Bilbo and Frodo lived in the Shire, in the village of Hobbiton, in their home called Bag End. For those who don’t know their last name was Baggins and Bag End was a play on their name. While I love both the books and movies, I actually prefer Bag Uette. No one lives there, but everyone loves them anyway.
These are classic French Baguettes made with AP flour for the soft interior and baked hot for the crisp crust. They require at lease 12 hours of fermentation so it’s best to start it the night before you plan to devour them.
Baguettes Classic French
INGREDIENTS
• 500 g all purpose flour • 360 g water • 10 g salt • 3 g instant yeast about 1 tsp • 25 g honey about 1 Tbsp
METHOD
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
Over a period of 1½ hours, do 3 sets of stretch and folds, flipping the dough upside down after each set.
Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight for about 12-14 hours.
Turn the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 3 equal parts and shape into rectangles each ~10 inches long. Cover and let rest for 45-60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 500F, with a baking stone positioned in the upper half the oven and a bread pan filled with hot water on the bottom rack.
Stretch each dough rectangle slightly and fold into a cylinder, sealing the seams as you roll. Using your hands, roll the cylinders gently stretching them from the center towards the ends to desired length, about 14-15 inches.
Place on a lightly floured couche, seam side up. Cover and proof at a room temperature for about 30-60 minutes, or until the dough has sufficiently proofed. Press dough with a finger. If it springs back slowly it is sufficiently proofed.
Transfer the baguettes to a piece of parchment paper, seam side down and dust off excess flour. Using a bread lame, a sharp knife or a razor blade, make 5 diagonal scores on each baguette. When scoring, use a swift and firm motion to ensure nice and clean cuts.
Open the oven, taking caution not to get burned by steam, and slide the baguettes and parchment paper off onto the baking stone. Close the oven and reduce temperature to 475F. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the water pan, rotate the baguettes, drop the temperature to 450F and continue baking for another 15 minutes or until deep golden brown.
It’s nearly time for another QC Cadre gathering. We welcomed new neighbors last month and will introduce them to the Cadre in a couple of weeks. The menu is under development and practice bakes are underway.
Yesterday I made baguettes in anticipation of today’s bruschetta. I made baguettes several times in the past, but none recently. (They came out great this time too.)
This morning I made the marinated tomato topping (along with an artisan bread for sandwiches etc.) It was delicious. Next time I will chop the browned garlic. I changed the recipe to reflect this alteration.
Classic Bruschetta
INGREDIENTS FOR THE TOMATOES • 2 Tbl extra-virgin olive oil • 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced • 2 large tomatoes, diced • 1/8 c. (2 Tbl) thinly sliced basil • 1 Tbl balsamic vinegar • ½ tsp kosher salt • Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
FOR THE BREAD • ½ large baguette, sliced ¼” thick on the bias • Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing • 1 clove garlic, halved
METHOD
Preheat oven to 400°.
In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, heat oil. Add garlic and cook until lightly golden, 2 to 4 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool, then chopped.
In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes, basil, vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Add garlic and oil and toss to combine. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast bread: Brush bread on both sides lightly with oil and place on large baking sheet. Toast bread until golden, 10 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through. Let bread cool for 5 minutes, then rub tops of bread with halved garlic cloves.
Spoon tomatoes on top of bread just before serving.
Daniels recipe: fresh basil and tomatoes, olive oil, salt, good quality balsamic, toasted baguette with olive oil, topped with fresh Parmesan
This noon we are co-hosting a soup and bread lunch for a group of friends. I decided to make some of my favorite breads to share. They are all documented in this blog, so I am not including any recipes here.
Pan de Cristal, or ice bread, is one of my favorites. It’s an open structure and crisp crust bread, and so good.
Artisan bread rolls are easy to make and are always delicious. I simply formed my normal artisan bread into small rolls and baked for a shorter time.
This past week we bought a baguette at a local supermarket with the intent to have some baguette, Brie and jam snacks. Sadly, we had to replace the first less than acceptable baguette with one from a more “upscale” market. (You get what you pay for.) It was a good move and the snack quality increased substantially. Unfortunately, half of the baguette was lost to being stale the second day.
