Community Pick
Fresh Baguette
"Make your kitchen into your own personal boulangerie with this fantastic bread recipe!"
photo by Jmommy209
- Ready In:
- 3hrs 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 5
- Yields:
-
1 loaf
ingredients
- 1 (1/4 ounce) packet active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1⁄2 cups water (105 -115 F)
- 4 - 4 1⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
directions
- In a large bowl sprinkle yeast and sugar over warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- With a wooden spoon stir in 2 cups flour until combined.
- Stir in salt and 2 cups of remaining flour until mixture forms a stiff dough.
- On a lightly floured surface knead dough with lightly floured hands 8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic, kneading in enough of remaining 1/2 cup flour to keep dough from sticking.
- Transfer dough to a lightly oiled deep bowl, turning to coat with oil, and let rise, bowl covered with plastic wrap, until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 475-500°F (My oven does best with 475°, but it runs hot).
- Punch down dough and form into a long slender loaf about 21 inches long and 3 inches wide.
- You can also form individual mini-loaves.
- Put loaf diagonally on a lightly greased large or 17 x 14-inch baking sheet and let rise, uncovered, about 30 minutes.
- (Baguette may be made up to this point 4 hours ahead and chilled.) Make 3 or 4 diagonal slashes on loaf with a razor and lightly brush top with cool water.
- Bake loaf in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until golden and sounds hollow when tapped, and transfer to a rack to cool.
- Notes: For a chewy interior and perfect, crusty exterior, place a dutch oven filled with water in oven as it preheats for about an hour.
- The humid enviroment will ensure the texture comes out right.
- Baking stones don't hurt either.
- If you don't want to put water into the oven, you can use a spray mister to keep the enviroment moist as it cooks.
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Reviews
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AWESOME! I made this the day before yesterday--divided the recipe in two to make TWO fresh baguettes--used one for a bruschetta and just ate the other plain! Your technique of putting water in the oven really makes a difference!! Thanks Skat! -
I made this this weekened the only addition I did was add an eggwash to the top of the loaf, and it came out great made it on a pizza stone wtih some yellow cornmeal on the bottom. What a great breat recipie. "Anyone else have any other trade secrets on this?"
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Awesome! This bread was soft on the inside and had a crispy crust on the outside... just perfect! I had to use regular all-purpose flour because that was all I had on hand, but it turned out just fine. I will definitely be making this again! -
Fantastic recipe! Super easy in the food processor. Definitely worth it! -
This was really great and restored my faith in my ability to make bread. It reminded me of the great bread we used to get in Brooklyn. I even forgot to add the sugar (duh) but it came out great anyway !! Crisp crust, tender inside. Thank you so much!
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
skat5762
Hampton Roads, Virginia
Food, felines, vino, photography
