Instructions: I find that in order to get the characteristic holes in baguettes the shaped loaves need to be overproofed (by normal loaf standards) and risen to at least 2 1/2 times and preferably 3 times the original volume. And yes, it is easy to really overdo it and get pancake loaves but youve got to give the bread a chance to develop the typical baguette texture. Of course youll be hard pressed to get a loaf as holey as a french commercial baker with his steam-injected hearth ovens running at over 280 C but you can get pretty close. Are you dumping boiling water into a hot roasting pan on the base of the oven just before putting the loaves in? The steam generated is important in the expansion of the crumb. It also helps expansion (and therefore holyness) if you spray water into the loaves slashes just before they go into the oven but the volume of the final proof is the most important factor.

The loaves should be treated gently in the transfer to the oven as they are very fragile when proofed as much as they should be. If youve never used parchment or bake-o-glide to proof loaves on you might consider it for future bakes.

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