I do know what lots of you’ll say once I recommend making baguettes at residence: “Why?”
I hear you. actually. If you happen to dwell close to a first-rate bagel bakery, or should you simply do not take pleasure in your time within the kitchen, it will not be definitely worth the effort. However I do know many others—those that, like me, discover baking initiatives an thrilling and productive technique to spend a part of a weekend—can be amazed at how enjoyable and rewarding the method might be.
Amongst technical breads, baguettes are well-suited for residence baking as a result of they’re often made with business yeast slightly than sourdough. This implies there is no such thing as a starter upkeep and pre-feeding earlier than you can begin. The truth is, all the ingredient listing could not be easier: flour, water, yeast, salt.
With only a few substances, a profitable baguette, with a really skinny and crisp crust and a creamy-tasting inside, hinges on the selection of flour. You need a flour that is straightforward to develop sufficient gluten to lure the fuel produced by the yeast to create inside holes of assorted sizes, however not a lot that the dough has problem stretching into its lengthy, skinny, skinny form. This implies utilizing flour with 10 to 12 p.c protein (test the facet of the bag for this info). At 11.7 p.c, King Arthur All-Goal Flour is an efficient selection and is extensively out there, and it accommodates just a little little bit of barley malt, which boosts leavening and taste.
As a result of the completed dough ought to be agency however not too stiff, the blending shouldn’t be vigorous and might be achieved by hand. You really wish to depart the dough barely behind, which suggests it will not really feel notably tender or elastic after mixing: a collection of folds made in the course of the dough’s rising (or higher fermentation) will encourage gluten improvement. Ultimately, the dough will really feel firmer, softer, and fewer sticky.
If the listing of substances and mixing is comparatively simple, getting the tools to make classic-looking baguettes is extra of a problem. Two objects—a 4-by-20-inch picket switch tray to softly transfer delicate loaves and a 13-by-20-inch picket board to pop them into the oven—require just a little planning. Each might be bought on-line at specialty baking websites, or you possibly can go to a {hardware} or residence enchancment retailer and reduce items of ¼-inch plywood. I selected the second possibility, which set me again about $10. As an alternative of a sheet, you should utilize a rimless baking sheet or pizza peel, however be sure that it is at the least 18 inches lengthy and 12 inches extensive to accommodate the loaves.
Additionally of nice significance is a big, lame bread stone. The gimp, curved razor blade hooked up to a deal with, glides cleanly by tender dough so it expands evenly within the oven. You will discover one at well-stocked kitchen shops and on-line, although a utility blade from the ironmongery shop is an honest various. The baking stone radiates warmth into the dough, serving to loaves rise rapidly and bake to a cultured end. You possibly can bake the loaves on a big baking sheet, inverted, however you will not get the identical outcomes.
After getting all of the tools, plan your schedule. Set the dough in a single day within the fridge, which helps enhance the bread’s taste and crust high quality, whereas additionally offering you with some elasticity. Begin by making the pool (kind of a favorite, like a sourdough starter however made with store-bought yeast) the primary morning, knead the dough within the night, refrigerate in a single day and bake at your comfort the subsequent day. The recipe makes three baguettes, however should you do not wish to bake them all of sudden, you possibly can return a part of the dough to the fridge and bake it later.
Baguette dough, which is tender and barely sticky, might be tough to work with. Strive utilizing a light-weight contact with minimal flour whereas shaping, and know that the primary dozen baguettes you make at residence will not be picture-perfect. Luckily, the wonky baguette will nonetheless style nice, and I doubt anybody will care once they tear off the cracked crust.
Whereas this will likely not persuade many informal residence cooks to strive their hand at a baguette, I do know that there are intrepid bakers who’re already bringing out their kitchen scales. If you’re on this group, congratulations – quickly you may be richly rewarded.