French Baguette - How to Make Baguettes at Home - Traditional French Bread Recipe
Author: Whats4Chow
Recipe type: Bread / Dough
Cuisine: Dough
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Despite the long rising times, French Baguettes are really easy to make. This demonstration will show you how to make French Baguettes at home.
Ingredients
For the Sponge
- 100g Strong white flour
- 5g Yeast
- 300ml Warm water
To finish the dough
- 300g Strong white flour
- 10g Yeast
- 1 Tsp Salt
Instructions
- Place 100g of the strong white bread flour and 5 grams of the yeast in a mixing bowl. Stir them to combine, then pour in the warm water.
- Mix this well until everything is totally combined. Cover the bowl with clingwrap and allow this to stand for 60 minutes.
- After 60 minutes, the yeast will have developed extensively and you will have bubbling mass.
- Add the remaining flour, yest and salt and mix this in.
- Mix this until a dough starts to come together, then use your hands to work the dough in the bowl until all of the loose flour has been incorporated into the dough ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead this for 5 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Sprinkle the dough with a little flour every time it becomes too sticky.
- Sprinkle dough into the bottom of the mixing bowl.
- Roll the dough into a smooth ball and return it to the bowl. Cover the bowl with clingwrap and allow this to rise for 30 to 40 minutes until it has doubled in size.
- Once risen, don't knock the dough down. You want to leave as much air in the dough as possible.
- Dump the dough out onto the work surface and using a large knife, cut it into 2 pieces.
- Working as gently as possible, roll each half into a long loaf.
- Transfer the loaves to a baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with flour before covering loosely with a damp kitchen towel.
- Allow the baguettes to rise for another 60 minutes.
- Remove the towel and sift a light layer of flour over the top of the loaves.
- Using a sharp thin blade knife, slash the surface of the loaves every 20mm at an angle.
- Bake the baguettes in a preheated oven at 220c for 20 minutes.
- Remove the loaves from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
