At a glance
This rustic bread dough comes together with just a handful of ingredients, but the real magic happens during an overnight cold fermentation in the fridge—this slow rise develops the bread's distinctive flavor and gorgeous caramelized crust. After a second rise at room temperature the next day, you'll shape the slack dough into rustic baguettes and bake them with steam for that perfect crackling exterior.
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Tip: prepare the night before
The dough needs a long rise in the fridge. This allows the complex sugars in the flour to break down into simple sugars. It's this slow fermentation that gives the bread its distinctive flavor and caramelizes the crust.
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Mix the dough
Pour the flour into a bowl, add cold water, and mix thoroughly for about a minute. If you're feeling lazy, use a good stand mixer; if you fancy a workout, dive in by hand.
For this step
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Knead
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then get back to kneading, and with some real energy this time. I'll admit I was the lazy one who used the dough hook on my stand mixer. I let it run for about 5 minutes.
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