Vegan sourdough baguette

Vegan sourdough baguette with liquid sourdough starter, baguette flour and sea salt: a crisp crust, an open crumb and a long fermentation for lots of flavour.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 400 min
• Cooking time: 25 min
• Total time: 425 min
• Calories: 280 kcal per serving
• Protein: 9 g
• Fat: 1 g
• Carbs: 56 g

Ingredients

• 80 g liquid sourdough starter
• 500 g baguette flour
• 360 g water
• 11 g sea salt

Method

You’ll need: oven · baking tray · chopping board · knife · mixing bowl

1. Roughly mix the water and baguette flour in a large bowl and leave to rest for 30–60 min so the flour can absorb the water.
2. Work in the sourdough starter and sea salt and knead the dough with wet hands until smooth and elastic.
3. Stretch and fold the dough over several rounds. Then cover it and leave it to ferment in the fridge until it has developed noticeably more flavour.
4. Turn the chilled dough out onto a floured work surface, divide it and carefully shape it into baguettes so the gas stays in the dough. Leave them to prove at room temperature for 45–60 min.
5. Preheat the oven with a baking steel or heavy baking tray to 240 °C (220 °C fan) and get ready to create steam. Score the loaves and bake for 20–25 min, releasing the steam after the first 10 min of baking so the crust can crisp up.
6. Leave the baguette to cool before slicing, and serve it plain, with olive oil or with a soup.

Good to know

A good baguette mainly needs time and patience. You can taste that here: a robust crust, a moist crumb and an honest smell from the oven.

Swaps

Baguette flour → plain flour (similar baking properties). Baguette flour → spelt flour (also provides minerals). Part of the baguette flour → wholemeal flour (also provides fibre). Sea salt → rock salt (comparable function in the dough).

Allergens

Contains gluten from wheat, so it's unsuitable for people with coeliac disease; for children and in pregnancy, it's usually fine as a fully baked bread.

Frequently asked questions

What's in baguette flour, nutritionally?

Baguette flour mainly provides starch, plus some plant protein and, depending on the type of flour, small amounts of B vitamins and minerals such as iron and magnesium. Paler flour usually contains less of these than flour with a higher extraction rate.

Does sourdough change what's in the bread?

Yes – fermentation produces organic acids and aroma compounds. Some flour components can also be broken down, which changes the composition of the dough slightly.

Sourdough or yeast – which suits a sensitive stomach better?

Some people find long-fermented sourdough more pleasant. But that's not a fixed rule, because how well bread agrees with you depends a lot on your personal sensitivity, the proving time and the flour.

What role does sea salt play in this recipe?

Sea salt mainly provides sodium and, besides flavour, also affects the stability of the dough. Nutritionally, it usually differs only slightly from ordinary salt.

Does the bread contain relevant fibre?

With classic baguette flour, the fibre content is fairly moderate, as it's usually a pale, finely milled flour. If you're after more fibre, swapping in some wholemeal flour would be the obvious option.

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