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1
Combine flour, water, salt, and yeast (or levain) in a large bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains, then knead on an unfloured surface until the dough is smooth, extensible, and pulls cleanly from the bench — the surface should feel silky and spring back slowly when pressed.
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2
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and allow bulk fermentation at room temperature until the dough is noticeably increased in volume and feels airy when gently handled.
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3
Turn the dough out, divide if necessary, and shape into a single baguette or bâtard of 350–400 g, elongating it slightly longer than a standard baguette to allow for the lateral spread of the segments during cutting. The surface should be taut and the seam pinched closed beneath.
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4
Transfer the shaped piece seam-side down onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. This is where the épi lives or dies: take sharp kitchen scissors, hold them at a 45° angle to the dough surface, and make a series of deep cuts spaced 5–6 cm apart along the entire length of the loaf — cutting nearly through the dough each time but leaving a hinge at the base so no segment detaches. As each cut is completed, push the freed segment alternately left then right to create the characteristic zigzag wheat-stalk pattern. Each cut must be made with a single decisive movement; hesitation, or scissors that are not sharp, will compress the dough rather than cut it, destroying the definition of the segments. Dip the scissors in water between each cut to prevent sticking.
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5
Proof on the sheet pan, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes only. The segments should hold their distinct form and show no sign of merging back together; over-proofing at this stage will cause the cut faces to close.
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6
Bake at 240–250 °C with steam for the first 10–12 minutes — introduce steam immediately on loading. The dough will oven-spring vigorously and the segments will fan apart. The crust should remain pale and uncaught at this stage.
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7
Remove steam (open the oven door briefly, or switch off the steam source) and continue baking in dry heat for a further 8–10 minutes. The épi is done when the segments are golden throughout, the tips are deeply caramelised and crisp, and the loaf sounds hollow when the underside is tapped.