Baguettes

Baguette 

Plain, simple and beautiful

This baguettes are really good to look at, and quite simple to make, using cup measures instead of a scale means it feels all a bit chuck it all in, which in my book is great!

Makes 2 baguettes

For the bread:

1 cup of water

2 and 1/2 cups of bread flour

1 tsp of sugar

1 tsp of salt

1 and 1/2 tsp dried yeast

For the glaze:

1 egg yolk

1 tbls water

• Activate the yeast (if necessary) in the water with the sugar for up to 10 minutes.
• Combine this yeast water with the flour and the salt and mix to form a dough. This can be done by hand, in  food mixer or in a bread machine.
• If doing this by hand knead the dough for 15 minutes. If using a mixer 10 minutes. If using a bread machine just use the dough cycle (no bake). After it has been kneaded leave to rise in a for about 30 minutes until it has double in size (I divided my dough first, then covered with a greased bowl. But this is not essential, just all of the dough in a greased bowl and divided later is also fine).

• On a floured worktop, punch down the dough to degas it, dived into two halves and press and push it into a large rectangle with your fingers (roughly 12x8 inches)
• Starting with a longer edge roll the dough tightly into a sausage and press the seem together tightly.
• Place one sausage of dough onto a piece of oiled greaseproof paper seem side down (the professionals would use a clean cloth that is heavily floured, I found this way uses lots of tea towels up and I prefer using greaseproof paper as it can go into the oven with the bread so less handling of the dough and prettier loaves)

I put a Biro there so you can see what sort of size it is.

• Mix the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water to make the glaze, using a pastry brush paint this all over the loaves twice.
• Taking a serrated knife do 1/2 cm deep gashes diagonally down the loaves 

• Leave to prove for 30 minutes, mean while pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees C. I used my pizza stones, so these went into the oven now to also pre-heat, but you could use a heavy/thick baking tray.
• Using the greaseproof paper that the loaves are sitting on pick up each loaf and place onto the pizza stone or baking tray. Bake for roughly 15-20 minutes. When the baguettes are cooked they will give a golden crust, and when the bottoms are tapped will sound hollow.

Every party needs a guest who can bring an arm full of baguettes along!

happy baking

xoxo