start of collapse | understand whether the fermentation base was mature |
| Final mix | dough temperature, tackiness, extensibility, time on Kenwood | do not blame weak shape on the recipe if the dough was overheated or undermixed |
| Bulk fermentation | rise, gas, surface, reaction to folds | assess dough strength before preshape |
| Transfer from container | piece mass, gas loss, amount of bench flour | see whether volume was destroyed before shaping |
| Preshape | does the cylinder hold, does it resist stretching after the rest | understand the balance of elasticity and extensibility |
| Final shape | length, evenness, seam, tension, ends | tie geometry to opening in the oven |
| Final proof | lightness, poke test, spreading or holding the line | decide whether to bake now or give it another 5–10 minutes |
| Scoring | number of scores, angle, depth, overlap, confidence of motion | check whether an opening path was set |
| Bake | loading temperature, steam, moment of drying, color, internal temperature | separate oven errors from dough errors |
| Tasting | crunch, crust aroma, chew, flavor compared to S1-C2 | understand whether technique gave a real flavor result |
This is not bureaucracy. In a professional kitchen, recording is needed so that the teacher or chef can say not “it came out bad” but “you lost gas at preshape” or “the score was too crosswise”.
Advanced Technological Map
S1-C5 has four technological axes. If you do not separate them, it is easy to treat the wrong problem.
| Axis | What controls the result | Professional criterion |
|---|---|---|
| Fermentation | poolish maturity, dough temperature, bulk, final proof | dough alive but not tired; aroma clean, without sharp alcohol |
| Rheology | balance of extensibility and elasticity, rest after preshape, gluten strength | piece stretches without tearing and does not snap back immediately |
| Geometry | mass, length, evenness, seam, ends | piece even, holds its line, with no thick ends |
| Bake physics | stone, steam, crust drying, color, internal temperature | the score opened before the crust set, then the crust dried and crackled |
If the baguette is dense, it may be fermentation or rough handling. If it is flat, it may be proof or weak shaping. If the score did not open, it may be blade angle, weak steam, or overproof. A strong school teaches exactly this kind of diagnosis.
Formula
| Ingredient | Grams | % |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 400 | 100 |
| Water | 280 | 70 |
| Salt | 8 | 2 |
| Fresh yeast | 3 | 0.75 |
Poolish: 200 g flour, 200 g water, and 0.5 g fresh yeast. Final dough: the entire poolish, 200 g flour, 60 g water in the initial mix, 20 g water for the yeast slurry, 8 g salt, and 2.5 g fresh yeast.
70% water is the first step toward a more open baguette crumb, but still without the complexity of ciabatta. If the dough feels soft, do not add flour right away: softness is needed here for stretching and opening.
Schedule
| Time | Action |
|---|---|
| Day 1, 20:30 | Mix the poolish |
| Day 2, 08:30 | Mix the final dough |
| 08:38–08:58 | Short rest |
| 08:58–09:05 | Salt, yeast, and final mix |
| 09:05–11:05 | Bulk fermentation with gentle folds |
| 11:05 | Turn on the oven and preshape one piece |
| 11:35 | Final shape of one baguette-batard |
| 11:50–12:30 | Proof in cloth |
| 12:30–13:05 | Score and bake |
| after 13:50, better 14:05 | Slice and taste |
The poolish matters more than the clock: it must be bubbly, alive, with a bread aroma, domed or just starting to collapse.
Shaping
Baguette shaping is not one motion but a chain.
- Turn out the whole dough as one piece.
- Gently preshape into an elongated cylinder.
- Let the dough relax for 15 minutes.
- Fold and seal the piece, creating light tension.
- Roll from the center to the ends to oven size without squeezing out all gas.
If the piece resists, give it another 5 minutes of rest. If the surface tears, the tension is too aggressive.
Proof, Gas, and Strength
For baguette form, a short final proof is not accidental. A large loaf can stand a calmer proof because it has more mass and less surface relative to volume. A large baguette-batard is more stable than a thin baguette, but it still cannot be overproofed: if the piece loses its line in the cloth, the scores will open more weakly.
