Baguette + Crustini

Classic, versatile, delicious.

Author

Claire Linebarger
October 15, 2023

Plant Periodical Volume 1 Issue 4

Intro

I bit off a bit more than I could chew with this weeks letter (pardon the delay). My original intent was to send out the one and only baguette recipe, accompanied with three dips/spreads y’all could use this holiday season. Five recipes later, I realized what I signed myself up for. I guess these are the growing pains of starting a newsletter! Anyway, today, we’ll focus on bread, next will be dips and spreads, and by Halloween we’ll be back to regular programming!

Now, the star of today’s show: bread. More specifically, a classic baguette. This is a great recipe to start your baking journey, mess around with technique, or experiment with shaping a loaf of bread. Where ever you are in your bread making journey, this recipe is a must. I learned this one the first week I was in culinary school and it’s something I make at least once a month. I love this recipe so much because of how simple it is.; no special ingredients, super versatile, and it consistently comes out tasting amazing. Also, it helped me see the similarities in all breads, regardless of ingredients, time, or outcome. This recipe gave me the know how and confidence to look at bread as a malleable, living dish, as opposed to a hard and fast set of instructions, and I hope it will do the same for you. Containing only four ingredients, learn the basics with this forgiving and always delicious baguette recipe. (Bonus: there’s a crostini recipe included, making the baguette even more versetile.)

Ingredients Explained

Baguette

  • Flour

    • I prefer to use bread flour for this recipe, but all purpose flour works just fine! Basically, don’t make an extra trip to the store just for flour. I use a variety of brands (one of my favorites being King Arthur), but if you plan on really getting into bread making, I recommend Costco’s 25 lb bag, it only costs $10! If you’re taking a more artisan route, this recipe is great for experimenting with flours made from different strains of wheat. The lack of additives will allow you to find a strain or blend that produces your favorite flavor and texture.

  • Water

    • Good old tap water will do! You just want to make sure it’s slightly above body temperature (105-110 *F), giving the yeast a comfortable environment to bloom.

  • Yeast

    • When I make a yeasted dough, I use dry active yeast. You’ll hear me say “bloom” the yeast, or add it to lukewarm water and allow the yeast to rehydrate and come back to life. On the other hand, if you’re use to using instant yeast, or that’s what you have on hand, use that instead. You won’t need to bloom the yeast, as instant yeast isn’t dehydrated and can be added directly into your dry ingredients.

  • Salt

    • Salting your dough is important because it brings it to life. Much like salted butter, it gives everything that extra umpf, no matter what ingredients you’re working with. That being said, if you’re living a low sodium life, omit. Salt doesn’t change the way the dough will rise or bake, just the flavor.

Crostini

  • Baguette

    • You don’t have to make a whole batch of baguettes to use this recipe. Crostini are a great way to elevate a store bought baguette or use day old bread.

  • Oil

    • I used olive oil, but you can use any oil. I recommend one with a flavor you enjoy (maybe avocado or walnut).

  • Salt

    • Again, I love salt and I think it only makes things better, but if it’s not for you, use lees or omit completely.

Notes Before Cooking

Baguette

  • Servings: 4 loaves

  • Prep Time: 2-3.5 hours

  • Cook Time: 15-30 minutes

  • Total Time: 2.25 - 4 hours

Crostini

  • Servings: 24 pieces

  • Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

  • Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

  • Total Time: 10-20 minutes

  • You can either use a stand mixer or knead by hand. If you’re new to bread making, the purpose to kneading dough is it develop gluten strands, which help give the dough it’s structure. Therefore, it’s important when kneading by hand, not to pull the dough so hard that we begin to tear it, but gently push the dough so we are elongating and stretching those strands. Also, make sure to turn your ball of dough 90 degrees every time you stretch, then fold.

  • Make the baguettes as close to serving time as your schedule allows, as fresh baguettes are unmatched.

  • Water for baguettes should be just above body temp (105-110)

  • Prep time for your baguettes varies so widely because rise times depend on the amount of sugar in the dough, as well as temperature of the area your dough is proofing in. I don’t think it’s ever taken me 4 hours to make baguettes, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially if it’s your first time taking on this project.

  • Ideally, you want to place your dough in a warm area (high 70’s to low 80’s). Solid spots are your porch on a summer day, in front of a sunny window, the laundry room when the dryer is on, or preheat your as low as possible, let it warm up, then turn it off and place the bowl in the oven.

  • Remember to use your senses. This recipe is malleable in a few ways:

    • You may need to adjust the amount of water you use by a few tablespoons based on your climate (ex. If it’s raining, the ambient moisture is higher than a dry, sunny day).

