Pre-Shaping a Baguette

Place a portion of dough on a lightly floured work surface. Gently manipulate it into a rectangular shape, with the longer section facing side to side. Pat the dough gently. With the fingers of both hands, lift about 2 in [5 cm] of the dough farthest away from you, press it gently downward into the rest of the dough, and push it gently away from you. Don’t let your piece of dough grow longer. Repeat this process a second time. Spin your piece of dough 180 degrees and repeat. At this point, you should have a nice log-shaped piece of dough with a seam running the length of the dough. Flip it over and place it seam side down. Cover it with plastic and allow it to relax for the prescribed amount of time.