This week we're headed back to Twin Peaks WA, but for once, not with murder on the mind. Instead, we're focusing on the food: brie and baguette sandwiches, fresh from Paris, furnished by an unhealthy relationship with a younger sibling. Brie and butter on a baguette isn't just a delicious-sounding alliteration - it's a classic French sandwich that actually lives up to the hype. Sometimes a few simple ingredients can come together to create something greater than the sum of their parts, and there are few finer examples than this comforting, indulgent mixture of fat and carbs.
Ingredients
Overnight Poolish Ingredients:
120 g bread flour
Instant yeast
½ cup cool water
Baguette Ingredients:
420 g bread flour
4.5 g instant yeast
12 g kosher salt
270 g warm water
Overnight poolish
Brie
High quality French butter
Method
Baguette Method:
Start by making an overnight poolish by mixing together 120 grams of bread flour, a pinch of instant yeast, and ½ cup (118 g) of cool water. Whisk until no dry lumps remain. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours or up to 18 hours.
In a large bowl, mix and combine 420 grams of bread flour, 4 ½ grams (1.5 tsp) of instant yeast. After quickly whisking together, add in 12 grams (2 tsp) of kosher salt, 270 grams of warm water, and the starter from earlier (overnight poolish). Mix together using a rubber spatula.
Once combined begin kneading by hand until a shaggy dough forms and dump onto an un-floured work surface and continue to knead via the slap and fold method. Repeat for 8-15 minutes or until the dough passes the windowpane test.
Place the dough into a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 1 ½ hour. Halfway through the ferment, lift the dough from the edge and fold it into the center. Repeat this 5-6x making sure to rotate the bowl each time.
After an additional 45 minutes, place the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide it into halves before patting out into a rectangle. Fold in the side closest to oneself and repeat with the other side, then press down vigorously to seal.
Repeat the process of folding down each side into the center, making sure to pat down to seal before rolling out from the center of the dough.
To bake via a baguette loaf pan, place the dough into the loaf pan then inside a proofing bag and then inflate the bag and let rise for 45 minutes.
To bake via couche, place the dough in a large linen cloth that’s been heavily floured and folded into trenches. Let the dough sit and rise under a damp towel for 45 minutes.
Once each method is done proofing, score 5 long diagonal slots on each piece using a razor blade or knife.
If baking on a pizza stone, bake at 450°F for anywhere between 17-20 minutes.
For baking on a baguette pan, bake at 450°F until an internal temperature of 195-205°F and a deep brown crust.
Slice lengthwise into halves and spread high-quality french butter on both sides with a pinch of kosher salt (if butter is unsalted), and a generous stack of sliced brie before topping off with the other slice and enjoy.