Thanks, Melissa. My Hearth Baker is my favorite baking vessel and I use it frequently. I use pre-cut parchment paper from challenger Breadware which fits perfectly in the Hearth Baker. I plan on trying your Demi Baguettes soon as I love the flavor of Yecora Rojo flour.
Richard
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So, gave it a try and ended up working out very well, dough nearly doubled the day before and in the fridge it went. took it out at 8am in the morning and shaped after about 2 hours, let sit again for 90min and baked it - turned out perfect! thanks for confirming!
That’s great to hear!
I made this using 20% Rouge de Bordeaux instead of the Yecora Rojo. Flavor and interior texture are great but my crust isn’t right. I bake on a baking stone with a cast iron pan for steaming underneath. The oven was well-steamed, both right before putting the loaves in, as well as an additional shot right after. Baked at 500F for 15 min followed by a 10 minute sit inside the hot, turned-off oven with the door propped open. The crust is neither crisp enough nor thick enough.
Any suggestions?
Thin and not crispy actually sounds like it could be too much steam. I would try the drip pan or only 1 cup water just when you load the dough – see if the crust is more to your liking.
Another thought: are you using a couche for the final proof? Make sure it’s well floured and almost dries the baguettes a bit.
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OK! I’ll give it another go.
Yes I did use a couche. I suppose it was well-floured. I will say that the dough itself was very soft and I found it difficult to develop a good surface like I would in forming a boule.
I’ll try again with less steam 
It sounds like you could drop the water amount in the dough by a bit also. Yecora rojo is a bit stronger than rouge de bordeaux.
Lower protein makes for less cohesive dough feel, which can be remedied a bit by less water.
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Thanks for the advice! I will continue to pursue the perfect baguette.
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Hello. I ordered the hearth baker and I’m looking forward to trying these baguettes. I have a crappy oven and I have concerns about its temperature. I do have an infrared thermometer- Do you know what temp I should target on the hearth baker before I put the bread in? Thank you.
Aim for 500’F and a little over is fine too. My old oven (just got a new one about a month ago) claimed to top out at 500 but sometimes I’d clock the baking vessels at 523 with my infrared thermometer. I put refrigerator-cold dough into them, with a layer of parchment between. No thermal shock has happened. Always lay towels on your countertop or anything room temperature before placing the hot ceramic down.