The goal of the proof in S1-C5 is not maximum volume on the bench but the right strength reserve for the oven.
| State before the oven | Signs | What will happen in the oven |
|---|---|---|
| Underproof | piece dense, indentation springs back fast, shape stiff | strong tearing, dense crumb, the score may open roughly |
| Normal proof | piece feels lighter, slightly puffier, line still holds | scores open, crust thinner, shape stays even |
| Overproof | piece soft, spreads, indentation almost does not return | weak rise, flat shape, scores do not hold direction |
For a first baguette lesson, a slight underproof is better than overproof. Underproof can be partially compensated with good scoring and steam; overproof more often takes strength and geometry away.
Scoring
For one large baguette-batard, 4–5 scores are enough. The beginner’s mistake is to cut across. A baguette score runs almost along the axis, at a slight angle, with overlap. It should direct the opening, not just decorate the loaf.
| Trait | Good | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Angle | almost along the baguette | cross stripes |
| Depth | about 5 mm | scratch or a deep tear |
| Overlap | each next score partially crosses the previous one | scattered short marks |
| Proof | piece light but not spread | scores do not open or the loaf flows |
Steam and Crust
A baguette needs strong initial steam. Steam delays early surface drying, helps opening, and gives a thinner shiny crust. After the first 10 minutes, steam is no longer needed: the crust must be dried.
If the crust is pale, first check stone preheat, loading temperature, and drying after steam. It is too early to change the formula.
Diagnosing Errors
S1-C5 must be evaluated as a technical chain. The same defect can look like a “bad formula” while the cause was in transfer, proof, or steam.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check in the next repeat |
|---|---|---|
| Piece spread in the cloth | weak shaping, too long a proof, too warm a dough | dough temperature, proof length, tension at shaping |
| Scores did not open | overproof, dry start, cross or shallow score | poke test, steam in the first minutes, blade angle and depth |
| Crust thick and rough | too little steam at the start or too long drying | steam delivery, first 10 minutes, actual oven temperature |
| Pale crust | weak stone preheat, too short a dry phase | preheat 60–90 minutes, loading temperature, last minutes without steam |
| Dense crumb | gas loss at preshape/shape or underproof | scraper gentleness, rest after preshape, proof |
| Large voids under the crust | too rough shaping or locally trapped gas | even sealing, rolling from center to ends |
| No flavor shift | crust weak, steam did not work, bread sliced too early | crust color, crunch after cooling, tasting after 30–60 minutes |
How To Evaluate The Result
S1-C5 is graded not only by crumb.
| What to evaluate | What to record |
|---|---|
| Shape | is the length even, are the ends thicker |
| Score | did it open, is there a direction of opening |
| Crust | thin, crackly, color, aroma |
| Crumb | not raw, are there uneven voids |
| Flavor | is the crust aroma stronger than S1-C2 |
| Process | where gas was lost: bulk, preshape, shape, proof, or transfer |
If the shape is weak but the flavor is good, the lesson is still useful: it shows exactly where the next technical repeat should go.
Grading Rubric
S1-C5 is better evaluated not as a single overall score but as a rubric. This is closer to how a teacher or chef analyzes practical work: not “like / dislike” but through which competencies already exist and what to train next.
| Competency | 0 points | 1 point | 2 points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formula and setup | ingredients or water swapped, tools not ready | formula correct but there is rushing at shaping or loading | everything weighed, cloth/stone/steam/blade ready in advance |
| Poolish maturity | sharp alcohol, heavy collapse, or undermaturity | poolish workable but peak unclear | dome/bubbles/smell clear and recorded |
| Dough after mixing | overheated, torn structure, lots of correcting flour | dough workable but tackiness or strength not described | soft, stretchy, not overheated, state recorded |
| Transfer and preshape | gas roughly pressed out, dough crushed | mass correct but shape uneven | one even piece, gentle handling, gas preserved |
| Final shape | torn surface, thick ends, weak seam | shape recognizable but length or tension uneven | even baguette-batard with light tension and a clear seam |
| Proof | obvious under- or overproof without a decision | proof acceptable but signs weakly described | decision made by lightness, poke test, and geometry |
| Scoring | cross, random, or too shallow scores | direction close but depth/overlap unstable | 4–5 confident overlapping scores almost along the axis |
| Steam and bake | dry start, pale or rough crust | bread baked but crust not ideal | strong initial steam, then drying, crust thin and crackly |
| Sensory and conclusion | no comparison or next decision | tasting present but conclusion general | grading tied to process and one focus chosen for the next repeat |
Interpretation is simple: 0–8 points — repeat without changing the formula and train hands; 9–14 — recipe workable but pick one technical weakness; 15–18 — lesson closed, move to S1-C6: ciabatta or the next baguette iteration.
