About this recipe

A bread with long cold fermentation (overnight in the fridge), which develops a much richer flavour than one made in a few hours. The dough rests in the fridge — the longer, the better — and the next day you portion, shape into baguettes or ciabatta and bake at high heat with steam.

The stretch and fold technique replaces additional kneading and develops a beautiful gluten structure with no effort. Makes 6 loaves perfect for sandwiches.

Ingredients

1 kg type 650 white flour (plus extra for the counter)
700 ml water (not warm, not cold — at room temperature)
1-1½ tbsp salt (added later, not at the start)
1 tsp sugar (or any sweetener: honey, maple syrup, agave syrup)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 sachet dried yeast (7 g) or 20-25 g fresh yeast

About the water: filtered water makes a difference. Tap water contains chlorine which slows down yeast activity and affects the taste. If you don't have filtered water, leave it in an open jug for 30 minutes so some of the chlorine evaporates.

Method

1. Put all ingredients in the mixer (2 min)

Place the flour, sugar, yeast, olive oil and room-temperature water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Don't add the salt yet — that comes later.

Run the mixer with the dough hook on low speed for a few seconds, so all the ingredients distribute evenly.

2. Knead with the mixer (10 min)

Set the mixer to speed 2 of 4 (low-medium) and knead the dough for 10 minutes, until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and becomes smooth and elastic.

3. First rest (1 hour)

Cover the bowl with a clean and damp tea towel or cling film and leave for 1 hour at room temperature.

4. Add the salt and knead more (5 min)

After the rest, add the salt to the dough and start the mixer again, also at speed 2 of 4, for another 5 minutes. The salt will incorporate evenly and the dough will become more elastic.

Why salt later? Adding the salt after the first rest (a technique called "autolyse") allows the gluten to develop better at the start, without the salt inhibiting it. The result: a stronger dough and a bread with better structure.

5. Stretch and fold (2 hours — 4 cycles every 30 minutes)

Transfer the dough to a larger container, ideally a rectangular glass bowl with a lid. Cover.

Every 30 minutes, do one stretch and fold cycle:

Wet your hands (so the dough doesn't stick)
Grab the edge of the dough with your hand, gently stretch it up and fold it over the centre
Turn the bowl 90° and repeat
Continue until you've done all 4 sides
Cover the bowl again

Repeat the process 4 times (at 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes). After each cycle, the dough becomes more elastic, more aerated and easier to handle.

Wet hands: for any handling of this dough (including stretch and fold), wet your hands with cold water. The dough will not stick to your fingers anymore.

6. Long cold fermentation (minimum overnight)

Cover the bowl tightly and place it in the fridge. Leave at least overnight (8-12 hours), but the longer it stays, the better the bread. You can leave it up to 48-72 hours.

During this time, the yeast works slowly in the cold, and the dough develops a complex, slightly tangy flavour, similar to sourdough.

7. Portion (5 min)

The next day (or when you're ready to bake), take the dough out of the fridge. Turn it out onto a well-floured counter (don't be stingy with the flour — the dough is soft and sticky when cold).

Portion the dough into 6 equal pieces with a knife or a dough scraper. Each piece will become a sandwich loaf.

8. Let the pieces warm up (1-2 hours)

Arrange the pieces on the floured counter, spaced apart. Cover them with a large upturned bowl or a clean and damp tea towel. Leave 1-2 hours at room temperature, to warm up and relax. Cold dough is too firm and tears when stretched directly.

9. Shape (10 min)

Put plenty of flour on the counter. Take a piece of dough and roll it gently with your palms to flatten it into a first elongated cylindrical shape.

Then apply the baguette seaming technique:

Stretch the dough with your palms into an elongated rectangle (~25 cm long)
Fold the top third over the centre, pressing along the seam with your fingers to seal it
Fold the bottom third over the centre, pressing the seam again
Now fold the whole strip in half lengthwise, sealing the final seam with the edge of your palm
Roll the resulting cylinder under your palms, pressing lightly from the centre outwards, to lengthen it and form pointed ends (baguette) or leave it thicker and shorter (ciabatta)

It will take some practice — the first 1-2 attempts will be imperfect, but after 3-4 pieces you get the technique.

10. Score and prepare for the oven (5 min)

Place the shaped pieces on a tray lined with parchment paper, seam side down. Score each loaf 3 times along the length, with a very sharp knife or a blade, about 5 mm deep.

Preheat the oven to 250°C with no fan. Place an empty tray on the bottom of the oven — you'll pour hot water into it for steam.

11. Bake with steam (20-21 min)

When the oven is fully preheated, put the tray with bread on the middle level. Immediately throw a cup of boiling water on the bottom of the oven (in the empty tray or directly on the floor).

Bake for 20-21 minutes, until the loaves are deep golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Watch out for gas ovens: the water trick works best with electric ovens. In gas ovens, water evaporates unevenly and not always efficiently. Alternative: spray the loaves directly with water using a spray bottle before putting them in the oven.

12. Cool (15-20 min)

Take the loaves out onto a wire rack and let them cool at least 15-20 minutes before slicing. Cutting into too-warm bread crushes the crumb.

Notes & Tips

Why long cold fermentation

Slow fermentation in the fridge does wonders for flavour. The yeast works slowly, but the enzymes in the flour have time to break down starch into simple sugars, and the dough produces organic acids that give the characteristic, slightly tangy taste. The result: a much more flavourful bread than one made in a few hours.

Stretch and fold vs long kneading

The stretch and fold technique develops gluten structure without heating the dough through prolonged kneading. The dough stays cool, fermentation proceeds more evenly, and the crumb comes out more open with beautiful, irregular "holes" — exactly what we look for in baguettes and ciabatta.

Highly hydrated dough — wet hands are your friend

This dough has high hydration (70%), which means it's soft and sticky. For any handling — stretch and fold, portioning, shaping — wet your hands well with cold water. The dough slides off wet skin instead of sticking. Never add flour into the dough to stop it sticking — you change the ratio and lose the texture.

Steam — the secret to a good crust

The steam in the first minutes keeps the surface of the bread moist, which allows maximum expansion before the crust forms. Result: a larger loaf with a golden, crisp crust and an open crumb. Water on the floor of an electric oven is the simplest method at home.

Storing the bread

Fresh bread keeps for 2 days in a paper bag or wrapped in a clean cotton tea towel, at room temperature. Don't keep it in the fridge — refrigeration speeds up staling.

For longer storage, freeze it immediately after it has cooled, in a zip-top bag. Defrost at room temperature or directly in the oven, 5-7 minutes at 180°C.