Homemade Baguettes
If you’ve been following along on Instagram over the past couple of years, you already know I’ve been up to my elbows in bread-making. Especially homemade baguettes. Now, while some like-minded food obsessed friends around the world use words like “leaven,” “autolyse,” and “bulk fermentation” with their sourdough creations, there are many more who are slightly terrified of making homemade baguettes and yet just intrigued enough to give it a try if the recipe isn’t too intimidating. So, friends, this is the recipe for you.
That said, it’s still BREAD. Which means it’s a living thing until baked, and you need to approach this process with a little respect. Like anything worth doing, you may have to do this a few times to get the hang of it. And keep in mind that the weather affects the result. Atmospheric pressure is a real thing, even if you ignore the weather forecasters, as I do. But for those of us at high altitude, it’s a new game, baby. You can have great success but just need to keep in mind that the higher the altitude, the lower the atmospheric pressure, the easier it is for things to rise quickly and too much...and then fall. So, the key is to decrease the amount of yeast (leaven) you use, the higher your altitude is. Also, good to note is that no two loaves are the same. Baking bread is therapeutic in learning to let go, and let be. One of life’s great lessons. And this one lets you add butter.
We spent some time in France this past summer, which meant we ate baguette, after baguette, after baguette. Always making sure that they were the “pain de tradition française” method -- made on the premises of a certified boulangerie from start to finish, with just four ingredients. The simple combination of water, yeast, salt, and flour transforms into one of the world’s most delicious foods. Having been actively cranking out baguettes at home, I was also curious how mine measured up to old world standards, made by bakers who actually get up in the dark of the morning to create delicious bread. And I have to say, this method stacks up. When we returned home, now baguette-addicts, it was just day two when my family started asking for baguettes. A few hours, and a little effort later, we had hot and beautiful baguettes and the memories of an epic trip on our tongues.
Homemade Baguettes
Recipe adapted by Stephanie Kunstle from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes written by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoë François
Makes 3 baguettes; allow for 3.5 hours total to mix, rise, and bake.
Notes: Ok, I live just above 7,000 feet elevation. This means that I use 2.5 teaspoons of yeast...but if you’re near a beach, you’ll want to use about 1.5 Tablespoons! If you’re anywhere in between, it’s time to start making an educated guess on what you think you’ll need. You don’t need to be great at math, but keep in mind that 3 teaspoons equals 1 Tablespoon, and that means I’m cutting about 2 teaspoons of yeast at my altitude.
Ingredients:
3 cups lukewarm water
2-ish tsp to 1.5 Tbsp of yeast (see notes)
1.5 Tbsp coarse salt (I use Morton’s Kosher Salt)
6-7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping
Tools:
Large jelly roll pan or baking stone
Parchment paper if using jelly roll pan
Lame (preferred) or bread knife
Pastry brush optional
Method Part I:
Start with lukewarm tap water. The temperature of your water really matters… too warm and the yeast could die or will be activated too quickly causing overproduction of acid and carbon dioxide which will create problems with the dough structure . Better to err on the side of too cool. I run the water against my wrist, and if it *just* barely feels warm, that’s the right temperature. Pour this into your mixer bowl.
Sprinkle yeast over the surface of the water and give it a quick stir with the whisk.
Let it have a couple of minutes to sit/proof while you pull out your flour and salt. There’s no need to let it proof for much longer than that - all you are looking for is a sign of life. The yeasty water will start to form bubbles and a creamy, yeasty colored pool in the center.
Add your salt, give it a quick stir with the whisk.
Add your flour. Now a note on flour - it differs depending on where it’s grown and you may only need up to six and a half cups, whereas I tend to use seven. I use Wheat Montana brand because it’s high quality and easy to get online. Whatever you use, make sure it’s not cheap or literally run-of-the-mill. Remember, you’re eating this, so make sure it’s good.
Using the dough hook attachment, mix that dough on low to medium speed! This should take about 5 minutes total for a fully incorporated dough. If you are using a big bowl and your arms, you’re going to be buff. And buff arms holding fresh bread is a good thing.
Now, you can cover the bowl with a wax-coated cloth or plastic wrap, but be sure that it’s not airtight. Let it grow for two hours. It will double in size.
Method Part II:
Prepare a clean countertop, and have your flour nearby. Preheat your oven to 475F, making sure the baking rack is in the middle. Cover two jelly roll pans in parchment paper or just lay out parchment.
Now it’s time to divide the dough into three equal parts. I’m a bit type A about it, so I flour a kitchen scale, and measure out approximately one pound and 3 ounces for each baguette. Give or take an ounce. Ish. The dough will be very sticky, so flour your countertop to let the divided dough sit while you form loaves.
Pull the edges of the dough underneath itself to form a smooth ball. Flour the countertop and set the dough on it and press it into a rough rectangle. If the dough is super sticky, you may need to flour the top of it just a bit.
Now begin to roll the dough away from you, tucking it in with your fingertips. Like rolling up a sleeping bag, but from the side. You are going for a long log of dough. You’re not going to hurt it, so don’t be afraid to use some muscle.
Now start to elongate the dough with your hands, starting at the center and squeezing in little pulses as you work your way out toward the ends. Taper the ends to a point, using a little extra rolling if needed.
Move your baguette to a jelly roll pan covered in parchment or just parchment if you plan to use a baking stone.
Depending on the size of your baguette, your needs, and your schedule, you can add another loaf to the pan, four or five inches away, or shape your other two loaves on the other pan, and put them in the fridge while you let this one rise and bake.
Add a small pan of hot water to your preheated oven. Make sure there’s at least a cup of water there. I use two mini-loaf pans, placed on either side of my oven, filled with hot water.
Let your baguette rise for about 30 minutes. If you ignore this advice and let it rise longer, it will overproof, and you’ll end up with a kind of sad, flat, baguette. The only fix if it’s overproofed is to punch it down, reshape the loaf, and start the 30 minute rise over again.
Fill a liquid measuring cup with nearly a cup of hot water and place it near your oven. Brush the baguette with cold water, and score it. Be like the French and do five vertical slits demonstrated in this tutorial. Make sure they overlap where they begin and end so the baguette can expand without restriction. Once you do this, don’t waste time, pop that baguette into the oven and pour about a half cup or so of the hot water into the bottom of your oven, taking care not to get burned by the steam. The steam created by the hot water will help create a nice crackling, caramelized crust.
Bake for about 25 minutes until the crust is a beautiful caramelized brown. Sometimes I add another couple of minutes to get a really nice bien cuit crust.
Once it’s baked, transfer the baguette to a cooling rack, then brush the other loaves with water, score, make sure there’s still plenty of hot water in the oven, and bake. Allow the loaves to cool before cutting into them. I know, I know. Slow torture, but if you break this rule, you will mash the crumb… though, it might be worth it just to watch the butter liquify before you eat it piping hot. I might know about that. Bon appétit!