Control Questions
Before baking and after cooling, answer the questions in writing in the comments of the working sheet.
- Was the poolish bubbly, domed or starting to collapse, without a sharp alcohol smell?
- Was the dough after the final mix soft and stretchy but not overheated?
- During transfer from the container and preshape, was gas preserved or was the dough roughly crushed?
- After preshape, did the piece relax and stretch without tearing?
- Did the final shape give an even tube with light tension, not a tight loaf?
- Did the proof end when the piece felt lighter but still held its line?
- Did the scores run almost along the axis with overlap, not across?
- Was steam strong at the start, and did the oven become dry after 10 minutes?
- Did the crust come out thin, crackly, and aromatic?
- Did the crust flavor become stronger and more interesting than in S1-C2?
Theory Sources
- King Arthur Baking: Classic Baguettes — home baguette with poolish, steam, and a short form.
- King Arthur Baking: Essential baguette tools and techniques — transfer, blade, scoring, steam, and home adaptation.
- King Arthur Baking: How do I bake with fresh yeast? — home reference: crumble fresh yeast into the recipe water for even distribution.
- Lesaffre: Fresh, Dry or Compressed Yeast — professional framing: fresh yeast can either be dissolved in liquid or crumbled directly into the dough while mixing.
- King Arthur Baking School: Baguette Baking 101 — baguette as a dedicated skill: poolish, fermentation observation, shaping, and baking.
- King Arthur Baking School: Baguettes — live teaching format: preferment, shaping, scoring, and steam in a home oven.
- King Arthur Baking: Sprouted Wheat Baguette — professional notation: baker’s percentages, target dough temperature, bulk, shaping, proof, and bake with steam.
- San Francisco Baking Institute: Artisan I — example of a systematic course: bakery math, mixing, fermentation, shaping, baking, preferments, and repeatable baguette practice.
- AIB International: Applied Baking Technology — learning frame: bakery math, mixing and fermentation systems, dough handling, and hearth bread.
- Culinary Institute of America: Baking and Pastry Arts — example of higher practical training: specialty breads, ingredients and technology, production and result grading.
- BAKERpedia: Baking Baguettes — professional baguette logic: shaping, scoring, steam, and bake.
Ingredients
| Component | Grams | Baker's % |
|---|---|---|
| MukaMuka 13.5% flour | 400 g | 100% |
| Water | 280 g | 70% |
| Salt | 8 g | 2% |
| Fresh yeast | 3 g | 0.75% |
Ingredient details
MukaMuka 13.5% flour
- Role
- the same strong white flour, so that shape, scoring, and baking become the main new skill
- Split across stages
- 200 g into the poolish and 200 g into the final dough
- Author's brand
- MukaMuka 13.5% protein (mukamuka.ru)
- Alternatives
- Aleyna Vivapol 12-13%, Makfa premium grade
Water
- Role
- a wetter dough than the baseline white loaf, but still manageable for a first baguette shaping
- Split across stages
- 200 g into the poolish, 60 g into the first stage of the final mix, and 20 g for a convenient yeast slurry
- Author's brand
- Tap water through Barrier Iron x2 filter
- Alternatives
- any filtered or bottled drinking water
Salt
- Author's brand
- Pink Himalayan salt
- Alternatives
- sea or table salt (avoid iodized)
Fresh yeast
- Split across stages
- 0.5 g into the overnight poolish and 2.5 g into the final dough
- If your scale does not catch 0.5 g
- use a minimal crumb of yeast; it matters more not to overload the overnight poolish
- Author's brand
- Lux (Voronezh) fresh or Ayrek (homemade)
- Alternatives
- any fresh yeast in a 100 g pack
Conditions and equipment
Conditions
- Status
- next lesson after S1-C4 on the current wheat-track map
- Course block
