This Baguette Dough Was a Sticky Mess — Did It Still Work?

An hour in, I thought this recipe was a disaster. The dough felt wrong, the timing felt impossible. What fixed it had nothing to do with the dough — it was when I scored. This is Daniel Leader's "Everyday Parisian Baguettes" from "Local Breads." Online people call it "the three-hour baguette." The author says three and a half to four. I tested honestly: 75% hydration, no shortcuts, real timing from mix to oven. 0:01 — An hour in, I almost gave up 0:21 — Why I'm testing this recipe 0:46 — Mixing — 75% hydration up close 2:34 — First fold (the dough pulls the bowl) 3:14 — Shaping wet dough — gentle hands 4:52 — Why I couldn't score before the oven 5:46 — The bake 6:30 — The fix — scoring 5 minutes in Makes 3 baguettes. Ingredients: 415 g bread flour 350 g water (75% hydration) 3 g instant dry yeast — or 9 g fresh yeast 9 g fine salt Method: Step 1 — Autolyse-style rest Mix flour, water and yeast in a bowl until no dry flour remains. Do not add salt yet. Cover and rest 20 minutes. The dough will look very wet and shaggy. That's normal at 75%. Step 2 — Knead Add the salt. Knead with a hand mixer (dough hook) for 8 minutes. By hand, 10–12 minutes. The dough will become smoother but still sticky — it will not clean the sides of the bowl. That's still normal. Step 3 — First rest Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover. Rest 45 minutes. The dough should roughly double. Step 4 — Stretch and fold One set of stretch and folds in the bowl. The dough will be so wet it pulls the bowl with it — that's the recipe, not a mistake. Step 5 — Second rest Cover and rest another 45 minutes. Step 6 — Shape Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Divide into 3 with a bench scraper. Shape each piece into a baguette gently — try not to crush the air bubbles. This is the wettest dough I have ever shaped. If you are new to baking and don't know it's supposed to be this wet, you'll be tempted to add more flour. Don't. Step 7 — Final proof Place the baguettes on a floured couche or parchment, supported so they hold their shape. Proof 40 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 240°C / 465°F with a baking stone or steel and an empty tray on the bottom for steam. Step 8 — Bake, part one Load the baguettes into the oven. Throw ice cubes onto the hot tray for steam. Do not score yet — the dough is too wet, the blade will tear it. Bake 5 minutes. Step 9 — Score and continue Open the oven. Score 3 or 4 diagonal cuts on each baguette with a sharp blade. The crust has just set enough to take the cuts cleanly. Close the oven, bake 5 more minutes with steam. Step 10 — Finish Remove the steam tray. Bake another 15 minutes at 240°C / 465°F until deep golden and the crust crackles when pressed. Step 11 — Cool Rest on a rack at least 20 minutes before cutting. Total time: about 3 hours 20 minutes from first mix to oven out. The fix: scoring 5 minutes into the bake instead of before. On my first attempt I tried to score the wet dough before the oven — the blade tore it, scissors didn't work either. The bread came out fine but the cuts were ugly. Second bake, I scored after 5 minutes of steam — open ears, clean cuts, much better crust. Watch next in Baguette Month: Sourdough Baguettes