Pate Fermentee Baguettes from BBA

I gave the Pate Fermentee French Bread from BBA a shot. Overall, I think they turned out pretty well. Baguettes have been my white whale, and these were far and away the best ones I've ever shaped. The crumb is a bit tighter than I'd like, but they taste great anyway. Crispy crust, creamy crumb color. I differed from Reinhart's method only in that I kept the initial kneading to a minimum, did two S+Fs, and used a different steaming method (the one with the kitchen towels).

The hydration came through at around 67-68%. I think that I could have improved on the crumb through some more thorough mixing to incorporate the pate fermentee into the final dough better and also adding another S+F. I'm utter crap at shaping high-hydration doughs, so I'm hesitant to add too much more water.