We are the Knights (that’s pronounced phonetically - cuh-nig-its - as of the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail) Who Say Cyclic, a group of High School students, all of whom attended 6thgrade at Challenger School. At Challenger, we each gained not only a respect of the English language but also the want to change the world. Our noble mission is to improve America, one step at a time – primarily by improving the U.S.’s tongue and correcting false ideas about how its government functions. To learn more, please visit our website at www.cuhnigits.org.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

French Bread recipe

Now I know I am not the only Nordic deity who has a fondness for baking... this is a recipe that I found while procrastinating *cough* browsing the internet. If you have the time, try it out! I'll follow suit as soon as I find a Saturday that I'm not jumping around VA for my motley group of reasons.

HOMEMADE FRENCH BAGUETTES, yields four 16-inch baguettes
Tweaked from Artisan Breads Every Day, Peter Reinhart

I can’t be entirely sure whether it made the critical difference or not, but I used this pan, instead of a baking sheet. Also, don’t be alarmed by the extensive instructions – there’s a lot of waiting time and a bit of planning involved, but everything else is pretty simple. Just please, pleasebe extra careful when pouring in the hot water for the steam pan (see below in ‘Prepare for Hearth Baking’ section for more detail). Steaming water WILL splatter, so I definitely recommend using a watering can with a long spout, standing back and covering up those arms and hands!

Music Pairing: Yann Tiersen, La Noyee

Ingredients

  • 5 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
  • 2 tsp salt, or 1 tbsp coarse kosher salt
  • 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
  • 2 cups lukewarm water (about 95 degrees)

Method

Prep Day: Combine all ingredients in bowl of mixer, set with paddle attachment, and mix on lowest speed for 1 minute until well blended and smooth. Dough should form a coarse, shaggy ball. Let rest, uncovered for 5 minutes. Switch to dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for 2 minutes. Dough should be smooth, supple, and tacky but not sticky.

Knead dough by hand on lightly floured work surface for 1 minute, then transfer to a large clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and immediately refrigerate overnight or up to 4 days.

Baking Day: Remove dough from refrigerator 2 hours prior to baking. Gently transfer to lightly floured work surface, taking care to degas it as little as possible. Divide dough into 10-ounce pieces for baguettes.

Form Baguettes: Pat each piece of divided dough into a thick rectangle. Fold the bottom half to the center and seal the seam. Fold the top half to the center and once again seal the seam. Roll the top half of the dough over the seam to create a new seam on the bottom of the loaf. Rock loaf back and forth to extend it to desire length, 6-12 inches. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Repeat the same folding process: bottom to center, top to center, and pinch to create a seam. With seam side underneath, gently rock loaf back and forth, with hands moving out toward and increasing pressure at the ends, to slightly taper the loaf until baguette is the length of baguette pan (or baking sheet).

Mist top of dough with spray oil, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and proof at room temperature (preferably in a couche, or improvise on a clean linen towel, dusted with flour – leaving 3 inches between loaves so fabric can be bunched up to create “walls” for support while proofing – I placed my prepared towel and loaves on my baguette pan to further aid in keeping its shape, as shown above) for about 1 1/2 hours, or until increased to 1 1/2 times its original size.

Prepare for Hearth Baking: About 45 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a sheet pan, which will serve as the steam pan, with a 1-inch rim on shelf under which baguettes will be baked. Remove plastic wrap from the dough 15 minutes prior to baking. Gently roll dough onto baguette pan. Just prior to baking, score the dough 1/2 inch deep with a serrated knife or razor. Transfer loaves to the oven, pour 1 cup hot water into the steam pan. Always use an oven mitt and wear long sleeves when adding water to the hot steam pan to prevent steam burns. It’s also advisable to cover the oven window with a dry dish towel to prevent backsplash from hitting the window and cracking it – but remember to remove the towel before closing oven door! Using a watering can with a long spout when pouring the water into the steam pan provides control and distance from the hot steam.

Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate pan and bake for another 15-25 minutes, until the crust is rich golden brown, the loaves sound hollow when thumped, and the internal temperature is about 200 degrees in the center. Cool on wire rack for at least 35 minutes before slicing or serving. Best eaten the same day, or heated briefly in the oven the next day if crust loses its crispness.



1 comment:

  1. By the way, the recipe is from this link: http://kissmyspatula.com/2010/01/19/homemade-french-baguettes/ It's a beautiful little baking blog.

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