Baguettes

I've been on a bread kick.



I think it is the impending warm weather. I am desperate for spring. I can taste it in the air, but we are still struggling with frigid mornings and wool coats when all I want in the world is ballet flats and light sweaters. It is coming though; I know spring is coming and I'm ready.

But with spring comes 70, 80 degrees days right after it. And during that time, my kitchen is a freaking sauna. No matter what we do, we roast in there. On particularly hot days, we eat frozen grapes or chinese take out on our bed, which is directly in front of the air conditioning unit there. During the summer, bread baking is the last thing I want to do.

So at some point this week, I stumbled on a discussion of baking baguettes on Serious Eats. Someone linked to the King Arthur recipe for French style baguettes and I immediately bookmarked it, and immediately began racing the clock to make it. I didn't have to wait long. My working from home days are perfect for bread baking. Minimal time away from the computer required, and plenty of time for those long periods of rest.

So I began the starter last night, and found myself running the KitchenAid at 8 am this morning to bring together the dough. After a three hour rest, I began shaping the loaves and they were in the oven an hour later.

Now, I have been to Paris and I have had a good baguette, but I will admit it has been a while. So can I say these are perfect, Parisian specimens? No. But the crust crackled while I pried it off the baking sheet and as I smeared butter on a piece and ate it, still warm (and still burning my fingers a little), I was in love. This is a great recipe, so easy, but the taste is outstanding. The crust resists and then shatters as you bite down on it. It was one of those little cooking miracles-- I can make this in my tiny apartment kitchen? Isn't that kind of amazing?

And you can too!




Baguettes



Recipe here, along with step by step photos.

Starter
1/2 cup cool water
1/16 teaspoon active dry yeast or instant yeast
1 cup Unbleached Bread Flour




Dough
1 teaspoon active dry yeast or instant yeast
1 cup to 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water*
all of the starter
3 1/2 cups Unbleached Bread Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
*Use the lesser amount in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate), and somewhere in between the rest of the year, or if your house is climate controlled.





1) Make the starter by mixing the yeast with the water (no need to do this if you're using instant yeast), then mixing in the flour to make a soft dough. Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 14 hours; overnight works well. The starter should have risen and become bubbly. If it hasn't, your yeast may not be working. Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of yeast in 1 tablespoon lukewarm water with a pinch of sugar, and wait 15 minutes. If nothing happens, replace your yeast, and begin the starter process again.


2) If you're using active dry yeast, mix it with the water, then combine with the starter, flour, and salt. If you're using instant yeast, there's no need to combine it with the water first. Mix and knead everything together—by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—till you've made a soft, somewhat smooth dough; it should be cohesive, but the surface may still be a bit rough. Knead for about 5 minutes on speed 2 of a stand mixer







3) Place the dough in a lightly greased medium-size bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for 3 hours, gently deflating it and turning it over after 1 hour, and then again after 2 hours.







4) Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface. Divide it into three equal pieces.







5) Shape each piece into a rough, slightly flattened oval, cover with greased plastic wrap, and let them rest for 15 minutes.







6) Working with one piece of dough at a time, fold the dough in half lengthwise, and seal the edges with the heel of your hand. Flatten it slightly, and fold and seal again.







7) With the seam-side down, cup your fingers and gently roll the dough into a 15" log. Place the logs seam-side down onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined sheet pan or pans.*







8) Cover them with a cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the loaves to rise till they've become very puffy, about 1 1/2 hours.9) Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450°F; if you're using a baking stone, place it on the lowest rack.







10) Using a very sharp knife held at about a 45° angle, make three 8" vertical slashes in each baguette. Spritz the baguettes heavily with warm water; this will help them develop a crackly-crisp crust.







11) Bake the baguettes until they're a very deep golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack. Or, for the very crispiest baguettes, turn off the oven, crack it open about 2", and allow the baguettes to cool in the oven.Yield: Three 16" baguettes.