- dough handling, baguette geometry, scoring, steam, crust, and gas retention
- Main constraint
- no enrichment, no sourdough, no whole-grain flour, and no cold retard of the final dough
- Comparison
- compare crust flavor and chew with S1-C2; record shaping technique and proofing separately
- Doneness criterion
- crust well colored, scores opened, internal temperature 96–98 °C, crumb not raw
Equipment
- Poolish
- a 700–1000 ml bowl or jar with a lid; a level mark is useful but not required
- Mix
- Kenwood KVC85.004SI with the dough hook: short mix on Min/1 without overheating
- Shaping
- a linen cloth or thick towel as a couche; bench scraper; board or parchment sheet for transfer
- Bake
- Haier HOQ-F6QS, stones or a heavy sheet pan, hand steam, lame/razor for scoring
- Control
- probe thermometer, scale, timer, kitchen temperature sensor, description of scores before and after baking
Nutrition: how to eat this bread
Bread nutrition facts
Per 100 g of bread
235 kcal
protein 8 g · fat 1.1 g · carbs 47.3 g
Per slice (50 g)
118 kcal
protein 4 g · fat 0.6 g · carbs 23.7 g
Automatic calculation from USDA + Skurikhin database for the baked loaf after evaporation. Numbers are approximate: 1) the database covers ingredients, not finished dough; 2) bake water loss is assumed at 10% — actual loss depends on crust, time, and pan. Add 5–10% in calorie trackers if needed.
Bread is a source of starch and energy. Its nutrition depends on flour, fermentation, salt, enrichment, serving size, and the rest of the plate.
- Digestion
- More whole grain, fibre, and fermentation usually mean longer satiety. White flour eaten alone is generally digested faster.
- Helpful or harmful
- Bread is not poison or medicine by itself. Overall diet matters; current guidance prioritizes whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and pulses.
- Amount
- For most learning tastings, 1–2 slices, about 30–80 g, is enough depending on loaf density.
- Best pairings
- Pair with protein, vegetables, and moderate fat; avoid making it a large standalone portion with sweet drinks or sweet spreads.
How to eat
- Taste the bread plain for learning, then eat it as part of a balanced plate.
- Slice dense rye thinner; with soft white bread, make sure softness does not automatically increase the serving.
Limits
- Wheat and rye breads contain gluten.
- For medical conditions, adjust bread type and serving size with a clinician or dietitian.
Instructions
-
Mix the poolish
Mix 200 g flour, 200 g water, and 0.5 g fresh yeast, cover, and leave overnight until domed and bubbly.
-
Build the final dough
Mix the entire poolish, 200 g of flour, and 60 g of water; rest for 20 minutes.
-
Add yeast and salt
Crumble 2.5 g of fresh yeast into 20 g of water, stir, and add to the dough; mix 30–60 seconds, then add 8 g of salt and finish a short mix to smoothness and extensibility.
-
Bulk ferment
Run about 2 hours with 1–2 gentle folds, preserving gas and controlling temperature.
-
Preshape
Turn out the whole dough as one piece, gently preshape into an elongated cylinder, and let it rest.
-
Shape a single piece
Shape a large home baguette-batard sized for the oven, place in a dusted cloth, and proof 35–45 minutes.
-
Score and bake
Make 4–5 overlapping longitudinal scores, give strong steam at the start, and bake for 10 minutes at 250 °C with steam, then 18–25 minutes at 220 °C dry to 96–98 °C internal.
For readers who want to understand why the formula changed.
S1-C5 hypothesis
S1-C5 tests how much handling and bake technique change a simple lean bread. The formula stays close to previous lessons, while the new skill is baguette shape, scoring, and steam.
Base version
S1-C2 already tested poolish as a flavor lever, S1-C3 cold, S1-C4 the whole-grain share. Now we need a lesson that separates the flavor of the formula from the flavor of crust and handling quality.
