Warren's French Bread Baguettes Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
6 to 7 c. bread or unbleached flour2 tbsp. sugar
1 to 1 1/2 tbsp. salt
1 pkg. yeast (Fleischmann's regular or Rapid Rise)
2 1/2 c. water (tap water, very hot to wrist)
Egg white for glaze
Cooking Directions
I use a heavy duty mixer because of the large amount of flour.Put about 5 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast into a large mixer bowl. Mix by hand. Then mix in the water, again by hand. Mix by machine, adding more flour as needed using dough hook. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down. Cover with inverted mixer bowl and let rest for 15 minutes approximately.
Divide dough into 4 pieces. Form a baguette from each piece by first beating it with your palm into an oval approximately 5x3 inches. Then roll the oval into a rope. Flatten the top with your hand (POUND IT) while simultaneously stretching it to about 2 feet long. Fold the flat rope into thirds and pound it with your palm into a rectangle approximately 10x4 inches. Roll the rectangle into a baguette. Place in prepared baguette pans. Make three 1/4 inch deep slashes with razor blade. Repeat with the other pieces of dough.
Brush baguettes with beaten egg white. Cover; let rise in warm place, about 45 minutes.
START WITH COLD OVEN. Put small pan of boiling water in bottom of oven. Spray (mist) the loaves with warm water. Start the oven at 450 degrees; after 10 minutes, spray loaves again, filling oven with mist. Continue baking for a total of approximately 35 minutes.
If loaves don't "thump" done and look nice and brown, reduce temperature to 350 degrees and check at 5 minute intervals for a nice hollow "thump." Cool as usual on wire racks.