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Simple Joyful Food

Eat happily

starch

Artisan French Baguette Part 2: The Finished Product

February 4, 2011 4 Comments

Posted by Lyndi
Today we continue with the finale of my dad (“the Bella Vista Baker”) making artisan bread.  Click here for Part 1, in case you missed it!
Dad’s words of wisdom:  “Remember, the slower and longer the yeast rises, the better the flavor!”
Take the dough out of fridge two hours before you begin this phase. 
“you want to bring the dough up to room temperature”
FORMING THE BAGUETTE
1. Lightly flour the cutting board surface. 
“in our case, we’ll need extra because our dough is on the wet side”
2. Roll dough gently on cutting board surface. 
“DO NOT KNEAD, POUND, OR PUNCH DOWN!”
3. Gently form the dough.  
4. Cut dough in half for two normal-sized baguettes. 
“I like small loaves, so I cut in four”
5. Take each one and gently form into a cylindar shape.  
“be gentle”
6. Cover with a towel and let it sit for 15 minutes. 
“it relaxes the gluten when it sits, so it’s not tough”
7.  Spray baguette pan with PAM spray.  
8. Flour cutting board and roll baguettes in flour. 
“Be really gentle with it.  If I find a raisin that sticks out,
I push it back in so it doesn’t burn into a hard crisp when baking”
9. Place in baguette pan. 
“Because this is a wet dough, the raisins pick up
all the water so they stay big, fat, and plump.”
10. Cover with towel again.  
“To keep “skin” from getting hard”
11. Let rest for 30 minutes.  It will rise a little bit more during this time.
12. Turn on oven and pre-heat to 450 degrees.
BAKING THE BREAD
Dad’s words of wisdom:  “This bread has “oven spring” meaning when you put it in the oven, it rises about 25%.  The moisture suddenly expands.  It is not a rising of the yeast, it is the steam inside because it is so dense.  The danger is that if it is too wet, the bread may split.  Which only means it won’t look pretty.”
13. Set digital thermometer to 190 degrees and timer to15 minutes
14.  Remove towel.  


15. Turn on the hot water again
16.  Gently brush room temperature water (with a soft brush) on the tops of the bread dough.   

“it helps it to get firmer.  Do it GENTLY.”
17. Sprinkle carraway seeds, seseme seeds, or any kind of seed you want on top!  
“options are endless, sometimes I use rolled oats or lemon zest”
18.  Cut diagonals GENTLY on top of bread about ½ inch deep. 
“If dough is too wet, you may “lose” your cuts”
19. Put bread in oven. 
20. Put shallow pan in oven … not a dark or non-stick pan, on the side of the oven away from the oven light. Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the pan.  

“This will produce steam and the crust will get hard.
Be careful of your face, and don’t get any
water on the oven light or it will break.”
 
21. Lower oven temperature to 400 degrees.   
22. Turn on timer and set to 15 minutes.
23. Clean up, throw away any flour you have left.
24. Set up cooling racks.
25. When temperature beeps, open oven and rotate pan.
26. Insert digital thermometer into middle of thickest loaf, leave in until it beeps (when internal temperature is 190 degrees.   
“takes a couple of minutes”
27. Turn off oven, leave bread in the oven until thermometer reaches 200 degrees.
28. Remove bread from oven, place on cooling racks for 5 minutes.
29. Remove baguettes from pan and leave on cooling racks until they are cool to the touch. Takes about 1 ½ to 2 hours. 
“you can’t cut the bread when it’s hot”
30. And the fun part… EAT!  
“I will wrap and freeze 3 of loaves but it must be absolutely cool before you wrap!”
And there you have it.  Step by step instructions on how to make your very own Artisan Bread. 
Oh, I didn’t say it would be easy.  You won’t catch me making it anytime soon.
But it was worth the time watching my dad bake, right?  And it was worth my time spending it with him.  Besides, half the fun of reading blogs is looking at the pictures, right?
Thanks Dad!  I love you!

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Recipe Rating




  1. cmricha2 says

    February 4, 2011 at 8:18 pm

    Did Dad share? I bet your co-workers would really like to taste Dad's masterpiece 😉

    Reply
  2. nwafoodie says

    February 4, 2011 at 9:06 pm

    You make an excellent point. Let's just see what I am able to pull off!

