For the Levain:

1. Mix all the ingredients until well combined. Cover with a lid. I like to place an elastic band around the top of the levain at the beginning of the feed so I can monitor its growth. This build should take about 3.5 to 4 hours at 28°C/82.4°F.

Autolyse

1. Mix the flour with water 1 until fully combined. Cover and let rest for 30 to 90 minutes while you wait for the levain to finish rising.

Mix the Dough

1. Using the remaining water, mix the salt into the dough by hand. This should take about 5 minutes.
2. Once the salt is added, allow the dough to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Place the dough in a lightly oiled container or bowl and cover it with a lid.

Desired Dough Temperature – 30°C to 32C/86°F to 90°F

Bulk Fermentation

1. Bulk ferment the dough for 2 hours.
2. Give the dough 2 folds during the bulk fermentation.
3. After the last fold put the dough in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours.

Divide and Pre-Shape

1. Take the dough container out of the fridge and allow the dough to come to room temperature for about 1 hour.
2. Remove the dough from the container onto the table and pre-shape round.
3. Let the dough bench rest for 60 to 90 minutes.

Final Shape

1. Final shape the dough as a long baguette and place it into a flour-dusted couche.
2. Let the baguettes rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.
3. Place the dough in the fridge or cool place for another 2 to 10 hours. These baguettes will hold in the fridge for a while so you can mix more than you can bake at a time and bake the baguettes over a longer period of time.

Baking

1. Preheat the oven to 260°C/500°F for a home oven or 246°C/475°F for a deck oven.
2. Bake the baguettes for 10 to 14 minutes with steam and 12 to 14 minutes without.
3. When fully cooked, remove the sourdough baguettes from the oven and slide the bread onto a cooling rack.
4. Let the sourdough baguettes cool completely before slicing.