Classic French Baguette Food

HOMEMADE FRENCH BAGUETTES

Steps:

• Combine the honey, yeast and 1/2 cup warm water. Stir to combine and let the mixture stand until the yeast is activated and begins to foam, 5 minutes.
• Mix the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl with a dough hook and slowly add in the yeast mixture. Gradually add 1 cup warm water and mix until the dough comes together into a ball that is not too wet (you may not need all of the water). If the dough is sticky, add a little bit more flour. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, 2 to 6 minutes. You can do the thumbprint test: press in the dough with your thumb and it should bounce back when it's ready.
• Form the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly-oiled bowl and cover with a dishcloth, so it doesn't dry out. Let rest in a warm environment until doubled in size, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Shape into 2 baguettes by making a flat rectangle out of your dough, then folding the top and bottom towards the middle, like an envelope, and sealing the seam with your fingers. Keep repeating the folding and sealing, stretching the rectangle lengthwise as you go, until it's about 12 to 14 inches long and 2 inches wide. Fold and seal either end to round. Flip seam-side down and place on a sheet pan or baguette pan that has been dusted with cornmeal. Score the tops of the loaves, making deep diagonal slits 1/2-inch deep, cover with a dishcloth and let rise in a warm environment until they have doubled in size, 25 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and position your oven racks with one on the bottom and the other in the middle. Place an oven-safe (non-glass) bowl or pan on the bottom rack.
• When your bread has doubled for the second time, remove the towel and quickly and simultaneously, slide the sheet tray with the baguettes onto the middle rack while carefully throwing the ice cubes into the bowl on the bottom rack. The ice will create a burst of steam that will give you a nice crispy crust. Quickly shut the oven door so no steam escapes. Bake the baguettes until golden brown, 15 minutes.
• Cook's Note: If you have a glass window on your oven, place a towel over it when throwing the ice in, hot glass can shatter if ice touches it.
• Serving suggestions: ricotta cheese and acacia honey.

CLASSIC BAGUETTE

Steps:

• Make and ferment the poolish: Combine the water and yeast in a medium bowl. Let stand 1 minute, then stir with a wooden spoon until yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and stir until the consistency of a thick batter. Continue stirring for about 100 strokes or until the strands of gluten come off the spoon when you press the back of the spoon against the bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm, draft-free place until it doubles in volume.
• Mix and knead the final dough: Measure the remaining ingredients. Measure and transfer 1 cup (9 ounces) of the poolish into a 6-quart bowl. (Discard remaining poolish) Add the water and yeast. Break the poolish up well with a wooden spoon and stir until it loosens and the mixture foams slightly. Add 1 cup of the flour and stir until well combined. Add the salt and only enough of the remaining flour to make a thick mass that is difficult to stir. Turn out onto a well-floured surface. Knead, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is soft and smooth, 15 to 17 minutes total. The dough is ready when a little dough pulled from the mass springs back quickly.
• Ferment the dough: Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest on a lightly floured surface while you scrape, clean, and lightly oil the large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn once to coat with oil. Take the dough's temperature: the ideal is 78 degrees. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degrees) draft-free place until doubled in volume, and a slight indentation remains after pressing a finger into the dough.
• Divide the dough and rest: Deflate the dough by pushing down in the center and pulling up on the sides. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly. Cut into 4 equal pieces. Flatten each with the heel of your hand and shape into a tight ball. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm draft-free place for 30 minutes.
• Shape the dough into loaves: Flatten each with the heel of your hand on an unfloured board. Shape each into a 14-inch loaf.
• Proof the loaves: Place the loaves seam side up in a well-floured couche. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm draft-free place until increased in volume about 1 1/2 times, or until a slight indentation remains when the dough is pressed with a fingertip.
• Bake the loaves: 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking, preheat the oven and homemade hearth or baking stone on the center rack of the oven to 450 degrees. The oven rack must be in the center of the oven. Gently roll the loaf onto a lightly floured peel, seam side down. Score the loaf with a sharp razor blade or serrated knife making quick shallow cuts. Using the peel, slide the loaves onto the hearth. Quickly repeat with the next 2 loaves. Quickly spray the inner walls and floor of the oven with cold water until steam has filled the oven. Quickly close the door to trap the steam and bake 3 minutes. Spray again, closing the door quickly so that the steam doesn't escape. Bake until the loaves are a rich caramel color and the crusts are firm, 15 to 20 minutes.
• To test the loaves for doneness, remove from the pans and hold them upside down. Strike the bottom firmly with your finger. If the sound is hollow, the breads are done. If not, bake 5 minutes longer. Cool completely on a wire rack.

