Sponge Baguette Food

HOW TO MAKE FRENCH BAGUETTES

Steps:

• Place yeast into the bottom of a large mixing bowl and stir with water; mix in salt. Beat flour into yeast mixture with a wooden spoon until dough is thick and sticky and pulls flour from the side of the bowl, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand in a turned-off oven until doubled in size, 12 to 14 hours. Dough will be bubbly and very sticky.
• Place a silicone baking mat onto a baking sheet and dust generously with cornmeal.
• Use a floured spatula to scrape dough out onto a well-floured work surface and dust dough with flour. With well-floured hands, pat dough into a rectangle and cut into 4 equal-size pieces.
• Dust a piece of dough with flour and use your floured fingers to gently roll and stretch it out into a log about 10 inches long and 1 1/2 inches around. Gently transfer to prepared baking sheet. If desired, wipe off excess cornmeal with a damp paper towel. Repeat with another piece of dough. (Reserve remaining dough to bake later or prepare 2 baking sheets to bake all 4 at once). Dust loaves lightly with flour. Dust a large piece of plastic wrap with flour and drape plastic lightly over the baking sheet with floured side down.
• Let loaves rise, covered, until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hour.
• Move oven racks to the bottom and middle positions. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C) or as high as your oven will go. Place an oven-safe baking dish full of water into bottom rack of the oven.
• Use a sharp kitchen shears to cut 4 or 5 angled slashes into the top of each loaf. Poke down the little sharp tips of dough left by the scissors. Spray loaves with water, using a spray bottle.
• Bake in the preheated oven until baguettes are browned, about 15 minutes, spraying loaves with water after 5 minutes and 10 minutes. Turn the pan around on the second spraying.
• Transfer baguettes to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature before slicing with a serrated knife.

BAGUETTE

Steps:

• In large bowl, sprinkle yeast and sugar over warm water and let stand until foamy (about 5 minutes) With wooden spoon, stir in 2 cups flour until combined.
• Stir in salt and 2 cups remaining flour until mixture forms a stiff dough.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead dough with lightly floured hands (8 minutes or until smooth and elastic), kneading in enough of remaining 1/2 cup flour to keep dough from sticking.
• Transfer dough to a lightly oiled deep bowl covered with plastic wrap until doubled in bulk (about 1 1/2 hrs.) Preheat oven to 400 F.
• Punch down dough and form into a long slender loaf.
• (21 inches long and 3 inches wide) Put loaf diagonally on a lightly greased large or 17" x 14" baking sheet and let rise uncovered for about 30 minutes.
• Baguette may be made up to this point 4 hours ahead and chilled.
• Make 3-4 diagnal slashes on loaf with sharp knife and lightly brush top with cool water.
• Bake loaf on middle rack 30 minutes or until golden and transfer to rack to cool.

FRESH BAGUETTE

Steps:

• In a large bowl sprinkle yeast and sugar over warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• With a wooden spoon stir in 2 cups flour until combined.
• Stir in salt and 2 cups of remaining flour until mixture forms a stiff dough.
• On a lightly floured surface knead dough with lightly floured hands 8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic, kneading in enough of remaining 1/2 cup flour to keep dough from sticking.
• Transfer dough to a lightly oiled deep bowl, turning to coat with oil, and let rise, bowl covered with plastic wrap, until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 475-500°F (My oven does best with 475°, but it runs hot).
• Punch down dough and form into a long slender loaf about 21 inches long and 3 inches wide.
• You can also form individual mini-loaves.
• Put loaf diagonally on a lightly greased large or 17 x 14-inch baking sheet and let rise, uncovered, about 30 minutes.
• (Baguette may be made up to this point 4 hours ahead and chilled.) Make 3 or 4 diagonal slashes on loaf with a razor and lightly brush top with cool water.
• Bake loaf in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until golden and sounds hollow when tapped, and transfer to a rack to cool.
• Notes: For a chewy interior and perfect, crusty exterior, place a dutch oven filled with water in oven as it preheats for about an hour.
• The humid enviroment will ensure the texture comes out right.
• Baking stones don't hurt either.
• If you don't want to put water into the oven, you can use a spray mister to keep the enviroment moist as it cooks.

