How to Make French Baguettes at Home

Fresh Homemade French Baguettes are simply amazing!
These french bread/baguettes are light and airy with a crusty exterior and a very soft and chewy interior.
While it’s a challenge to make “real” baguettes at home, this version is probably as close to an artisan bakery version as you’re going to find. The ingredients in baguettes are pure simplicity: flour, water, salt, and yeast.

Ingredients for making french bread/baguttes :

Flour: 700 g

Salt: 2 Tsp

Instant yeast: 1 and 1/2 Tsp

Water: 530 ml

Method:

Step 1

Prepare the dough.

In to a large bowl,add all the dry ingredients and give it a good whisk to make sure everything is well combined.
Pour water and mix them together.Make sure there are no dry patches in the dough.

Step 2

First proofing (2 hours)

Cover the dough with a plastic film and keep it in a warm environment for 2 hours or until the dough get doubled in size.
Keep it in the refrigerator.

Step 3

Divide and preshape the dough

Take the dough out of refrigerator and divide the dough (The total weight of the dough will be approximately1200 g)The dough is sufficient to make 5 baguettes of 250 g each.
Make round dough balls out of each by pulling the edges into the center. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 45 minutes.

Step 4

Shape the dough balls into baguette.

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.
With the seam side down, cup your fingers and gently roll the dough into a log (size matching your pan).

Step 5

Final proofing

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 wrapper a damp cloth, 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. This should take about 45 minutes to an hour at room temperature (about 68°F).

Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450°F .
If your french baguette bread have risen in a dish towel or couche, gently roll them (seam side down) onto a lightly greased (or parchment-lined) baking sheet on to a non stick baking tray. 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.

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.

Step 6

Bake the french bread/ baguettes

Load the french bread/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 pour the boiling water into the cast iron pan, and quickly shut the oven door. The billowing steam created by the boiling water 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.

Storing Baguette

Baguettes are best when they are fresh out of the oven.Authentic Baguettes have a very short shelf life..It’s a daily bread and should ideally be consumed the day of use. (Who can wait anyway?) If you need to store bread for longer periods of time, you should freeze it.

The best way you can store a baguette is by freezing them.

Step 1

Prepare a fresh baguette for freezing as soon as possible after baking. Let the baguette cool completely. Place it in an airtight freezer bag, squeeze out the extra air and zip it closed. If the baguette is too long to fit into the bag, cut it into pieces.

Step 2

Store the baguette in the freezer until several hours before you need it.

Step 3

Remove the frozen baguette from the freezer bag, wrap it in a tea towel and thaw it on the counter for two hours, or until fully thawed.

Step 4

Heat the thawed baguette in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for a few minutes to warm it, if desired. Don’t leave it in the oven for longer than a few minutes or it will dry out.

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