The San Francisco Baking Institute, from which I graduated earlier this year, has launched a series of baking videos as a companion to its comprehensive textbook, Advanced Bread and Pastry.
I can’t comment on the series in general as I haven’t seen it, and there is an annual access fee, but one of the free sample videos is on shaping a baguette. It’s worth a look. It explains the process in clear detail, but starts from the point where the dough (about 350 grams) has already been preshaped into a cylinder.
Do this by flattening the dough into a rectangle with the palm of your hand, then rolling up the rectangle tightly into a log shape, sealing it with your fingers as you go. Let it rest for 25 minutes or so before proceeding with the final shaping, shown in the video.
Wishing I had a beautiful loaf of that right now!
hi debbi, the video is broken, is it possible to update it?