Iteration analysis
01 A baguette lesson can be run with a single home-scale piece
- Observation
- A classic thin baguette is longer and lighter than is convenient to shape and bake from the entire mass of this dough in a home oven.
- Hypothesis
- If we make one large baguette-batard, we can preserve the main lesson skills — preshape, extended shape, scoring, steam, and crust — without awkward dividing and without micro-doses of yeast.
- Decision and why
- Lesson format: 1 large home baguette-batard from the entire dough mass, about 691 g raw.
- Conclusion
- The single large format is more convenient for home repeats: it honestly remains baguette practice, but does not pretend to be a classic thin French baguette.
Evidence
- Home constraint
- stone/sheet pan and hand steam instead of a bakery oven
- Learning goal
- shape, scoring, and crust, not industrial size or strict classical geometry
02 Keep the poolish as a familiar base
- Observation
- Poolish was already studied in S1-C2, but the main question there was flavor.
- Hypothesis
- If we use a familiar poolish in S1-C5, the new variable becomes baguette technique, not the type of preferment.
- Decision and why
- Selected an overnight poolish of 200 g flour + 200 g water + 0.5 g fresh yeast.
- Conclusion
- Leave old dough for a separate comparison if the poolish version gives a manageable shape.
Evidence
- Preferment
- 50% of total flour in the poolish
- New topic
- preshape, shaping, scoring, steam
03 Scoring and steam become measurable skills
- Observation
- In previous lessons, crust and scoring were secondary, not the main object of the lesson.
- Hypothesis
- If we make overlapping longitudinal scores and strong initial steam, the piece will open better and give a thinner crust.
- Decision and why
- The working sheet adds photos of scores before loading, opening after baking, and a separate crust evaluation.
- Conclusion
- If the scores did not open, first work through proofing, blade angle, and depth before changing the formula.
Evidence
- Scoring
- 4–5 overlapping scores almost along the axis
- Steam
- strong initial steam, then dry baking
Version history
- v1.8May 23, 2026
- Problem
- After S1-C7 was published, the older explanation still sounded as if old dough was only a possible future variation of S1-C5.
- Change
- FAQ and lesson route synchronized with the new program: S1-C5 remains the poolish and baguette-technique lesson, while old dough is studied separately in S1-C7.
- Result
- S1-C5 no longer conflicts with the published S1-C7 and keeps a clear learning role.
- Conclusion
- Poolish, old dough, and sourdough opara should run as different learning variables, not be mixed in one first baguette lesson.
- v1.7May 20, 2026
- Problem
- Three mini-baguettes were inconvenient for home repeats when one piece is wanted.
- Change
- The formula was left without recalculation to avoid awkward yeast fractions. The entire dough mass is now shaped into one large home baguette-batard; baking has been extended to 250 °C with steam for 10 minutes + 220 °C dry for 18–25 minutes to 96–98 °C.
- Result
- The working sheet now leads to a single piece and keeps convenient gram amounts; only shaping, number of scores, bake length, and cooling change.
- Conclusion
- For strict practice of classic baguette geometry it is better to divide the dough into several pieces, but the basic home S1-C5 sheet is now built around one convenient piece.
- v1.6May 20, 2026
- Problem
- Variant v1.5 with crumbling fresh yeast straight onto the dough is acceptable in a mixer mix, but for the home sheet it looks unusual and less predictable.
- Change
- Final water has been split into 60 g for the initial mix and 20 g for a convenient yeast slurry. The micro-step with 5 g of water is not coming back.
- Result
- Yeast is distributed more naturally and cleanly, without a separate micro-vessel and without the risk of leaving a noticeable share of yeast on the walls.
- Conclusion
- For S1-C5, treat introducing the final yeast through 20 g of water as the basic home protocol; direct crumbling stays as a permissible professional alternative, not the main instruction.
- v1.5May 20, 2026
- Problem
- Adding 2.5 g of fresh yeast through 5 g of water was inconvenient: too small a vessel is needed, the yeast does not dissolve well, and part of the slurry stays on the walls.
- Change
- The final water now all goes into the initial hydration, and fresh yeast is crumbled directly onto the dough and briefly mixed in before salt. The formula and overall hydration have not changed.
