⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (95 grams) water, room temperature (70°F/21°C)
⅛ teaspoon instant yeast
Dough:
1⅓ cups (169 grams) bread flour
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (95 grams) cool water (60°F/16°C)
1¼ teaspoons (3.75 grams) kosher salt
¾ teaspoon (2.25 grams) instant yeast
Instructions
For poolish: In a medium bowl, combine flour, ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (95 grams) room temperature water, and yeast. Using your hand, stir until well combined and no dry spots remain, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let stand at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours. (Mixture should be ripe and bubbly.)
For dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine poolish, flour, ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (95 grams) cool water, salt, and yeast. Beat at low speed just until dough comes together, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. (Dough may still look shaggy.) Switch to the dough hook attachment; beat at low speed until elastic, about 2 minutes. (Dough will not be smooth at this point.)
Spray a medium glass bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until dough is soft and smooth, 2 hours, folding gently every 30 minutes. (To complete a folding sequence, grab underside of dough, stretch it upward, and gently press into center of dough, repeating this motion 3 more times around bowl.) After fourth and final folding sequence, let dough stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
Turn out dough onto a very lightly floured surface; divide dough into 3 portions (about 147 grams each). Working with 1 portion at a time, use your fingertips to gently press dough into a 5x2¾-inch rectangle, about 1 inch thick; place dough horizontally on counter. Take top edge of dough, and gently stretch and fold top third toward center, sealing with your thumbs; take bottom edge of dough, and gently stretch and fold over first fold to top of dough, sealing with your thumbs. Roll dough portion over so seam side is down. Set aside, and cover with a greased sheet of plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining 2 portions of dough. Let dough stand for 15 minutes after shaping.
Spray a (16x9-inch) 3-well French baguette pan with cooking spray. (While this pan will lend the best results, you can also use a shallow baking pan or rimmed baking sheet.)
Work with 1 portion at a time, keeping other portions covered. Only lightly flouring surface as needed, gently shape dough into a 61/2x21/2-inch rectangle; place portion horizontally on counter. Take top edge of dough, and gently stretch and fold top third toward center, pressing to seal. Take bottom edge of dough, and gently stretch and fold bottom third of dough to meet first fold in center, sealing with your thumbs. Moving from left end to right end, use your right thumb to depress along center of dough while folding dough horizontally in half along seam; use the side of your left thumb to firmly seal edges together. Roll and shape dough as needed into an evenly thick 111/2- inch log with tapered ends. Place baguette, seam side down, on prepared pan, covering with a sheet of greased plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough.
Place 1 tray on lower level of SHARP SuperSteam+TM Built-In Wall Oven (SSC2489DS); set to Manual/Steam Proof/100°F. Place baguette pan on top of tray in oven; set SHARP SuperSteam+TM Built-In Wall Oven (SSC2489DS) to 10 minutes/Start. Proof baguettes for 10 minutes.
Remove baguette pan from oven. Set SHARP SuperSteam+TM Built-In Wall Oven (SSC2489DS) to Manual/Steam Bake/Breads/425°F/20 minutes/Start.
Cover baguettes with a greased sheet of plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until puffed and nearly doubled in size, 8 to 16 minutes. Remove plastic wrap; using a lame or a very sharp paring knife, score bread with 6 long diagonal cuts. Place baguette pan on top of tray in preheated oven. Press Start.
Bake for 20 minutes until baguettes are golden brown and crusty. Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving or storing.
Recipe by Bake from Scratch at https://staging.bakefromscratch.com/french-demi-baguettes/