Easy Baguette (Makes 2 small)
Ingredients
500 g Standard Flour
350ml Lukewarm water
3g Dry Yeast
10g Salt
This is one of the easiest recipes to get into breadmaking.
Mix flour and water in a bowl until no longer dry, cover and rest for 30 minutes.
This will allow the gluten to develop without hard kneading.
In a separate mug add the yeast and lukewarm water (if your water is too hot you might “kill” the yeast) and incorporate into the flour mix, after gently kneading or folding the dough properly let it rest for another 30 minutes and then add salt and fold again.
Now we are going to let the dough proof for 2 to 2 and a half hours, every 30-40 minutes we will fold the dough onto itself (stretch and fold 4 times)
Dump the dough onto a floured surface, divide into two equal pieces, shape them into rectangles, and let them rest covered for 15 minutes.
Shape the baguettes, roll them up loosely and seal the seam well.
Last proofing, cover loosely with clingwrap for 40 to 60 minutes and in the meantime, we will preheat our oven to 230C, add a tray at the bottom of the oven for steam.
Make 3-4 diagonal surface cuts on the baguette, put the baguettes in the oven, half a cup of water on the bottom tray and close immediately; the steam will cause the baguette to have a crunchy exterior.
Open the oven to release steam on the 10 minute mark, lower the temperature to 220C and then cook for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Let it cool slightly before slicing.
