2 cups sourdough starter, about the
consistency of thick pancake batter
5 to 6 cups King Arthur Unbleached
All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
4 tsp instant yeast
4 tsp vital wheat gluten
1 egg yolk lightly beaten with
1 Tbs water, for glaze
In a large bowl, combine the water, starter, and
3 cups of the flour, mixing until
smooth.
Stir in the salt, sugar, yeast and gluten, then an additional
2 cups of flour.
Stir till the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, adding
only enough additional flour as necessary.
Knead the dough for 5 minutes, by hand,
on a lightly greased work surface or in an electric mixer.
Let it rest for several minutes.
Knead for an additional 5 minutes.
Turn the dough into an oiled bowl.
Cover the bowl.
let the dough rise until doubled in bulk, 1 to
1 1/2 hours.
Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into
six pieces (for thin baguettes) or
three pieces (for thicker Italian
loaves).
Shape each piece into an 18-inch long
loaf.
Place the loaves, at least 4 inches
apart, on parchment-lined baking sheets, or in lightly greased
baguette pans.
Cover the loaves with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let them
rise for 1 hour, or until they're nice
and puffy.
Preheat your oven to 450°F.
Gently brush the loaves with the egg yolk glaze.
Optional: Sprinkle them generously
with Italian seasoning and sesame seeds, or Parmesan cheese,
garlic slices, or anything else you think would turn a baguette
into an Ultimate Baguette.
Spray the loaves with olive oil spray, and bake them for
about 20 minutes, or until they're a
light golden brown.
Remove the loaves from the oven, and turn your oven to
"broil."
Return the loaves to the top rack of the oven and
carefully broil them till they're a deep golden brown.
Remove the loaves from the oven, and cool them on a wire rack.