French Baguettes

I love Baguettes! And the best baguettes I've ever had was in Paris while on our honeymoon. In Paris, everywhere you look, you see people carrying a baguette. It doesn't matter what time of day it is. Tucked under a Parisians arm or riding on their bicycle, a baguette is something you'll see on a regular basis. 

I was quite intimidated by the baguette. Yes, fearful of this tasty quintessential French bread. And those of you who know me well, know that I like a challenge. So I decided to have a go at it. The crispy exterior and the soft, chewy interior makes this one of my favorite breads. 

Before I get into the baguette process, I'm going to take you through memory lane and share some photos I took in France. The first place we visited on our honeymoon, the Eiffel Tower. It was definitely an experience to take the lift to the top and see the beautiful city below.

Next stop, Notre Dame Cathedral. Wow, what a beautiful piece of French, Gothic Architecture. We were able to take a look inside. We lit a candle and listened to the choir for a bit. The history behind this cathedral is quite eventful.  History of the Notre Dame de Paris

My favorite place of all was Versailles. This chateau, is considered as one of the most beautiful palaces in the world! Luxurious and grand, you can definitely get lost on this piece of property. We took a self guided golf cart tour around the entire grounds. 

Amazingly, I was able to get this photo at the entry way of Versailles. This never happens, usually there are visitors scattered all over this palace. Who knew baking a baguette would bring me to post some of our honeymoon photos. It sure did bring back some good memories. Now I want to go back!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Baking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America

1-3/4 Cups Room Temperature Water (68-76ºF)

1 tsp Active Dry Yeast

4-1/2 Cups Bread Flour Plus Extra for Dusting

1 tsp Salt

Vegetable Oil for Greasing

Cornmeal for Dusting

1. Combine the water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and blend well with a fork until the yeast is completely dissolved. Add the flour, salt and mix the dough hook on low speed just to incorporate. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, 10-12 minutes.

2. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Fold the dough gently, then let rise for another 45 minutes. 

3. Fold the dough over on itself, pressing gently to release the gas. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, cut into 4 equal pieces (you can use your scale if you have one), and round each piece into a smooth ball, pinching the seams together at the bottom of the ball. Cover the dough and let rise, seam sides down, until relaxed, about 30 minutes. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.

4. To shape the baguettes, on a lightly floured surface, press each ball of dough into a rectangle. Holding the short edges of the rectangle, lift and stretch the dough until the rectangle is about 8 inches long. Roll the dough into a cylinder, pressing the seam closed with the edge of your palm. Transfer the dough, seam side down, to the prepared baking sheet. Cover the loaves and let rise until increased in volume by three-quarters, about 1 hour. 

5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425ºF. Score each loaf in several places by making diagonal slashes just through the outer layer of the dough with a very thin blade. (I didn't have such a blade so I used a pairing knife, results were not so good.) Transfer bread to the parchment lined baking sheet.

6. Just before baking the bread, brush or mist each baguette lightly with water. Brush or mist the bread 1 or 2 more times during the first 5 minutes of baking time. Bake until the loaves are golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 30 minutes. Remove the loaves from the oven and let cool on wire racks before serving.

What a feat! It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I also made some blackberry jam this morning and it went perfectly with this baguette. Happy baking friends!