Forming the Baguette:

10. Gently pick up your loaf and roll it into the baguette pan so the seam side is down. Take a sharp knife and gently cut slits into the dough. Cut in about 1 ⁄ 8 inch. (photo D)

11. Do the same process with the remaining cut dough.

12. Cover and place in a warm spot. Let rise until just under double, about 45 to 90 minutes. You want the dough to be almost double the starting size. (photo E)

13. Place an aluminum or metal pie pan on the bottom of your oven (DO NOT USE A GLASS PIE PAN!) Adjust 2 oven racks, so one is close to the bottom of the oven and one about 5 inches from the top of your oven. Heat oven to 425° F. If your oven has a convection setting, turn this on.

14. when the oven is hot, carefully place 4 to 5 ice cubes into the aluminum pie pan. (You are adding moister in your oven while baking.)

15. When your dough has resin, fill a clean spray bottle with water and mist the loaves until they are shiny. Place the loves on the bottom rack of your oven.

16. Bake for 5 minutes, then spray the loaves with water in the oven; BE CAREFUL NOT TO SPRAY YOUR OVEN LIGHT. Bake for another 5 minutes.

17. Move your loaves to the top rack and back until loaves are a dark golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, 8 to 12 minutes.

18. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Place loaves in a paper bag when completely cool. Or, because sourdough loaves get stale quickly. Place cooled loves in a plastic bag and immediately freeze any loaf you will not eat right away.

Why I Bake – I started my baking obsession in the ‘80s, trying to make the perfect sourdough bread. I chose sourdough because I love the crunchy pull of the crust and the remarkable softness inside. I’ve attempted to perfect my skills with other bread, cookies, pies, granola, and now wheat-free. During this period, I’ve shared my experiments with recipes and baking techniques with family and friends, asking for their opinions. Some of my family now needs to be wheat-free, so I’ve dived into learning the techniques for using wheat-free flour. I’ve adjusted some favorite recipes and my family can’t believe they are baked without wheat flour. — Scott Rowley • edwardskitchen.com

Scott Rowley