Baguette with LiCoLi: the recipe

Name: Baguette with LiCoLi
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 18 h 45 min
Yield: 6 pieces of 400 g
Ingredients: 176 g Wheat flour; 220 g Water; 35 g LiCoLi; 1198 g Wheat flour; 732 g Water; 28 g Salt; 1.4 g Malt powder; 7.0 g Yeast

Although French tradition favours a solid starter and a baguette free of any sour notes, this liquid-culture version earns its own well-deserved place in the world of baguettes.

You can leave out the commercial yeast called for in the recipe entirely. In that case the baguette will have a slightly more compact, tighter crumb, but it will gain a markedly more intense aromatic profile and a more pronounced sourness.

This recipe is freely inspired by, or adapted from, a formula by Master Jeffrey Hamelman.

At a glance

Method: Preferment, with autolyse (30 min)
Preferment: Liquid sourdough starter — 13% of the flour
Mixing: Stand mixer

Number of pieces: 6
Weight per piece: 400 g
Preferment weight: 431 g
Dough weight: 1966 g
Total dough weight: 2400 g

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Ingredients

Quantities for 6 pieces of 400 g, kitchen at 21 °C

Preferment

Wheat flour (0, W320)176 g
Water220 g
LiCoLi35 g

Dough

Wheat flour (W240)1198 g
Water732 g
Salt28 g
Malt powder1.4 g (half a teaspoon)
Yeast7.0 g

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Method

LiCoLi: make it and let it ferment (at room temperature) (14 hours)
- Weigh the ingredients
- Use water at 30 °C
- Mix the flour, water and starter until you get a smooth batter
- Transfer to a container, covered but not airtight
Weigh the ingredients and knead (55 min)
- Use water at 22 °C
- Hold back 12 g of water and pour it in gradually while it comes together
End of mixing, start of bulk rise (at room temperature) (2 hours)
If the dough still seems weak after the first fold, you can give it a second one about 40 minutes later.
Reinforcement fold 1 of 1
Divide/shape: weigh and form the pieces (10 min)
Start of proofing (at room temperature) (1 h 15 min)
About 1h to 1h30 at 24 °C.
Ready to cook

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Baking

- conventional oven, with steam
- Overall temperature: 240 °C
- Time: 25 minutes
- Normal steam

The calculator adapts baking times to the weight of your pieces. Open the calculator

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