      • If you’re short on time and want to speed up the yeast bloom and rising process, add a sugar source to your blooming yeast (a tablespoon will do!!) or replace water with your milk of choice (this is called an enriched dough). These small additions increase the food source for the yeast, giving it the recourses to produce more carbon dioxide, and in turn rising faster.

    • Salt can be omitted, if it fits your dietary needs better. It’s in this recipe purely for flavor.

    • For a visual on how to shape a baguette, check out the video:

@plantperiodical23

Shaping a Baguette

Recipe

Ingredients
Baguette

  • 2.75 c (22oz) Lukewarm Water

  • 3 tsp (10.5 g) Active Dry Yeast

  • 5.75 c (32 oz) Bread Flour

  • 3 tsp (23 g) Salt

Crostini

  • 1 baguette (homemade or store bought)

  • .25 c + 2 Tbsp (71.5 g) Olive Oil

  • .5 tsp (4 g) Salt

Directions
Baguette

  1. In a medium bowl, measure out the lukewarm tap water, temping with the inside of your wrist (like you would with baby formula) or a thermometer.

  2. Measure out the yeast and add to water. Stir. Allow to bloom for 5-10 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when fragrant and bubbles form from within the mixture.

  3. In a large mixing bowl, measure out the flour and salt. Whisk to distribute evenly.

  4. Once the yeast has bloomed and using a rubber spatula, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Add half of the yeast mixture, then stir until just incorporated, before adding the second half. If using a stand mixer, use a dough hook to combine wet and dry ingredients on low speed.

  5. Mix until all ingredients are just incorporated. There may be a bit of flour on the bottom of the bowl, which is normal. If there’s more than .25 c, add a Tablespoon or two of water and incorporate.

  6. If kneading by hand:

    1. Pour shaggy dough onto floured surface

    2. Knead by gently stretching dough away from you, with the heal of your hand. Then, fold dough onto itself by taking top edge (edge farthest from your body) and meeting it with the bottom edge (edge closest to your body). Last, turn dough 90 degrees. Continue to repeat. The dough will go from shaggy, to sticky, to a smooth, well-hydrated ball of dough. This process will take at least 10 minutes.

  7. If using a stand mixer:

    1. Once the ingredients are just combined, turn speed up to medium (3-4) and kneading until the dough pulls away from the sides. This will take 7-10 minutes.

  8. The dough is ready to proof once it shows elasticity. Check by wetting a finger and poking your ball of dough. If the indent immediately rises back up (similar to a rubber band shrinking back to its original form), the dough is ready. If the indent sits unchanged once you’ve removed your finger, the dough needs more work.

  9. Place dough in a lightly oiled, large bowl (3 times the size of your dough ball). Cover bowl with plastic wrap, draw a circle on plastic wrap around dough. This will allow you to see more clearly how dough changes over time. Write starting time of proof on plastic wrap.

  10. Allow dough to double in size (45 min - 1.5 hrs). Rise time depends on temperature of room and sugar content of dough.

  11. Once dough has doubled in size, pour onto floured surface and divid into 4 even pieces. Shape each piece into a log. Let rest for a minute. You will fold and create a crease on the baguettes in two steps:

    1. The Trifold: Lengthwise, fold one third of the baguette in on itself, working your way down the length of the baguette. Working lengthwise again, fold the the other side of the baguette on top of itself. With the seam down, gently roll the log to bind the seam.

    2. The Bifold: Turning the seam upright and working lengthwise, bring both edges together, pinching down the middle, further enforcing the same seam. With the seam down, gently roll the log to bing the seam.

  12. Transfer to an upside down cookie sheet/sheet pan lined with parchment paper (you’ll need two sheet pans to accommodate all four baguettes). Lightly oil top of dough and cover with plastic wrap. Write the time on the parchment paper and allow to double in size, about 45 minutes.

  13. 30 minutes into the second proof, preheat your oven to 500 degrees.

  14. Once the baguettes have doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap and score the tops of the baguettes. Make sure to use a sharpe blade, cutting about a ¼” deep, and leaving about ½” between each mark. You want the end of one score make to overlap with the beginning of the next. Scoring allows the dough to expand evenly while cooking.

  15. Place in the oven, baking for 10-20 minutes (depending on your oven), rotating the baguettes halfway through. The final loaf should be crusty and golden brown.

  16. Cool.

Crostini

  1. Cut baguette on a diagonal into ½” slices.

  2. Lay flat on a cookie sheet/sheet pan, then oil and salt both sides.

  3. Place in 500 degree oven for 5-7 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.

Recipe Card

N.