Baguettes before modificationsEgg wash on rightI made some minor modifications to the baguette method. The new method is shown below. Mainly, adding an egg white wash and scoring before proofing is complete.
Today, I made my own baguettes, and in all humility, they were better than either of the store bought. Of course, they were fresh and warm, which never hurts.
Paired with some home made jam from our fig tree and a fresh wheel of Brie we had a great treat this afternoon. (And perhaps tonight!)
Fig Jam
Makes approx 10 half pint jars
Ingredients • 3 pounds fresh figs (washed, stems removed) (6#) • 2 cups granulated sugar (4 cups) • ½ cup water (1 cup) • 1 (2 Tbl) lemon (juice and finely grated zest) (4 Tbl)
METHOD
In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the figs, sugar, water,lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Remove the cover, attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan making sure the bottom of the thermometer doesn’t touch the pan’s bottom, and continue simmering, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens. When the mixture gets quite thick, begin to stir constantly to keep from scorching.
Cook to 220 F and remove from the heat. Or, test a small amount on a very cold saucer by putting the saucer in the freezer for a few minutes, put a little of the fig mixture on it, then returning it to the freezer for 1 minute. When a good gel stage is reached (220 F), the surface of the fruit mixture will wrinkle slightly when pushed with a finger.
While figs are cooking, prepare the jars and lids. Put the glass jars in a boiling water canner about half-filled with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and keep jars in the water.
Put water in a separate saucepan, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and add the jar lids. Keep in the hot water until ready to use. Do not boil.
Fill the jars with the hot fig jam mixture, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and threads with a wet paper towel. Place lids on jars using tongs or a jar magnet then screw on the rings.
Place on a rack in the hot water in the canner. Lower into the water and add enough hot or boiling water to bring the water level to 1 to 2 inches above the jars. Bring jars to a boil for 10 minutes.
Using canning tongs, remove the jars to a clean towel on a flat work surface. Listen for the popping sound which indicates a good seal and tighten the rings.
Baguettes
INGREDIENTS
Starter (poolish) • 1/2 cup (113g) cool water • 1/16 teaspoon active dry yeast or instant yeast • 1 cup (120g) AP Flour Dough • 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast or instant yeast • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (255g) lukewarm water • all of the starter • 3 1/2 cups (418g) AP flour • 2 teaspoons salt Egg wash • 1 egg white • 1 Tbl water • Pinch of salt
METHOD
To make the starter: Mix everything together to make a soft dough. Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 14 hours, overnight works well. The starter should have expanded and become bubbly.
To make the dough: Mix and knead everything (including the poolish) together for about 4 minutes on medium-low speed (speed 2 on a KitchenAid); the finished dough should stick a bit at the bottom of the bowl.
Place the dough in a lightly greased medium-sized bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rest and rise for 45 minutes. Gently deflate the dough and fold its edges into the center, then turn it over in the bowl before letting it rise for an additional 45 minutes, until it’s noticeably puffy.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface. Gently deflate it and divide into three equal pieces. (They should be about 310g each.)
Round each piece of dough into a rough ball by pulling the edges into the center. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes; or for up to 1 hour, if that works better with your schedule.
Working with one piece at a time, flatten the dough slightly then fold it nearly (but not quite) in half, sealing the edges with the heel of your hand. Turn the dough around, and repeat: fold, then flatten. Repeat this whole process again; the dough should have started to elongate itself.
With the seam side down, cup your fingers and gently roll the dough into a 16″ log. Your goal is a 15″ baguette, so 16″ allows for the slight shrinkage you’ll see once you’re done rolling. Taper each end of the log slightly to create the baguette’s typical “pointy” end.
Place the logs seam-side down onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined sheet pan or pans; or into the folds of a heavily floured cotton dish towel (or couche). Cover them with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow the loaves to rise until they’re slightly puffy. The loaves should certainly look lighter and less dense than when you first shaped them but won’t be anywhere near doubled in bulk. After 20 minutes egg wash the loaves (if doing this)
Using a baker’s lame (a special curved blade) or a very sharp knife held at about a 45° angle, make three to five long lengthwise slashes in each baguette, re-cover and let continue proofing for another 12 minutes or until the oven reaches temperature.
