Baguette Party

Here's a video that i made of my mom making baguettes at our house in Paris, France. Though we, as French people, are well know for this beloved bread, there are not a lot of people out there who can master the technique. It took several (we can say more than a 100) attempts to my mom to get to that point. So if you don't make it perfect the first time it is going to be alright! Never give up and always try again another time.

Ingredients to make 8 baguettes of 220 grams each

• 1 kilogram of flour (type 55 preferably)
• 15 grams of baker's yeast (i dont know the real name in english but it comes in small cubes and it's soft)
• 22 grammes of salt
• 70 centiliters of water
• Plastic bin or bowl
• Rimmed cookie sheet or cast iron frying pan
• Four kitchen towels
• Parchment paper or couche
• Razor blade

The key is not to put too much yeast (15 grammes only) and not too much water (700 milliters/1 kilo of flour). If you feel like it's too sticky on your hand while kneading, just add a tablespoon of flour but not more.

Also all the utensils used are not professionals ones, meaning you can find find the "wavy"pans at a regular store. Sometimes the dough can stick to the pan so you can put the dough on parchment paper cut at the same shape and size of the baguette.

Step 1:
Stirr well the salt, water and yeast together





Step 2:
Knead the dough for about 20 mins til it gets soft on the surface. Let it rest for 2 hours and until the dough gets twice its size.



Step 3:
After 2 hours start shaping the baguettes. Then let them rest again for an hour, the baguettes need to rise a little.













Step 4: the baking
Put the baguette on a pan using greaseproof paper. Sprinkle some flour on the baguette and use a razor blade to notch them. Let them cook in already warm up oven 400 Fº with a pan filled with water underneath the pan (to produce some vapor to make a crusty bread) until they get a golden color.
Enjoy!