French Baguette

My very first attempt at French Baguette. It turned out incredible. Who did I learn from? The one and only, queen and goddess of French cooking – Julia Child! Her video is in such great detail, with steps, with reasons and with a lot of humor. It’s just so Julia, witty, unassuming, yet brilliant!

Many recipes I read, explored seemed way too dry to me. I adopted Julia’s recipe with 3.5 cup of flour and over 1.5 cup of water. The dough was soft, but not sticky to a quick pinch. Let it rise very slowly, like triple in 3 hours. Pat the risen dough but not punch, fold the dough but not knead. There is just so much to learn from the legend. The way to form the final baguette was quite different as well, with lessons from Professor of Baking Raymond Calvel.

Baking at 450F for 25 minutes, starting at the bottom of the oven and moving to middle at about 5 minute mark. Also, to mimic baker’s oven, remember to spray the bread and the oven with mist. Turn the bread over after the baking time is over, and left them in the oven for another 5 minutes. It thumps and crackles, heavenly sound!