- Result
- The step has become easier for a home kitchen and closer to professional practice with fresh yeast: it can either be dissolved in enough liquid or crumbled directly into the dough at mixing.
- Conclusion
- S1-C5 no longer requires a separate micro-cup with 5 g of water; control rests on even yeast distribution and dough temperature.
- v1.4May 19, 2026
- Problem
- Theory already explained the baguette system, but the lesson was not yet framed as a professional teaching laboratory with goals, demonstration, protocol, and a grading rubric.
- Change
- Added blocks on the professional teaching format, lab protocol, advanced technological map, and grading rubric modeled on a strong bread school.
- Result
- S1-C5 can now be run as a learning module: state a hypothesis before mixing, record critical points during work, and grade after baking against the rubric.
- Conclusion
- The next repeat should improve one specific competency, not simply repeat the whole recipe.
- v1.3May 19, 2026
- Problem
- S1-C5 was detailed enough as a recipe, but the theory of baguette form was weaker than the standard of S1-C2/S1-C3: it lacked an explicit link between shape, tension, proof, scoring, and steam.
- Change
- Added a separate S1-C5 learning profile, expanded baguette-system theory, and added error diagnostics and pre-bake control questions.
- Result
- The lesson now explains not only what to do, but also why baguette geometry, proof, scoring, and steam should give a more expressive crust and flavor.
- Conclusion
- S1-C5 becomes a full theoretical lesson on baguette technique, not only a working sheet for mini-baguettes.
- v1.2May 19, 2026
- Problem
- Starting the poolish at 21:00 gave finished baguettes around 14:25, which is a bit late for lunch bread and less convenient for first baguette practice.
- Change
- The working sheet was shifted to a poolish start at 20:30: final dough begins at 08:30, baking at 12:30, cooling until 13:55.
- Result
- The best baseline start window is now 20:00–20:30 in the evening if you need bread for an early lunch the next day.
- Conclusion
- The formula has not changed; only the more convenient start scenario has shifted.
- v1.1May 19, 2026
- Problem
- A repeat review showed three places where the recipe could lead to wrong action: salt was described as dissolved in 5 g of water, the seam during proofing was ambiguously specified, and prep time did not match actual time to loading.
- Change
- Clarified the addition of final yeast and salt, set seam orientation for the couche and parchment, and brought prep time to 16 hours from poolish start to oven loading.
- Result
- Formula, percentages, and time map remained unchanged; the instructions became technologically more precise.
- Conclusion
- S1-C5 is correct as the first baguette teaching lesson: the main check no longer gets confused with technical ambiguities.
- v1.0May 19, 2026
- Problem
- After S1-C4, the next wheat-track lesson should move from flour flavor to baguette handling: preshape, extended shape, scoring, and steam.
- Change
- Created S1-C5: three home mini-baguettes on overnight poolish, 70% water, without enrichment, sourdough, whole-grain flour, or cold retard of the final dough.
- Result
- Working sheet ready for poolish start on 19 May at 21:00 and a bake the next day.
- Conclusion
- The main S1-C5 check is not a perfect French baguette but transferable skill: even shape, correct scoring, steam, and a crackly crust.
Questions
Why a poolish again, if it was already in S1-C2?
In S1-C2 the poolish was the main flavor lever. In S1-C5 it becomes a stable base for baguette technique: shaping, scoring, steam, and crust.
Why one piece and not three mini-baguettes?
It is more convenient for home repeats and does not require dividing the dough. Be honest about format: 691 g of raw dough gives a large home baguette-batard, not a classic thin bakery baguette.
Why is old dough not part of this lesson?
S1-C5 must leave baguette technique as the new variable: shape, scoring, and steam. Old dough is moved into S1-C7 as a separate lesson on old dough, salt in the preferment, and overall baker's percentages.
How many scores should I make?
For one large piece, 4–5 overlapping scores are enough. Direction matters more than count: scores run almost along the axis, slightly angled, and overlap.
What counts as success?
Even shape, opened scores, a thin crackly crust, a stronger crust aroma, and a crumb without rawness. A perfectly open crumb in the first lesson is not required.