Long and mouth-watering golden baguettes with a crispy crust and porous flesh are a famous specialty of French cuisine. A glass of wine, a baguette, a bunch of grapes and a few soft cheeses such as brie or camembert, you have a simple yet sophisticated French-style dinner ready.
What products are needed for a baguette
Surprisingly, a soft and aromatic baguette is obtained from a minimum of the simplest products. All you need is flour, salt, yeast and water, but in strictly verified proportions. An experienced chef knows how to stop at the moment when the latter is already enough for the test. For bakers with no intuition developed over the years, remember that in summer and in humid environments, you need less water than in winter or dry climates. To bake three standard sixteen inch (forty centimeter) baguettes, you will need for dough:
- ½ glass or 110 ml of cool water;
- 1/16 teaspoon active dry yeast:
- 1 cup or 120 grams of unbleached wheat flour.
For the test:
- 1 teaspoon of active dry yeast;
- 1 glass or 220 ml of warm water;
- 1 ½ teaspoon of finely ground salt;
- 3 ½ cups or 420 grams of unbleached wheat flour.
How to put dough and knead the dough
Mix yeast with water, add flour and knead to a soft dough. Cover the container with a lid and leave for 12-14 hours at room temperature. The dough should rise and bubble. Sometimes this does not happen because the yeast is expired or was stored under improper conditions. To avoid disappointment when the time has already been lost, perform a simple test - dissolve ¼ teaspoon of yeast in a tablespoon of warm water and add a pinch of sugar if after 15 minutes the solution is not began to foam, it is worth replacing the yeast.
Combine the dough with flour, salt, water and leftover yeast. Knead a soft, smooth, firm dough. If you are kneading dough in a food processor, use the paddle attachment and knead for 5 minutes at medium speed. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp linen towel and leave for 3 hours, kneading every hour.
How to mold and bake baguettes
Place the finished dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide into three equal parts, form each part into a slightly flattened oval, cover with cling film and leave under greased cling film for 15 minutes.
Take one piece of dough at a time, fold it in half, press down lightly with the back of your hand to seal the edges and fold it in half again, then press down on the edges again. Lay the dough seam side down and gently stretch the dough into a roll 35-37 centimeters long. Place each piece on a greased or thick baking sheet lined with baking paper. Cover with oiled wrap and let sit for 1 ½ hour.
Preheat oven to 220C. Place a container of water inside it. Using a very sharp knife, make oblique cuts at a 45 ° angle on the baguette blanks. Bake the baguettes for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
