Homemade Baguettes

Most authentic French baguette recipes I come across on the internet or in my baking books take far longer to make and bake than this one I’m sharing today. My husband being from Algeria, the French influence on the culture and cuisine of his home country is evident even 50 years on from the country’s independence.

Did you know? It is against the law in France to use preservatives in bread. So the baguette is made every day in bakeries across France. In Paris you will often see people especially in the morning, sitting in the park eating this simple yet satisfying staple along with jelly, I wonder if they have yet cottoned on to the peanut butter and jelly/jam flavour combination, me thinks not.

Enjoy these however which way you choose, a personal favourite is to serve them with a lamb stew or soup.

Ingredients

500 grams white bread flour 

325ml* water warm to touch 

1 x 7 grams sachet fast action dried yeast

2 teaspoons / 10 grams fine sea salt

*maybe more or less, add slowly.

Method

Place flour in a medium size bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, sprinkle salt evenly over flour, give it a mix with your hand/spoon, or let the mixer do the work for you! Sprinkle yeast evenly over the flour and mix again. Make a well in the centre of your flour, add 1 cup/250 millilitres and mix together adding more water little by little until dough forms then knead by hand for 10 minutes or 5 minutes in your stand mixer. Check if dough is kneaded enough by pressing a floured finger into the smooth dough, the indentation should spring back.

Lightly coat a medium size bowl with oil (I used extra virgin olive oil but it’s up to you), place your dough inside the bowl and then turn it over so the top is coated with oil, cover with plastic wrap or a clean, damp tea towel and leave to rise at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until it has nearly doubled in size.

Remove dough from bowl and knock back the dough by kneading for a minute or two. Weigh the dough it should be around 800g, whatever the weight divide it by 4 which in this case would give you 4 x 200g balls, leave dough balls to rest for 15 minutes and then shape into baguettes, look to this video i found on how to shape baguettes.

Then place your shaped baguettes onto a fine semolina or cornmeal dusted baking tray, cover and let rise again for at least 20 minutes, meanwhile put a oven safe dish or tin inside your oven and pre-heat to 390°F/ 200°C/ 180°C/ Gas Mark 6. Before baking make 3 slits in the top of baguettes with a knife on angle, add cold water or ice cubes to your oven proof dish that should be hot in the oven so be careful! Bake the baguettes for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped underneath.

One last photo because i was in a arty mood the day i made these.

Posterized using picmonkey

References used to make this post: French Baguette