Ingreadient :

Baguettes

• 500g Strong bread flour
• 5g Yeast
• 350g Water
• 10g Sea Salt

Jambon Beurre Baguette

• A few slices of good ham
• Salted butter
• Dijon mustard
• Cornichons
• A few slices of gruyere or comté is desired

Steak Hache Baguette

• Good beef mince (15 to 20% fat), well seasoned and formed into a patty
• Dijon mustard
• Salad leaves such as lambs lettuce
• Some freshly made frites

Direction :

1. To prepare your dough using a mixer.
2. Place your cool water into the mixer bowl. Rub the yeast into the flour and tip this on top of the water. Mix the dough on speed 1 or 2 for four minutes then turn the speed up to 3 or 4 and mix until the dough starts to come away from the bottom of the bowl.
3. Add the salt and mix again until the dough comes away from the bottom of the bowl again.
4. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and form into a ball with a smooth top.
5. Place the dough into a lightly floured bowl and cover.  Leave the bowl for 45 minutes and then give the bread a turn (tuck the edges down with a scraper and fold the front corner down under the dough. Repeat this on every side of the dough.)
6. Recover the bowl and leave for another 30 minutes.  Put the bowl in the fridge overnight.
7. Preheat the oven to 240°C.
8. Remove the bowl from the fridge.
9. Line a tray with your lightly floured couche. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Using your scraper, cut the dough into four pieces (about 215g each). Roll each piece into a ball by folding each edge in turn to the centre of the dough, pressing down with your thumb or fingers, rotating as you go. Rest the balls for 5 minutes.
10. Take the first ball, turn it rounded side down, flatten with the heel of your hand into an oval shape. Fold one side of your flattened dough into the middle, use the heel of your hand to press it down to seal. Fold in half lengthways, seal the edges so you end up with a long log shape.
11. Roll each baguette to shape and extend it to the length of your couche-lined baking tray. Lay the baguettes on the couche, making a pleat in the towel between them to stop them touching. Cover with a baking cloth and leave for 45-60 minutes or until they have doubled in volume.
12. Transfer the baguettes to a lightly floured wooden peel, flat-edged or upturned baking tray. Using a razor blade or sharp knife make 3 diagonal cuts across the baguettes, try to make the cuts cleanly without dragging the dough.
13. Mist the inside of the oven using a water spray just before putting the baguettes in the oven to make them crunchier.
14. Slide the baguettes in and spray again with water. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Don’t open the oven for the first 4-5 minutes so the crust has enough heat to form.