Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
- Cornmeal, for dusting
- Milk, for brushing
Directions
In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir to blend. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the salt. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until most of the flour has been incorporated and the dough forms a ball. Continue to mix at the lowest speed until the dough has become a sticky ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl; about 4 to 5 minutes.
Dust the counter lightly with flour. Knead the dough by hand for a minute and form into a ball. Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let it sit in a warm spot for 2 hours to rise.
To form the baguettes: Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Press each piece of dough into a rectangle and fold the long sides up into the middle. Roll each into a log, taking care to close the seam. Taper the ends by gently rolling it back and forth. Lay the baguettes on a sheet pan that is dusted with cornmeal and cover with a towel. Let the baguettes rise for another 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
With sharp knife, make 4 or 5 diagonal slashes across the top of each loaf. Brush the tops of the loaves with milk. Bake for 40 minutes, until the bread is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
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By naomi.rissinger
Pennsylvania
on April 23, 2012
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I recently made this for my French class at school and they where such a hit! I took 3 of them in for my class and there is only 8 of us and we devoured them! they where so easy to make and the outcome was amazing! the only thing is i might just make 2 big loaves instead of the 4 small loaves!
By colin_lange_126...
Fort McMurray
on February 27, 2010
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I used this recipe both for Baguettes, as it was intended, and as the dough for Pan Frances. The only difference between the two is the shape of the loaf.
After a couple of tries I had to make three changes to Tyler's recipe that improved the process for me.
1. Instead of covering with a clean dish towle I covered my rising dough with plastic. (This makes the cutting a little easier because the loaves dry out less.
2. I Brushed the loaves with milk 4 times pre-slashing with a knife for the diagonal cuts. I then let it sit for a few minutes to let the crust soften prior to making the cuts with the knife.
After the cuts are made I brushed the pre-baked loaves again with milk for one last time.
3. I had to reduce the cooking time by a third for the Baguettes, and by half for the Pan Frances.
With these simple changes the recipe was easy and the bread was soft in the middle with the classic crust you would expect.
By faithwhitty_103...
Placentia, CA
on May 02, 2008
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I read all the reviews. Cooked them for less time, I think I'm going to slice the tops at the second rise instead of the end? I thought the bread had the perfect cruncy crust and tasted AWESOME! Totally easy too! But will also just make two loafs so they are bigger! Thank you all for the tips!
Read all 12 reviews