Life changer. That’s what this recipe is. And this is from someone who’d never made bread before and thought it too difficult. Mr Baguette’s 5-minute baguette was recommended to me over on Bluesky as being one of the easiest bread-making recipes out there. I tried it. It was.
All credit to Mr Baguette. Here’s a link to his video on YouTube which has excellent instructions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-husjZkxHw. A summary and notes I made for myself I’ve included in the recipe tab below.
What I never expected was the joy I feel each time I check on the dough rising, like the living thing it is. I peek at it as you would at a child asleep in a cot.
One of the reasons my interest in the baguette was piqued was this article about the uncertain future of the baguette (quelle horreur!!), which talked of a change in eating habits in France (less bread overall), and the growing popularity amongst the young of supermarket bread.
I say, Vive Les Baguettes!!! Vive Les Baguettes Faciles!!! 🇫🇷🥖
P.S. Bread has been central to diets for centuries. You may be interested in a poem I wrote inspired by French painter Jean Michelin’s 1656 work, The Baker’s Cart.
“It’s 5 minutes of actual work, when the dough is resting you’re resting as well no need to watch it! This allows me to bake almost everyday to have fresh bread.”
-Mr Baguette https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-husjZkxHw
Easy Baguettes
Ingredients
- 950 g baker's flour (33.5 oz)
- ¾ tsp yeast
- 2 tsp salt (heaped)
- 730 ml room-temperature filtered water or boiled water that has cooled (25.7 oz)
Instructions
- With the handle of a wooden spoon, mix ingredients in a large bowl for a few minutes until incorporated and they form a rough ball.
- Cover well (I use both cling film and a saucepan lid to hold it down) and allow to rise for 8-10 hours. Eight hours is enough. If you want bread for breakfast, do this the night before. If you want bread for dinner, mix ingredients in the morning.
- Line baking trays with baking (parchment) paper. Check the heat resistance of the paper on the packaging. Some (unbleached) papers are only heat resistant to 220℃/428℉. Pre-heat oven to 250℃/485℉.
- With spatula or proper bread scraper, gently scrape out the dough onto a well-floured (I use the baker's flour) board. The aim is to keep the air in the soft, spongy dough. Use more flour if needed to prevent sticking.
- Cut dough into four (I used a spatula for this too), gently stretch into baguette shapes, and put on prepared trays.
- Bake in lower part of oven for approximately 25 minutes. If using two trays, swap them around in the oven at halfway. When done, the baguettes will be golden, and when tapped will sound hollow. They may be a little browner than golden, but will still be delicious. Allow to cool a bit before slicing. Bread will last for several days.
- For more detailed instructions and instruction video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-husjZkxHw
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