Breads 101

Here are four basic ingredients that you can most likely find in your home or local quick store all you need is: Water, Flour, Salt, Yeast. That is all it takes to make a delicious baguette

French Baguette hydration 71%

Baguette at 71% hydration

-1000 g Flour

-710 g Water

-20 g Salt

-10 g Yeast

1. Scale out all your ingredients accurately right into the bowl that will be used for the bread making

2. Mix until all ingredients become uniform and fully hydrated; no white flour should be visible

3. Autolyse the dough in the mixer covered with plastic wrap or towel for 20 minutes

4. With a mixer running on medium speed (usually between speed 6-9 depending on size of bowl and how the dough reacts) this is called an improved method, now this time can vary you really want to check that the dough clears the bowl ( dough comes off the bowl and comes together) comes onto hook, and makes a slapping noise

5. Take the dough out gently using a bowl scraper into an oiled/buttered bowl (make sure bowl is twice if not tripled in size of the one the dough was made it) now let it ferment which is what gives bread the flavor, this will take at least an hour or more, watch your dough as it should double in size

6. Once it doubles is size let fall out of bowl onto your lightly floured work surface and shape into a square gently pulling onto dough to shape it

7. Using a metal bowl scrapper divide the dough into equal parts by cutting it with the scrapper hard trying to cut with one hit, if you have mini leftovers just roll them into a ball to make a mini kaiser roll baguette style, weigh the parts making sure each is 14 oz.

8. Now pre-shape your baguette; with the divided parts having it look like rectangles now starting long side towards you fold the top into middle and 'pinch' with all 5 fingers, rotate with now the other long half take and meet back into the middle with the other half, the shape should now start looking more of flat cylinder, rotate again fold from the top and seal the whole shape by bringing the side all the way across and closing with either your palm, side of hand including pinky, or side with palm and thumb.

9. Leave out your pre-shaped dough on the bench and let bench rest at least 20-30 min

10. Take dough give it one final fold only folding once in the middle then going around to seal it

11. proof your bread

12. Bake at 435 for 20 minutes with a heat safe pan in the oven filled with enough water to give steam, take out after 20 minutes and bake an extra 15 minutes.