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French Baguette
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French Baguette Ingredients: | |
1 scant TBSP | active dry yeast, (1 pack) |
1/4 cup | warm water, (105-110 F) |
1 pinch | sugar |
drop | honey, alternative |
1 cup | room temp water |
3 - 3 1/2 cups | all purpose flour |
2 tsp. | salt |
Wash: | |
2 TBSP | cold water, 1/2 tsp. salt or 1 egg mixed with 1 TBSP water |
1. Mix yeast and sugar in warm water until dissolved and set aside 5-10 minutes until foamy.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups of flour and make a well in the middle of it. Add the cup of water and begin to incorporate the flour with a sturdy wooden spoon. Add the yeast mixture after it becomes foamy and continue to stir in the flour.
3. Add 2 tsp. of salt to 1/2 cup of remaining flour and stir it in to the dough. Add just enough remaining flour until dough begins to be solid enough to knead.
4. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of remaining flour on a work surface and spread it out to a thin layer. Place the dough in the middle of your surface and begin to knead until dough is smooth. At this point, incorporate only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your work surface. To test if gluten has has been properly developed, pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a quarter. Begin to gently stretch it in all directions and it should form a paper thin membrane (windowpane) allowing light to pass through without tearing. This is referred to as the windowpane test. If it tears quickly, continue to knead by hand for 1-2 minutes until it can pass the windowpane test. Note: you may not need to add all the flour if the kitchen climate is cold and or dry
5. Oil a large bowl or bucket, place the dough in, and turn it so it becomes coated on all sides. Cover with oiled plastic wrap or loosely fitting lid, move to a warm place near 80 F and let dough rise till doubled. ( approx. 1 hour 30 minutes. )
6. Gently punch down dough and place on lightly floured work surface. Lightly knead dough for a few seconds to rid it of excess air bubbles. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces and shape both into balls, cover with oiled wrap and let rest 10 minutes. Shape each dough ball into a rectangle and roll to 10 x 5 inches each. Starting with the long side at the bottom, roll up into a cigar shape and pinch the seam tightly, tucking the ends under.
7. Place loaves seam side down on a baking sheet lightly dusted with corn meal or lined with parchment paper. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and set aside to rise in a warm place until nearly doubled (approx. 30-45 minutes)
Preheat oven to 500 F while loaves are rising.
If using a baking stone: moderately dust a large baker's peel with corn meal or cover it with parchment paper. Place loaves seam side down on the peel and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Set aside to rise in a warm place until nearly doubled (approx. 30-45 minutes) Place a baking stone in the oven on the lower middle rack and then preheat oven to 500 F while loaves are rising.
8. Carefully remove plastic wrap from loaves so they wont deflate, brush loaves gently with cold water salt wash or egg wash. Make 5-7 diagonal slashes on top of loaves no deeper than 1/4 inch.
Standard Baking: Place sheet pan with loaves in oven and close door. Turn heat down to 400 F, bake for 10 minutes, and use a clean squirt bottle to mist loaves and sides of oven with water to create steam. Take care not to mist heating element or oven light. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes until golden brown. You may need to rotate the pan half way through the bake cycle to expose the loaves evenly to the different temperature hot spots in your oven.
Hearth Baking: Use the baker's peel to slide loaves directly on the stone and close oven door. DO NOT SPRAY WITH WATER-SUDDEN TEMPERATURE CHANGE MAY CRACK THE STONE! Turn heat down to 400 F and bake for 15 minutes. You may need to use peel and rotate loaves to expose them evenly to the different temperature hot spots in your oven. Bake additional 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
9. Turn loaves over and tap on the bottom, a hollow thud means it is done, if no thud place it back in oven for 5 minutes or so until done. Remove sheet pan from oven and loaves from pan, or use peel to remove loaves from baking stone and place on wire cooling racks for at least 10-15 minutes. Do not slice baguettes while hot or bread will be soggy where you cut it.
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