5th try at Baguette

This is my fifth try.

I think I am at the stage where I can document my steps. Baking a baguette apparently cannot follow recipe completely. A lot depends on the bread you have, the type and idiosyncracies of the oven, and even possibly the humidity.

Lots of patience is needed.

1. You want at least 65 to 70% hydration. This means the ratio of the weight of water to the weight of the flour. In my case, I used about 325g of water to 500 g of bread flour.
2. Use a bit more salt than you think you need. I use about 2 tsp salt.
3. To start, in a metal container, put in lukewarm water, 2tsp salt and 2.5 tsp instant yeast. In a previous iteration I also put in a several drops of olive oil and honey. Mix well for 30 seconds or so.
4. Pour in the flour and stir until well incorporated. Then flour your hands and shape the dough. The rest must be slightly wet and sticky. If you still see flakes of flour, wet your hands at the tap and transfer to the dough. Repeat until you get fairly smooth and wet and sticky dough.
5. Rest for 10 mins. Then gently (!) fold the dough a few times (like a hanky). One way is to simply lift a corner and the dough lifts away, and you can fold it in. Turn the dough around and put the seam side down. Rest 10 mins and repeat (total of 4 times).
6. Always be gentle with the dough so as not to disturb the internals (you are trying for holes or "crumb").
7. Put the dough in the fridge in a lightly oiled container and cover for 2 to 4 days. (4 days is best).
8.  Take out dough and let it gradually warm (3 hrs or so). Tip it out to a surface.
9. Once again, fold it in a few times, and let it rest 1 hour. It will expand again!
10. Repeat once or twice more (depending on the time you have).
11. On the last fold, start shaping your baguette (500 g will make 2 pretty large baguettes or 3-4 smaller ones) into batons. Let it rest for 1 hour again. The baguette will lose its shape a little and flatten out. You can gently pull it and shape it a little during this time. (some web pages I have seen use towels run up into troughs to put the baguettes in to help them hold the shape - gotta try it sometime).
12. 30-45 mins before baking, heat the oven to max (mine's at 250C). Put a large tray of water at the bottom of the oven.
13. Just before baking, slit the baguette with parallel slits sideways about 2-3 cm deep. Spray water on the silpat - lots of water. Small pools of the water is ok.
14. Open the oven door (Careful of the steam!) and quickly insert the baguettes.
15. Set timer for 25 mins. Do not open the oven door for any reason.
16. At 25 mins, take out the tray, turn on the top oven broiler. Turn the baguettes upside down and put it back in the oven to grill the bottoms of baguettes until browned (abt a minute or two on mine).
17. Cool baguettes in open air. Then you can store it (or eat it!).

This is the result tonight. Crossing my fingers that when I slice tomorrow, the inside will be good with holes.

Here's the cut

Semi achieved my large crumb. Taste is good.

I have a further problem. When kept overnight, the bread crust isn't crisp on its own. To restore the "crustiness" you have to put it back in the oven. Obviously I can't do this and pack lunch.  It may be I just have to bake it fresh on the actual day of consumption - a bit of a bother. 

I just put some in the fridge. I'm going to try to restore it and see how it tastes.