At this time, preheat your oven to 450°F with a cast iron pan on the floor of the oven, or on the lowest rack. If you’re using a baking stone, place it on a middle rack. Start to heat 1 1/2 cups water to boiling. When the over temperature is above 300F add the water to the pan.
If your baguettes have risen in a dish towel or couche, gently roll them (seam side down) onto a lightly greased (or parchment-lined) baking sheet. If you plan on baking them on a baking stone, roll them onto a piece of parchment, and lift the parchment onto a baker’s peel.
Load the baguettes into the oven. If you’re baking on a stone, use a baker’s peel to transfer the baguettes, parchment and all, onto the hot stone. Carefully spray the inside of the oven with water. The billowing steam created by the boiling water and sprat will help the baguettes rise, and give them a lovely, shiny crust.
Bake the baguettes — on the pan, or on a stone — for 24 to 28 minutes, or until they’re a very deep golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool them on a rack. Or, for the very crispiest baguettes, turn off the oven, crack it open about 2″, and allow the baguettes to cool completely in the oven, until both baguettes and oven are at room temperature.
Store any leftover baguettes in a paper bag overnight; freeze for longer storage. Thaw and reheat just before serving.
I was in Versailles, Fr last month and had what was undoubtedly the best baguette of my life. The crust had the exact right crunch and the interior was soft and light. Then and there I decided I needed to perfect my baguette baking to at least approach this level of perfection.
My go-to recipe is from King Arthur and it served me well. Upon returning home I searched for differences in recipe ingredients and methods keying on authors who tauted the bread qualities that I wanted.
From what I understand the hydration level, (this recipe is 72%) at least in part, determines the size of the holes in the bread. By using the stretch and fold technique with a long rest (45 min) between each helps develop the gluten. These two properties contribute to the characteristics I desire.
This is the first attempt of “perfecting” my baguette. Do you remember my five attempts at baking an acceptable rye bread? Well, here we go again,
Classic French Baguettes
INGREDIENTS
• 500 g all purpose flour • 360 g water • 10 g salt • 3 g instant yeast about 1 tsp • 25 g honey about 1 Tbsp
METHOD
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
Stretch and fold every 45 minutes and repeat at 3 times, flipping the dough upside down after each set. The rest time between stretch and folds is important.
Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight for about 12-14 hours.
Turn the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 3 equal parts and gently shape into rectangles without knocking the air out of the dough. Cover and let rest for 45-60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 500F, with a baking stone positioned in the upper half the oven. I like to use a small cast iron skillet with water to provide steam. Add the water below when the loaves are put into the oven.
Stretch each dough rectangle slightly and fold into a cylinder, sealing the seams as you roll. Using your hands, roll the cylinders gently stretching them from the center towards the ends to desired length, about 14-15 inches.
Place each loaf on a lightly floured couche, seam side up. Cover and proof at a room temperature for about 30-60 minutes, or until the dough has sufficiently proofed. Press dough with a finger. If it springs back slowly it is properly proofed. If it never springs back it is over proofed and if it springs back quickly it is under proofed.
Transfer the baguettes to a piece of parchment paper, seam side down and dust off excess flour. I like to use a serrated break knife to make 5 scores on each baguette. Don’t cut straight across the loaf, but with a shallow long cut down the length. Each cut should be 4-5” longWhen scoring, use a swift and firm motion to ensure nice and clean cuts.
Carefully open the oven, and slide the rack with the baking stone out. Slide the baguettes off the parchment paper and onto the baking stone. Add a cup of water to the cast iron skillet, close the oven and reduce temperature to 475F. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the water pan, rotate the baguettes, drop the temperature to 450F and continue baking for another 10- 15 minutes, Check how brown the baguettes are after 10 minutes and every couple of minutes thereafter. They should be a nice dark brown, but not too dark. Over baking will make the crust and interior too hard. Experience will tell you when it is Goldilocks just right.
aBatteredOldSuitcase 