    Reply
  3. Meigan says

    February 27, 2011 at 1:49 pm

    You are really making me want to start baking my own bread. And no way do I have time for another project! But wow – does that look awesome.

    Reply
  4. nwafoodie says

    February 27, 2011 at 11:30 pm

    Meigan, it's decided. You've got to put this on your project to-do list. It's now a priority.

    🙂

    Reply

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author image of thejoyofeatingwell blogWell hello! Thanks for stopping by. I’m Lyndi Fultz and I have a passion for simplicity.

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Encourager of eating happily @simplejoyfulfood // local eats @nwafoodie

Lyndi Fultz
Are you using your pressure cooker to its fullest Are you using your pressure cooker to its fullest potential? I've barely scratched the surface but I gotta' tell you... I use it all week long for soups! Recently I decided that I wanted to use it to make a dessert and started browsing around on Pinterest. I decided to make creme brulee in my Instant Pot! After playing around with it, I posted (link in bio) a recipe for creme brulee with a touch of lemon.🍋
I don't really have a sweet tooth yet I always hav I don't really have a sweet tooth yet I always have a "little something" in the pantry to satisfy the little bit of sweet tooth that I have! After a zillion years of blogging, I can count on one hand the number of desserts that I've blogged about. So, when I do create a recipe and actually post it, I'm like, "Look at me, I'm a baker now!" hahaha Actually, it's not all about baking. For example, I just posted a recipe for Instant Pot creme brulee with a touch of lemon. Link in bio, of course! The ingredients are super simple and the pressure cooker makes it super fast and easy. Best of all? It is #lowcarb and #keto!
I don't know about you, but man I love a good sala I don't know about you, but man I love a good salad. The best thing about this salad (okay, besides the taste) is that the ingredients are sooooo easy to make ahead of time. That means you can dinner prep and toss this salad together at the last moment. As all good salad should do.⁠
The stars of this healthy salad are the hearty veggies: sweet potatoes and radishes. You’re going to roast them first. That’s right, roast!
A healthy salad is wholesome. Substantial. Strong A healthy salad is wholesome. Substantial. Strong enough to sail on its own, yet perfectly willing to tag along with the main course. In fact, I think you’ll love serving this salad whenever you may have someone at the dinner table that is drawn to more-veggies and less-meat.⁠
⁠
It’s pretty isn’t it?
Savoring.⁠ Not rushed. ⁠ Not complicated. ⁠ Savoring.⁠
Not rushed. ⁠
Not complicated. ⁠
Special. ⁠
Eating happily is in the moments of a meal.⁠
⁠
Do I do this with every meal moment? I don't, yet I'm trying. And, when I do... it IS really special. Not special like, oooo look at this perfectly grilled filet with candles and fresh flowers. Instead, it's more like, hey - look at this moment we're enjoying  together or alone. It's about savoring, keeping it simple, and really focusing on the moment.⁠
⁠
I recently traveled and someone commented that they could never have me over because they would be embarrassed to cook for me because they don’t cook fancy. That made me sad and I was quick to say how much I focus on the simple things, the simple foods. The ones that aren't fancy! Honestly, mostly my food may look complicated but that's just styling. If you look at my pictures on my IG profile - or recipes on my blog - they're simple. Simple ingredients. Pecans. Beans. Fish. Martinis. :)⁠
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If you ever need encouragement that you're on the right track by slowing down to savor, I'm here for you.
Oh hi! Want to know what makes me cheerful?⁠ ⁠ Oh hi! Want to know what makes me cheerful?⁠
⁠
A well-stocked pantry, that's what.⁠
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I find that keeping a lean and purposeful pantry makes me breathe easier AND - ironically - makes me more creative in the kitchen. Have you ever felt that way?⁠
⁠
I am curious to know what are the top ingredients that you like to keep stocked in your pantry. 
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I'll start:⁠
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1) nuts for snacks⁠
2) canned diced tomatoes (for soup)⁠
3) small yellow potatoes⁠
4) spices⁠
5) pre-made sauces (for last minute assistance)⁠
⁠
Your turn!
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“Just like becoming an expert in wine–you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford–you learn about great food by finding the best there is, whether simply or luxurious. Then you savor it, analyze it, and discuss it with your companions, and you compare it with other experiences.” – Julia Child

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