French Baquettes

My first attempt at baking French Baquettes. Was I a little nervous. Yes, indeed.  Was I tad intimidated? You betcha. Am I glad that I attempted them? Oh yes, yes, yes!

These turned out better than I could ever have imagined. Served alongside the Gobble, Gobble Gumbo, everyone was very pleased with the outcome.

The recipe is from the Bon Appetit Cookbook by Barbara Fairchild. She gives several methods of preparing the dough. I chose to use my ever faithful KitchenAid mixer.

Makes 2 baguettes:

1 cup warm water (105 - 115 degrees)

1 envelope dry yeast

1 T. sugar

1 t. salt

1/2 t. balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

2 cups bread flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Pour 1 cup warm water into the bowl of heavy-duty stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over, stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Mix salt and vinegar into yeast. Add bread flour; using paddle attachment, mix 5 minutes. Replace paddle with dough hook. Add 1/2 cup all purpose flour and knead until dough is soft and slightly sticky dough forms, adding more all purpose flour if dough is very sticky, about 7 minutes.

Coat a bowl with 2 T. oil. Add dough, turning to coat entire surface.  

Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm, draft-free area until tripled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours. To test, press two fingers into dough; if fully risen, indentations will remain. If indentations fill in, cover in plastic and let rise a little longer.

Shaping and Baking:

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/4 t. salt

baking tiles or stone

4 cups boiling water

Oil or butter double baguette pan.  

Melt butter with salt in saucepan. Keep glaze warm.

Punch down dough and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes. Divide dough in half. Roll out 1 piece on unfloured work surface to rectangle, about 14 x 8 inches. Oil rolling pin if dough sticks.

Starting with long side, roll up dough jelly roll style. Roll ends between palms and work surface to taper slightly. Transfer to prepared pan, seam side down. Repeat rolling and shaping with remaining dough.

Brush butter glaze over loaves. Let loaves rise in warm draft-free area 45 minutes. 

Brush with glaze again. Let dough rise about 35 minutes longer. Using a sharp knife, slash each loaf with 3 long diagonal cuts about 1/3 inch deep.  

Position 1 oven rack in bottom third and second rack in center of oven. Place a 13 x 9 x 2-inch metal baking pan on bottom rack.  Place baking tiles or pizza stone on center rack.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  

Pour boiling water into the baking pan in oven (water will steam). Close oven 2 minutes. Place bread in pan on tiles or stone and bake until loaves are golden brown and crisp, dry crust forms about 30 minutes. Turn out loaves onto rack and cool.