| Put in the mixer bowl 350 ml water and 12 g coarse salt, add 100 g leaven, mix, then add 500 g plain white flour (French Type 65) and 10 g yeast. |  |
| Knead for 5 minutes at minimum speed, then 5 minutes more on speed 1. You will obtain a rather runny and very sticky dough (the bakers say a "soft" dough), which is normal. |  |
| Pour, if possible, this dough into a square or rectangular container, cover with a plastic sheet and leave at room temperature for 10 minutes. |  |
| Work the dough by stretching and folding, i.e.: With a dough-knife or a spatula (it's much easier with a dough-knife), lift the dough from underneath to stretch it ... |  |
| ... and fold it back over on itself. |  |
| Give ½ turn to the container and repeat the operation: raise, stretch... |  |
| ... and fold back. Continue until you have made a full rotation with the container and completely folded the dough back on itself. Tip the dough into the floured container, cover with a plastic sheet and leave to rest 20 minutes. This operation of working + resting, must be done 3 times. The gesture of the turn is rather difficult to describe, so you can watch it in this short video on the right. |  |
| The working and 20 minutes resting should be done 3 times. This succession of "rabats" will modify the structure of the dough which will change from the initial "dreadfully sticky soup" to a dough which holds its shape. Cover with a plastic sheet and leave to rise at room temperature for 1 hour. |  |
| At the end of this time, the dough must be worked again. |  |
| Tip it onto the work surface, and give it a turn, i.e.: Stretch it lengthways, and fold over into three on itself. Give ¼ turn to the dough, and repeat the operation. The gesture of the turn is rather difficult to describe, so you can watch it in this short video on the right. |  |
| Put dough back into floured container, cover with a plastic sheet and leave to rest 20 minutes. This operation, turn + rest, must be done 3 times. Eventually you should get a nicely risen plump "pillow" of dough. |  |
| After the final resting, tip the dough onto the work surface, and cut into 4 equal pieces. |  |
| Shape each piece into a ball. |  |
| Place the 4 balls on a baking sheet, cover it with a plastic sheet and leave to rest 20 minutes. |  |
| At the end of this time, place a ball of dough in front of you, flatten it a little with your hand. |  |
| Roll it up on itself firmly, to transform the ball into long "sausage". |  |
| Form the baguette by rolling with hands. You need to try to make a "W" with your hands, as you move them apart. This action is rather difficult to describe, so you can watch it in this short video on the right. |  |
| Place the shaped baguette in the mould. |  |
| Do this with all the dough, cover with a plastic sheet and leave to rest 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 240°C or 464°F. |  |
| If you like, dust the top of the baguette with a little flour, score on top, and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. |  |
| Remove from the oven as soon as the baguettes are beautifully coloured. |  |
| You will really appreciate the very light crumb and the crunch of the crust... |  |
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