French baguette
Description
Delicious baked treat for the whole family. As it turns out, there are no special difficulties in preparing this dish—just don't be lazy, knead the dough properly, and allow it to rest. All ingredients are easily available at any store and often already found in any home cook's kitchen. The main secret lies in the amount of water, not only when mixing the dough... Serve warm or chilled. Perfect with tea.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
1. Pour room-temperature water into a pot, add yeast and flour, mix into a sticky dough, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest in a warm place for 14 hours.
- 2
Step 2
2. The dough has doubled in size, then I knead it by hand to detach it from the sides.
- 3
Step 3
3. I dust the table with flour and turn the dough onto it.
- 4
Step 4
4. Shape the dough into an oval and divide it into 4 or 2 parts (depending on the number of loaves).
- 5
Step 5
5. Roll out each piece of dough, then fold both long edges inward.
- 6
Step 6
6. Press the dough against the table with my hands and roll it into a long sausage shape, repeating the same actions with the remaining three parts.
- 7
Step 7
7. I line the baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle it with flour, place 2 sausages on it (that's all that fits for me), cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for 90 minutes.
- 8
Step 8
8. After an hour and a half, the loaves look like this, they have risen.
- 9
Step 9
9. Remove the film and make diagonal cuts along the entire length with a sharp knife. Using a spray bottle, mist the loaves with plain drinking water, then place them in a preheated oven at 250-300 degrees for 15 minutes. Put a pan of water on the bottom rack.
- 10
Step 10
10. After 5 minutes, I spray the loaf with water again and rotate the baking sheet; after another 10 minutes, I repeat the same procedure. After the final spraying, I let the loaves bake for an additional 15 minutes, then remove them from the baking sheet.