French Baguette [Baguette française]
Servings: baguettes
French Baguette is a long and thin loaf of crusty bread, characterized by its golden, crisp crust and soft and airy interior.
Ingredients
The Starter
- 50 ml hot water at 50℃ or 122℉
- 4 g active dry yeast
The Dough
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 300 ml water at room temperature
- 11 g salt
Notes
Instructions
The Preparation
- Gather the ingredients. Heat 50 ml hot water in a microwave safe bowl. Check the temperature for it to be at 50℃ or 122℉.
The Kneading
- In a mixing bowl, dissolve 4 g active dry yeast in 50 ml hot water. You want it at 110-120℉.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the 500 g all-purpose flour, 11 g salt, 300 ml water. Once the mixture is done, add the yeast mixture. You will obtain a relatively wet dough.
The Raising
- Cover the mixture with a cloth and let the dough rise for 20 minutes at room temperature, then place it on a floured work surface without tearing it to preserve the glutinous network.
- Flatten the dough a bit and bring the 4 corners of the dough to the center.
- Then, put the dough back in the bowl and let it rise again for 20 minutes.
- Repeat the step above one more time and then let it rise for 20 minutes again.
The First Rise
- On a floured work surface, flatten the dough, and fold the 4 corners to the center to form a ball, then put it in the bowl with a cloth.
- Let it rise for 2 hours at room temperature. Your dough will double in volume.
The Second Rise
- Put the dough on your floured work surface. Divide the dough into portions equal to the amount of baguettes you are making (the default recipe is 3). Gently shape the dough into balls, taking care not to over work the dough. Let the balls rest for 10 minutes, covered with a cloth, before shaping.
- To shape your baguettes, take one of your dough balls, flatten it slightly into an oval shape.
- Then fold the top and bottom of your dough ball to the center. Imagine shaping it into a plus sign (+).
- Roll the baguettes slowly. From time to time, raise it and drop it on the workstation.
- Let your baguettes rest for 30 minutes, covered with a cloth.
The Baking
- Preheat your convection oven to 480℉, leaving a over-safe pan with water in the bottom of the oven.
- Make 3-4 incisions on the baguettes along the length. Bake for 13 minutes, more or less depending on your taste.
- Place the French Baguettes on a rack to cool down slightly before serving.
The Serving
- Serve the French Baguette fresh with butter or cheese.