Baguette

For the bread lovers I’m sharing a very simple way of baking baguettes. The preparation itself takes just a few minutes, but you will still need some patience: the dough should be allowed to rise for four-six-twelve hours to produce the baguettes with an airy texture and a well balanced taste.

If you wish, you can increase the amount of ingredients for the dough and store extra dough in a refrigerator for a few days: the longer it ferments, the better is the result.

Baguette

Preparation

In a mixer bowl or in a food processor combine the flour, salt, yeast and water. Using a dough hook mix the ingredients until a pliable and elastic dough forms. If the dough is too watery, add a tablespoon of flour; or a tablespoon of water if it is too thick.

Moisten hands with some oil and transfer the dough into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place for at least 4 hours. The dough should triple in volume. You can leave the dough in a fridge for a day in a covered container.

Punch the dough and divide it into two parts.

On a lightly floured surface roll each piece into a baguette of approximately 16-18” length. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and leave to rest for about an hour.

Sprinkle flour over the baguettes. Using a very sharp knife (preferably a serrated knife) make diagonal cuts on the baguettes.

Preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C).

Put the baguettes into the oven, splash about a cup of water on the bottom of the oven (it is better to put a small heat proof tray on a bottom of the oven), and immediately close the oven door.

Bake for about 25-35 minutes.

Transfer the baked baguettes on a rack and let the bread cool for about an hour before slicing.

Cook with pleasure!

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