Classic French Baguette | Recipeish | Gustus Vitae
Yield: 3 Large baguettes.
Time Estimate: 2 Hours, including 1:45 unattended.
Storage Notes: Best if enjoyed the same day.
Difficulty: Easy.
Baguettes! This classic French bread is endlessly versatile, from making deliciously flaky lunchtime sub sandwiches to deeply savory garlic bread for dinner, to repurposing as crunchy bread crumbs for the next day's Cesar salad.
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 Cups flour (we like using King Arthur's all purpose)
- 1 1/2 Tsp California Sea Salt
- 1 Tsp Dry active yeast
- 1 Cup distilled water, at room temperature
- Special Equipment Required: Baguette Baker
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, use a fork to mix together flour, California Sea Salt, yeast, and water. Attach the dough hook, and mix for 5 minutes on low.
- Cover with a damp towel, and allow to rise for 40 minutes.
- Pour out from bowl onto a floured surface, and kneed out into a roll. Divide into 3 even sections. Roll each section in a tube as long as the grooves on the baguette baker, pinching down the bottom of each roll to form a slight crease.
- Lightly flour your baguette baker, and place in each roll, crease-side down.
- Cover, and allow to rise for another 30 minutes. As the bread is rising, preheat oven to 450F.
- Use a food brush or mister to lightly coat the tops of the bread with water - this will help in giving them a rustic caramel color - replace the top, and pop in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Remove cover, baking for a final 5 minutes or until the baguettes are golden brown.
- Remove, allow to cool, and devour as is, or with your choice of toppings and fillings.
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