French bread is the standard for rustic bread: crispy crust, airy crumb, and subtle yeast aroma. This recipe teaches you how to make authentic French bread at home, with slow-rising dough and high-temperature baking for a perfectly golden exterior. Ideal for serving with cheese, soup, or simply with butter. The baguette is a national treasure in France.
It is impossible to count the number of baguettes baked every day in the world: in France alone, 16 million crusty loaves are consumed daily.
I decided to pay tribute to this legendary pastry and bake a baguette myself. Of course, I cannot match the skills of French bakers. But my first attempts were eaten with great pleasure!
For two 40 cm baguettes (longer ones would not fit in the baking tray), I used:
Ingredients
Per serving
Method
Mix the yeast with the milk, flour, and salt, and knead the dough.-
Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place it in the warm oven for 40 minutes. Knead the risen dough and let it rise again for 30 minutes.
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Then knead the dough on a silicone mat and cut the dough ball into 2 pieces.
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Cover one side with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying out. Wrap the other side in foil and roll it up, sealing the edges so that the baguette does not come apart during baking.
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Form the second baguette in the same way. Now let the baguettes rest for at least 20 minutes.
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Then grease the baguette with egg yolk mixed with milk, and make the cuts.
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Place the baguette in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
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You can serve the warm baguette with tea and jam. Or you can make sandwiches with salted red fish.