NO KNEAD BAGUETTE

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients together. Cover with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in it.
• Let rise in a warm place for 18 to 24 hours. It will look very wet.
• Scrape out of bowl with a spatula on a well floured surface and divide in half.
• Shape each into a flattened oval shape, cover with greased plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Fold dough length wise and seal with fingers. Fold length wise again and seal with fingers.
• Roll until it is about 15 inches.
• Place on Baguette pan or sheet pan.
• Let rise until very puffy.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Slash baguettes with razor blade.
• Place a pan of water in your oven floor.
• Spritz baguette with water and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

FRENCH BAGUETTE

Steps:

• Other equipment: unbleached all-purpose flour for kneading, sesame seeds (optional), cornmeal, tray of hot water, razor blade, sheetpan, parchment and Dough scraper.
• Starter Dough: In a small bowl, mix the yeast in the lukewarm water (do the baby's bottle test on your wrist) and make sure that it bubbles (about 10 minutes).
• In a bowl large enough for the starter dough to triple, transfer the yeast-water mixture, add the flour a half a cup at a time mixing it in well with a wooden spoon.
• When the ingredients have been thoroughly combined, the Starter Dough will be quite soupy.
• Let the Starter Dough rise, covered, in a no-draught spot on the counter (at room temperature) for 7 to 10 hours.
• Bread: To make the dough, add 1/2 cup of flour to the Starter Dough.
• Stir with a wooden spoon.
• Continue to add all but 1/2 cup of the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring all the time.
• (Note: To make a more rustic bread, use 1/2 c whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 c white flour).
• You don't have to add all the flour.
• You know it's enough when the dough comes away from the side of the bowl.
• It will still be quite sticky.
• Dust your board or counter with some of the last 1/2 c flour and then scrape the dough out of the bowl.
• Sprinkle salt over top.
• Use the extra flour to help you handle the wet dough.
• Using a dough scraper when the dough sticks to the surface, knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes until it is smooth and silky (it should feel like your ear lobe when done).
• Scrape away any dough that is on the board.
• As you knead, add flour a very little at a time to stop it from sticking.
• The dough will still be quite loose.
• Put the dough in a lightly floured bowl.
• Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a no-draught place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• When the dough has doubled, deflate the dough by pushing down on it with your fist and turn it out onto the board.
• Divide it in two equal pieces.
• Sprinkle or Sift a fine coating of flour on the work surface.
• Place one ball of dough on the surface and gently pat it down to an even thickness of 1 inch.
• Do not attempt to deflate every air bubble.
• Using the heels and palms of your hands, flatten the dough into a crude rectangle measuring about 1 inch thick.
• Fold the long side farthest from you a little over 2/3 of the way toward you.
• Using the heel of your hand, gently press the folded edge to seal the dough.
• Pick up the dough and turn it 180 degrees.
• Fold over the other long edge of the dough about 2/3 of the way, and seal with the palm of your hand.
• To make a compact cylinder easy to roll into a baguette shape, use both hands to fold the log in half lengthwise.
• This time, as you fold, press your thumbs gently inside the fold to create tension on the surface of the log.
• Using your fingertips, press the edges together to seal the dough into a taut cylinder.
• This will produce a visible seam running the length of the dough.
• To roll the dough into a baguette shape, place both hands on the center of the log with your fingers spread apart.
• Using light uniform pressure, gently roll the dough back and forth into a long snake.
• Taking care not to stretch the dough, move your hands from the center of the dough to the ends as the loaf begins to lengthen to about 14- 16 inches.
• If the dough resists rolling, let it rest for 5 minutes before continuing.
• Put the baguette seam side down on a baking pan that has cornmeal (or parchment) sprinkled on the bottom of the pan.
• Optional: Wet your hands well and rub the dough.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds over each baguette.
• Repeat forming process with the other piece of dough.
• Cover sheetpan with plastic wrap then a damp towel and let rise again to almost double (about 45 minutes).
• Thirty minutes before you are going to bake, turn oven to 500F and Put water into a broiling pan and place it on the bottom rack of the oven.
• Slash the top of the baguettes with a very sharp knife or razor blade horizontally across the loaf at a slight angle- make cuts at 2-3- inch intervals.
• Spray the baguettes liberally with water.
• Put bread in oven and immediately turn the oven down to 450F.
• Bake the bread on the second lowest rack for 30 minutes or until it is hollow sounding on the bottom.
• The bread will be done when the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees.
• Turn off the oven.
• leave the finished bread in the oven and leave with the door ajar for 5 or 10 minutes.
• Remove to cool on cooling racks.
• Wait until the bread is cool before cutting it.

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.

SPONGE BAGUETTE

Steps:

• Make a sponge with the first three ingredients; cover and ferment at least 15 minutes Add 1 c water, 5 c flour (gradually) while mixing.
• Mix about 10 minutes, adding salt in last minute.
• Round, cover, proof until dough doubles in size.
• Punch, scale dough into 14 oz.
• pieces.
• Roll by hand into 1" dia.
• tubes with tapered ends.
• place on floured pan (preferrably baguette pan, otherwise cookie sheet) with seam down Lightly coat with pan spray and cover with plastic wrap, proof until doubled in thickness Remove plastic, slash 1/2" deep with five overlapping diagonal slashes Bake at 425* (convection) or 450* (conventional), spraying walls of oven every two minutes for first 10 minutes, until crust is a deep golden brown.