3-Hour Baguette: A Quick Artisanal Delight
It is the New Year, Dear Reader! How lovely to be ushering forward a new year of possibilities, dreams, ideas, and art in 2024. Oh, I have some big dreams that I hope to bring to life this year while also taking a step back from the hustle.
I wanted to share a little gift with you on this first day of the new year… a recipe from our NEW cookbook coming February 2024! I am so excited for The Cottagecore Baking Book to grace your collection of cookbooks, and you can pre-order it here on Amazon. The recipe in the book has some special shaping to it, though, so I thought I would share a more basic style baguette.
what is a baguette?
Now, this recipe is not a true baguette. It’s really more like a basic French bread baked in a baguette style. It's not fermented and proved over many hours. This is a 3-hour baguette, which means you get the same crackly results in only a few hours.
What makes this recipe different from a traditional baguette? It’s the deep flavor! This bread’s flavor is just not as strong as a baguette that is made with a traditional poolish, or a super hydrated fermented yeast starter. I love this recipe for making sandwiches, and you see this bread in action for my Steak Sandwich with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms and Garlic Dill Spread.
This time-saving bread recipe can achieve similar results to a bread recipe that takes multiple days worth of time so that you can enjoy your sandwich on the same day!
shaping the baguettes:
When it comes to shaping a baguette, there are a few tricks to follow to create a delicious crumb that does not fall apart. Shaping a baguette correctly helps to provide a significant structure that helps the bread to retain its tight and round shape while proofing before baking at a high temperature. While this bread is a quick baguette, it still needs the structure to bake correctly!
Begin by pressing out the dough into a rectangular shape. Then, taking one of the shorter ends, fold it into the middle of the rectangle like a business letter.
Repeat this with the other short end of the dough, pressing it into the middle of the rectangle and slightly overlapping the first fold.
Then, enclose the seam you just created and pinch it closed, all the way across the loaf. Pinch the ends closed and repeat this process, creating a really tight cylindrical shape.
Pull the dough on the counter towards you to create an even tighter shape. Then, with both of your hands, evenly rolls out the dough to about 16-inches (40-cm) long, tapering the ends so that they are pointy.
baking the baguettes:
Once the baguettes have been shaped into their final long and skinny loaves, it will soon be time to bake them after a short proving time! First, place the shaped baguettes onto a couche, or a large piece of linen cloth, used for proving bread. Having a couche is not necessary to make baguettes, but it is nice because of how thick the material is. Using a thinner material like a flour sack towel can cause the dough to sag outwards and produce a flatter loaf.
The loaves are placed onto the floured cloth, with the cloth folded between the loaves of bread so that they do not touch and grow together. Then, the extra material is draped over the bread to keep the moisture in.
Once the loaves have been proved, they are transferred to a baguette baking pan. Baguette pans are perforated so that steam can reach all sides of the bread and not just the top!
Once the baguettes are on the pan, they are slashed on top with a sharp knife or bread lame, and placed into a super hot and steamy oven to create that delicious golden crust.
final thoughts:
I hope that this recipes helps you to learn some of the shaping and baking techniques for making baguettes! I believe that while this recipe isn’t the real deal, it can be a great recipe for a beginner to work with before they dive all the way into making starter and fermented breads. A time-saving bread recipe is always welcome in my kitchen, especially if it helps me to achieve the same vibe as a loaf that took many hours of work.
This effortless artisanal recipe is a perfect swap for a fussier baguette! Though, I prefer the real deal if I have the time! (:
xoxo Kayla
3 Hour Baguette
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (380 ml) water
- 2 tsp (8 g) active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp (9 g) kosher salt
- 4 cups (500 g) high-gluten bread flour or all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat the water to 110°F (43°C).
- In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, pour the warm water into the bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom, or grow and become bubbly. Whisk in the salt.
- Gradually begin to add the flour 1 cup (125 g) at a time on low speed. Increase the speed as the dough begins to come together, kneading on medium-high speed for 6 to 8 minutes. It is ready when the dough no longer clings to the sides of the bowl and is smooth, elastic, and a little bit sticky. This dough in particular is very pillowy and soft.
- Knead the dough on the countertop into a ball, pulling it toward you on the counter while simultaneously tucking the bottom of the dough underneath itself. Place the dough into a large, lightly-greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel. Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes.
- After the resting period, gently deflate the dough by pressing down on it. Stretch and pull the dough by lifting up a corner of it, pulling away from the dough, and folding it over the top of the dough ball. Repeat this all around the circle of dough and tuck the ends underneath, forming a new ball. Cover the bowl back up and let the dough rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Deflate the dough again. Bring it onto your countertop and divide the dough into two equal sized pieces. If necessary, lightly flour your countertop. Press the dough out on the counter with your fingertips into a 4 x 6–inch (10 x 15–cm) rectangle.
- To shape the baguette, fold half of the dough towards the center of the rectangle, like a business letter, and press it into the dough to seal. Fold the other half of the dough toward the center and press it in to seal.
- Taking the edge of the dough, roll it over the center seam you just created and press the loaf together, pinching and rolling along the entire length
- of the little cylinder to enclose the loaf. Flip the loaf over with the seam
- on the counter, dragging the loaf toward you to close the seam and create some tension on the loaf. Once the bread is firmly sealed, roll it out into a log about 16 inches (40 cm) long. Taper the very ends of the bread to create pointy tips. Repeat with the second loaf of bread.
- Transfer the shaped loaves to a couche or floured kitchen towel for the final proof. To create space for both loaves, pull up part of the fabric in between the two loaves; then cover the loaves with the remaining material or plastic wrap. Let the bread rise until nearly doubled, about 45 minutes. They are ready to bake when you make an indentation in the dough with your finger and it remains rather than popping back up.
- While the loaves proof for a second time, preheat the oven to 475°F (246°C). Place a shallow pan of water in the bottom of the oven to create steam. Line an 18 x 13–inch (46 x 33–cm) baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Once the loaves have puffed, it is time to shape them into wheat stalks. Carefully transfer the loaves to the prepared baking sheet. With a sharp pair of kitchen scissors, make a neat cut into the loaf crosswise, about
- 2 inches (5 cm) from the tapered end. Lift and set the piece of cut dough, which looks a bit like a leaf, to one side of the loaf. Make a second cut another 2 inches (5 cm) above the previous cut, moving the dough over to the opposite side of the loaf. Repeat this process all up the length of the loaf, leaving the opposing tapered end straight. Shape the second loaf in a similar fashion.
- Bake the loaves in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the loaves are a deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped upon with your fingertips or a spoon. Let the loaves rest for 15 to 20 minutes before pulling apart!
- To store the bread, keep it at room temperature wrapped in plastic or a cloth bread bag for about 1 week.
Notes
This recipe is from my new cookbook, The Cottagecore Baking Book, coming out on February 20th, 2024. Click here to pre-order your copy!
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