Pain à l’Ancienne

This was the easiest recipe I've made from Peter Reinhart's book yet. It does take 2 days to make, but required no kneading and produces a fantastic bread as long as you are careful not to handle the dough too roughly, causing it to lose precious trapped air.

This makes 6 baguettes.

Ingredients:
6 c unbleached bread flour
1 1/4 t salt
1 3/4 t yeast
*2 1/4 c + 2 T to 3 c ice cold water
semolina flour for dusting

*to ensure the water is ice cold, place it in the refrigerator with ice cubes. Remove the ice immediately before using.

The texture of this dough is very sticky, so it is best if you mix with an electric mixer or food processor. On the first day, combine all the ingredients, using whatever method you choose. Oil a large bowl, transfer the dough, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, remove the bowl from the fridge and let sit until room temperature and the dough has doubled in size, 2-3 hrs, or more. When this has happened, carefully dump or lift with wet hands, the dough out onto a very floured surface. Flour your hands and shape the dough into a rectangle, 8''x 6''. Mine fell into a shape larger than this, and for fear of handling it too much, I left it alone.

1st four baguettes done, two more still baking

Have a bowl of water sitting on the side, to dip your pastry scraper in. Using this tool, cut the dough in half, and cut each of these pieces in thirds. Flip two baking sheets over and line them with parchment paper covered in semolina flour. Take 3 pieces of dough and put them on the baking sheets, stretching from the ends when you do this so they are the length of the pan. The dough will be very elastic and stretch easily. Let rest 5 minutes, then stretch out again if necessary. Score the dough diagonally if you choose, but this will be difficult since the dough is so sticky.

While the dough is resting preheat the oven to 500 F, with 1 rack in the bottom with a baking stone and 1 rack near the top with a cast iron pan for steaming. If you don't have a baking stone you can bake directly on the sheet. When you transfer to the baking stone, keep the bread on the parchment paper. Have a misting spray bottle with water handy, and 1 cup of boiled water ready to pour into the cast iron pan.

When the oven is ready, put the breads on the stone, pour the water into the cast iron pan and close the door. After 30 seconds mist the oven walls and close the door. Repeat 2 more times at 30 second intervals. After the 3rd spray, lower the oven to 450 F and remove the steam pan. Since these breads are small, they will only take about 8-15 more minutes to bake. They are done when they are golden brown on top.

Immediately transfer to a cooling rack, bake the rest of the dough if it didn't fit, and serve after 30 minutes of cooling.

Detail of the huge air pockets in the dough; it had a great texture and crust.