Easy Overnight Baguettes

On a whim, I decided to see if I could bulk ferment baguette dough in the fridge overnight and have it come out perfectly fermented for shaping in the morning. Well, I think I came pretty close honestly!

Recipe is below for two 180g baguettes:

KA Bread Flour........220g

Lukewarm Water.....143

Instant Yeast...........2g

Salt.........................4g

Method:

9pm - Mixed all ingredients and kneaded by hand for one minute until there was some gluten development. Moved to the fridge for bulk fermentation.

6am - Removed from fridge and onto a floured counter. Divided in two and pre-shaped into slightly oblong shapes. Bench rested for 10 minutes.

6:10 - Shaped baguettes on the counter. Note that baguette shaping is not my strong suit yet. Proofed for an hour, covered.

7:10 - Baked on a baking steel with steam in a tray on the bottom rack of the oven at 500dF. 15min with steam and 5min without steam.

The crumb was slightly tight but a little bit lacy. I like a slightly more open crumb but I can work with this.

The taste was pretty great, but maybe just slightly yeasty. When I try this again I will attempt taking it down to 1g of instant yeast and maybe having a slightly longer proofing time at room temperature after the shaping to compensate.

If anyone has hints to reduce the yeasty flavor in some yeasted breads, please let me know what you think.