Cold-Risen Baguette with Poolish

I have a dozen recipes for baguettes, depending on exactly I want to use them for. This one is a bit unusual it that it contains white spelt and dark rye flour, both usually available at good grocery stores or health food stores. It gives these a more hearty flavour ideally suited to hard cheeses, eating with stews or soups, et cetera- a more Northern European flair. The name is a bit funny, but my German isn't quite good enough to give a more accurate translation. Basically, this baguette takes two steps- making the poolish and letting it rise in a cold environment. 

  The poolish and long cold rise also adds flavour, so what you're left with is the polar opposite of the bland quick-made baguettes usually sold at grocery stores. It's a bit sour, a bit malty, and very complex, definitely not what you'd expect from a baguette. The only real challenge is planning ahead and starting the poolish the morning before the day you want to bake the baguettes. 

This recipe makes two very big baguettes, but considering the size of the average oven, you'll probably want to make four smaller ones. You can halve the recipe easily to end up with only two, but since bread freezes so well, you can always keep a couple for another day. The crumb is dense enough to hold up well against different fillings, and the use of poolish helps keep these baguettes from going stale far longer than a plain white one. My recommendation is to serve it in thin slices with sharp gouda and tomato to make lots of mini open-faced sandwiches- my favourite way to eat a baguette. 

Cold-Risen Baguette with Poolish
From Chefkoch

450 g. T65/ French-style flour (or AP flour)
450 g. White spelt flour
100 g. Dark rye flour
700 g. Water, cold
20 g. Salt
15 g. Diastatic Malt powder
20 g. Fresh yeast, or 7 g. Active dry yeast

For the poolish, mix 150 g. of the wheat and spelt flour with 30 g. rye flour. Add 330 g. of the water and 5 g. of the yeast (or 2 g. if it's dry yeast). Let rise at room temperature 12 hours.

Add the remaining ingredients and knead well, for about 20 minutes or until elastic. (If using fresh yeast, dissolve in the water first.)

Let rest 30 minutes. Fold the dough once and let rise in the fridge for 12 hours. 

Allow to come to room temperature for 1 1/2 hours. Form baguettes and let rise 1 hour.

Bake at 240℃ for 25-30 minutes.