Baguette (baguette de tradition)

Method

1. Mix the flour with 400 ml of water into a rough dough and leave it to rest for 30 minutes. Add 4 g of crumbled yeast, 11 g of salt and the remaining 30 ml of water and knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic; it should be at about 24 °C.
   TipYeast doughYeast is only human: cosy warmth gets it working, real heat finishes it off, and in the cold it just dawdles.Why and howShow less

   Why

   The yeast cells break down sugars from the flour into carbon dioxide and alcohol; the gas, trapped in the gluten network, inflates the dough, while the by-products give it flavour. They work best at roughly 25–35 °C, slow down in the cold without dying, and begin to die from about 50–55 °C, so milk that is too hot kills the yeast before the dough ever reaches the oven. Salt slows fermentation and strengthens the gluten; plenty of sugar draws water away from the yeast and plenty of fat coats it, so sweet, buttery yeast doughs take longer to rise. A longer, cooler rise, such as overnight in the fridge, gives the dough more flavour, whereas over-proofed dough runs out of strength, collapses and smells sour and boozy.

   How to do it

   1. Warm the milk or water only until lukewarm, about body temperature – it mustn't feel hot on your wrist.
   2. Stir fresh yeast with a little lukewarm liquid, a teaspoon of sugar and some flour, and let the starter get going.
   3. Mix the salt into the flour, not straight into the starter.
   4. Leave the dough to rise covered in a warm, draught-free spot until it has roughly doubled in size.
   5. Give sweet doughs rich in butter and sugar more time to rise, or add a little more yeast.
   6. Check the rise with a finger: the dent should spring back slowly; if it stays, the dough is over-proofed.

   If it goes wrong

   If the starter didn't bubble, the yeast was old or scalded – make a new one with fresh yeast. Dough that won't rise should go somewhere warmer (not directly on a radiator) and be given time. Knock back over-proofed dough briefly, shape it and let it rise again for a short while; it will be a little denser, but it will still bake.

   Full card

   TipKneading and glutenGluten is the dough's gym: give bread a proper workout, and let sponge cakes and pancakes put their feet up.Why and howShow less

   Why

   When wheat flour meets water, its proteins gliadin and glutenin link up into gluten, and kneading stretches and aligns these chains into a springy, extensible network. In bread and yeast doughs a strong network is exactly what you want: it traps the gas from fermentation, the dough rises and the crumb is springy. In shortcrust pastry, sponge cake, pancakes or muffins the same network does damage – the result is tough and rubbery, muffins develop tunnels and pastry shrinks in the oven. Fat coats the flour particles and sugar holds on to water, so both hold back gluten formation; that's why such mixtures are only briefly combined and small lumps are left in. Resting relaxes the gluten, so the dough then rolls out more easily and shrinks less.

   How to do it

   1. Knead bread dough by hand for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic and it stretches into a thin membrane without tearing.
   2. Stir pancake and muffin batters only briefly, until no dry flour remains – small lumps are fine.
   3. Bring shortcrust together quickly, with cold butter and cool hands, and simply press it into a ball.
   4. Fold the flour into a sponge mixture last and gently with a spatula, lifting from the bottom.
   5. If dough springs back as you roll it, cover it and let it rest for 10–20 minutes.

   If it goes wrong

   Wrap overworked pastry and chill it for at least half an hour: the gluten relaxes and the fat firms up, so it shrinks less in the oven, though it will be a little tougher. Let overmixed pancake batter rest for 15–30 minutes before cooking; that will at least ease the toughness. A tough baked sponge or muffin can't be fixed – mix less next time.

   Full card

2. Leave the dough to rise in a covered bowl for 2 hours (the pointage), folding it after 40 and 80 minutes: stretch an edge up and fold it over the centre, working all the way round. Alternatively let it rise for 1 hour and then for 12–24 hours in the fridge at 4 °C.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, divide it into 3 pieces of about 355 g and loosely roll each into an oval. Cover and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
4. Flatten each piece, fold it in thirds, roll it up tightly and roll it out with your palms from the centre towards the ends to 35–40 cm (45–50 cm in a bakery). Lay the baguettes seam side up in a floured, pleated linen cloth.
5. Let the baguettes prove for 30–45 minutes at about 25 °C. Meanwhile heat the oven to 250 °C with a baking stone or tray inside and put an empty tray on the oven floor for steam.
6. Transfer the baguettes seam side down onto paper or a peel and score them with a blade with one to three shallow diagonal cuts that overlap lengthways.
7. Slide the baguettes onto the stone, pour 100 ml of boiling water into the tray on the oven floor and close the door at once. Bake at 250 °C for 20–23 minutes, removing the water tray after 10 minutes. The finished baguettes are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped underneath.
8. Let the baguettes cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before cutting.