INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the yeast and the warm water in a small bowl and stir with a fork
to dissolve the yeast. Let stand for 3 minutes. Combine the flours and salt
in a large bowl. Pour the cool water and the yeast mixture over the flour,
and mix with your fingers to form a shaggy mass. Move the dough to a
lightly floured work surface and knead for 4 minutes. It should be supple
and resilient, but not too smooth at this point. Let the dough rest on the
work surface for 20 minutes, covered with plastic wrap or a light towel.
(This rest period is the autolyse.) Knead the dough for 6 to 8 minutes.
Don't overknead it: The dough should be smooth, stretchy, and resilient.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it in the bowl to coat with
oil, and cover it with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature ( 75 to
77 degrees F) for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until nearly doubled in volume.
Gently deflate the dough and fold it over itself in the bowl. Reshape it
into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for 1 1/4 hours or
until it has nearly doubled again. Gently deflate the dough again, reshape
into a round, cover, and let rise for about 1 hour. Place the dough on a
very lightly floured surface and divide it into 3 equal pieces (about 10
ounces each). Gently stretch one piece into a rectangle, leaving some large
bubbles in the dough. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up as if
you were folding a business letter. Now form the loaf into a log by rolling
the dough over from left to right and sealing the seam with the heel of
your palm. Fold the dough over about 1/ 3 of the way each time, seal the
length of the loaf, then repeat. You want to gently draw the skin tight
over the surface of the baguette while leaving some air bubbles in the
dough. Seal the seam, being careful not to tear the skin of the dough or
deflate its airy structure. Set aside on the work surface to relax efore
elongating it, and repeat the shaping process with remaining pieces of
dough. Now elongate each baguette, starting with the first one you shaped,
by rolling it back and forth on the work surface. Begin with both hands
over the center of the loaf and work them out to the ends until the loaf
reaches the desired length. (Don't get carried away, or the baguettes won't
fit in your oven!) Place the finished loaves on a peel or upside down
baking sheet lined with parchment paper and generously sprinkled with
cornmeal or on a baguette pan. Cover the loaves with well oiled plastic or
a floured cloth and let rise for 30 to 40 minutes until the loaves are
slightly plump but still not doubled in volume. The final rise is short,
because you want the baguettes to be slightly underproofed; this will give
them a better oven spring, resulting in loaves with a light, airy crumb and
more flared cuts. Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500
degrees F. Place a baking stone in the oven to preheat, and place an empty
water pan directly under the stone. Use a very sharp razor blade or lame to
make 3 to 5 slashes, depending on the length of your loaves, on the top of
each baguette. The cuts should run from one end of the loaf to the other,
rather than across it, and the blade should be held at a 30 degree angle to
the loaf so that the cuts pop open in the oven. Be careful not to press
down too hard, or you may deflate the loaves. Using a plant sprayer, mist
the loaves. Gently slide the loaves onto the preheated stone, or place the
baguette mold in the oven. Pour 1 cup of very hot water into the water pan
and quickly close the oven door. After 1 minute, mist the loaves and oven
walls 6 to 8 times and close the door. After 2 more minutes, spray the
loaves and the oven walls again. Bake for 12 minutes, then lower the oven
temperature to 400 degrees F and bake for 25 to 30 minutes longer until the
loaves are golden brown and crisp. Move them to a rack to cool. Enjoy your
baguettes still slightly warm with some soft, ripe French cheese and a
glass of wine. Note: If cake flour is not available, you can use the same
amount of unbleached all-purpose flour, but cake flour will give the
baguette a lighter texture. Yield: 3 14 inch long loaves, BAKERS' DOZEN AMY
SCHERBER SHOW #BD1A55, Copyright, 1996, TV FOOD NETWORK, G.P., All Rights
Reserved Recipe by: BAKERS' DOZEN AMY SCHERBER SHOW #BD1A55 Posted to
MC-Recipe Digest V1 #511 by 4paws@netrax.net (Shermeyer-Gail) on Mar 11,
1997

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