French Baguette Traditional French Bread Recipe

Baguette is a symbol of French culture and it’s well known for it all around the world. This Baguette bread is a staple food of French people and usually they start the day with it. Thanks to Priya sis for introducing me to this French Baking. She suggested 4 recipes for this month Home Bakers Challenge among them i chose this baguette recipe. The dough making is similar to pizza dough but this is a pure water based bread, also these breads are steam baked (ie baked under boiling water in the oven), let’s check the recipe in detail.

Recipe Source :- Paprikas

Ingredients

All purpose flour or Bread flour – 2 Cups
Active dry yeast – 1 and 1/4 tsp
Luke warm water – 1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp
Salt – 1 tsp

Method

• Take the active dry yeast with lukewarm water in a cup, mix well and keep aside until its turns foamy.
• Take the flour and salt in a large bowl, add in the foamy yeast and mix tout with your fingers.
• Drop the dough on a working surface, knead well for 10-15 minutes until the dough turns soft and smooth.
• Take the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a towel, keep it in a warm place for an hour.
• Divide the dough into 2-3 balls, take a ball and roll as a ball, dust the working surface with a teaspoon of flour.
• Flatten the ball with your palm and finger to form a small rectangle like shaped disc gently(Step 1 below).
• Bring the opposite edges to the center (Step 2 & 3) of the rectangle, press it well (Pic 4).
• Again flatten it slightly(Pic 5), fold n bring slightly towards you and press the edges well with your palm (Pic 6).
• Roll the dough now well to form a baguette (please refer the picture for rolling the baguette, also refer note for youtube video link).

• Place it over a flour dusted thick cloth, repeat the same process with the remaining dough and arrange them one after one over the flour dusted cloth.
• Cover this unbaked baguette with a humid cloth and keep in a warm place for an hour until they gets raised.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F or 240°C.
• Brush the baguettes with water and make slashes quickly with a sharp knife.
• Sprinkle few flour over the baguettes.
• Keep a bowl filled water inside the oven, bring the oven temperature to 420°F or 220°C and bake for 25-30 minutes.
• Let them cool completely on wire rack.

Notes

1. I referred this YouTube link to make this baquettes as this’s my first attempt…
2. The steam baked baguettes will be hard on top, if needed you can apply little butter after taking out from the oven, for kids sake i did so…