The French Baguettes Recipe By Éric Kayser Food

THE FRENCH BAGUETTES RECIPE BY ÉRIC KAYSER

Steps:

• Day 1: Mix 20g of rye flour with 5g of honey and 20g of water. Mix until there should be no flour left in the bottom of the glass. Let rest and cover with a clean kitchen cloth at room temperature for 24 hours.
• Day 2: Add 40g of rye flour, 40g of water, 5g of honey to your preparation. Mix well until there is no residue of flour on the bottom of the glass. Let rest and cover with a clean kitchen cloth at room temperature for 24 hours.
• Day 3: Add 80g of rye flour and 80g of water to your preparation. Mix until there should be no flour left in the bottom of the glass. Let rest and cover with a clean kitchen cloth at room temperature for 24 hours.
• Day 4: Add 100g of wheat flour (Type 65) and 100g of water to your preparation. Here is a levain starter ready to be used.
• Knead the 500g of flour with the 330g of water for a few minutes (about 4 minutes at slow speed). Let it rise at room temperature and under a kitchen towel for about 1 hour.
• Add the 4g of fresh baker's yeast, the 9g of salt, and the 100g of levain starter. Then, knead for 6 to 7 minutes.
• Place the dough on a kitchen towel. Take its temperature, it must be around 23/24°C (73/75°F) to have a good fermentation. Let the dough rise for 1 hour. Then, cut the dough in three, and shape the bread into round loaves. Leave them rest for 30 minutes.
• Put a little bit of flour on your kitchen worktops, just under the round loaf. Press on it but without degassing too much. Stretch the dough a little bit, roll it up and roll it out into a baguette shape. Put it on a kitchen cloth. Fold the kitchen cloth over so the dough does not touch each other and place another dough on top and so on. Let the dough rise for about 2 hours.
• Just before baking the bread, put water in the oven to create water vapor so you can rise the dough longer. Bake the bread for 22/23 min at 250°C/482°F (th.8-9).

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.

BAGUETTES (FRENCH BREAD)

Steps:

• To make the poolish, mix the flour and yeast in a medium, deep bowl. Add 200ml room temperature water and stir to a very thick batter. Cover with cling film then chill overnight, after which time the batter will have doubled in size.
• The next day, combine the flours, remaining yeast and the salt in a large mixing bowl. Add another 250ml water to the poolish, then pour into the flours and mix to make a very wet, sloppy dough. Let this sit for 20 mins, which helps the dough to come together more quickly as you knead.
• After 20 mins, the dough will still be wet - possibly much wetter than you're used to, but this is important for a delicious loaf. Either knead by hand for 10 mins (see tip on kneading a very wet dough, below), or in a mixer with a dough hook for 5-8 mins, until the dough firms up and becomes smooth and elastic. It will still feel sticky but have shape and spring.
• Dust a clean patch of worktop and the dough with a little more flour, then fold the dough inwards on itself to make a ball. It will be dry to touch on the outside, but pleasingly wobbly and alive within. Transfer to a lightly floured large bowl, cover with a clean teatowel and let rise for 1½ hours in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size.
• Dust a heavy teatowel or baker's cloth with plenty of flour, and put it onto onto a large kitchen tray or board. Shape three long, baguette-width ridges in the cloth. Turn the dough onto a floured worktop, then flour the sticky side lightly. Cut into 3 equal pieces using a large knife. Do not knead the dough or 'knock it back'.
• Working one at a time, press each piece of dough into a rough oval about 25cm long and 20cm deep. Fold one of the long sides to the middle and press it down well with your fingers. Fold in the other long edge in the same way, and press well again to make a long strip of dough with a groove down the centre. Now fold the dough over itself lengthways into a sausage, pressing the two sides together well in a tight seam against the worktop. Roll very lightly under your palms to seal and make the ends a little pointy. The loaf will be about 40cm long.
• Place the dough seam-side down in your prepared cloth, then repeat. Dust all the loaves with a little flour, cover with a clean teatowel and leave at room temperature for 1 hour, or until almost doubled in size.
• Heat oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 9. Put a roasting tin on a shelf towards the bottom of the oven, plus set a shelf in the top third. Scatter semolina or more flour over one or two large baking trays. Carefully roll or lift the breads onto the trays, leaving space for them to grow. If they stretch or go wonky don't worry, just pat them back carefully into place.
• With a very sharp craft knife or blade, slash the loaves diagonally 5 or 6 times, cutting 1-2cm in. Bake one tray at a time, adding 100ml water to the hot roasting tin and closing the oven door as quickly as you can. Bake for 20 mins or until dark golden, risen and crisp. Cool on racks and enjoy same day, or warmed in a hot oven for a few mins next morning.