CLASSIC FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Do ahead
• Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for 1 minute, until well blended and smooth. If the spoon gets too doughy, dip it in a bowl of warm water. The dough should form a coarse shaggy ball. Let it rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
• Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for 2 minutes or knead by hand for about 2 minutes, adjusting with flour or water as needed. The dough should be smooth, supple, and tacky but not sticky.
• Whichever mixing method you use, knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured work surface for about 1 minute more, then transfer it to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then immediately refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days. If the dough feels too wet and sticky, do not add more flour; instead, stretch and fold it one or more times at 10-minute intervals, as shown on page 18, before putting it in the refrigerator. (If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)
• On baking day
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours before you plan to bake. Gently transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, taking care to degas it as little as possible. For baguettes and bâtards, divide the cold dough into 10-ounce (283 g) pieces; for 1 pound boules, divide the dough into 19-ounce (53 g) pieces; and for freestanding loaves, use whatever size you prefer.
• Form the dough into bâtards and/or baguettes (see pages 21 and 22) or boules (see page 20). Mist the top of the dough with spray oil, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and proof at room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours, until increased to 1 1/2 times its original size.
• About 45 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 550°F (288°C) or as high as it will go, and prepare the oven for hearth baking (see page 30).
• Remove the plastic wrap from the dough 15 minutes prior to baking; if using proofing molds, transfer the dough onto a floured peel.
• Just prior to baking, score the dough 1/2 inch deep with a serrated knife or razor. Transfer the dough to the oven, pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan, then lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C).
• Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 15 to 25 minutes, until the crust is a rich golden brown, the loaves sound hollow when thumped, and the internal temperature is about 200°F (93°C) in the center. For a crisper crust, turn off the oven and leave the bread in for another 5 minutes before removing.
• Cool the bread on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing or serving.
• Variation
• By simply varying the method so that the shaped loaves undergo cold fermentation, rather than the freshly mixed bulk dough, you can create a spectacular loaf with a distinctive blistered crust. After the dough is mixed and placed in a clean, oiled bowl, let it rise at room temperature for about 90 minutes, until doubled in size. Divide and shape as described above, mist with spray oil, then cover the shaped dough loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight, away from anything that might fall on it or restrict it from growing.
• The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 hour before baking. It should have grown to at least 1 1/2 times its original size. Prepare the oven for hearth baking, as described on page 30. While the oven is heating, remove the plastic wrap and let the dough sit uncovered for 10 minutes. Score the dough while it's still cold, then bake as described above.

FRENCH BAGUETTE

Steps:

• In a big mixing bowl pour water and add yeast. Let stand for 5 min.
• Mix yeast and water until all yeast is disolved.
• Add salt.
• Add flour a bit at a time. When dough becomes to heavy to stir, move to table and knead dough as long as you like. The consistency of the dough should not be sticky and should not be too dry. Once you can 'play ball' from hand to hand with the dough it should be fine.
• Let rise for 30 min in warm place, cover with tea towel.
• Preheat oven to 375.
• Punch dough back down and form into 3-4 long baguettes.
• Let rise for 15 min, cover with tea towel.
• Slit the baguette with sharp knice diagonally accross every 2-3 inches.
• Brush with water (I wet a papertowel and run it quickly along the baguettes).
• Bake for approx 25 min or until bread turns golden.
• Brush with salted butter/becel while baguette is still warm.

THE FRENCH PICNIC BAGUETTE - PAN BAGNAT

Steps:

• Cut the baguette into even size portions.
• Then cut the baguette pieces or bread rolls in half lengthways, and scoop out some of the bread filling. (You use this for a gratin-type affair later in the week or for breadcrumbs).
• Rub the garlic over the inside of both halves, drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil and season well.
• In one hollowed-out half, pack in the egg slices, tuna, tomatoes, anchovies, olives, chopped red onion and lettuce leaves.
• Drizzle with more oil, and a little white-wine vinegar.
• Put the other half of the baguette or bread roll on top, wrap snugly in tinfoil and place on a flat surface. Lay some big books on top to weigh it down. (I use a Larousse Gastronomique!).
• Leave for an hour or two. Then remove the tinfoil and wrap a band of greaseproof or brown paper around the middle of each portion, and tie tightly with kitchen string.
• These can then be stored overnight in a covered container until next day. (This is not necessary - but can be handy to avoid all the fuss next day!).
• Take them on your picnic with wine, fruit and good company!
• Sublime!