BAGUETTES

BAGUETTES

Every thing about BAGUETTES | Vahrehvah :

Baquette is a long thin loaf of French bread which is commonly made from basic lean dough. It is popularly distinguishable by its length and crisp crust. Making the baquette is an amazing piece of culinary art where many good bakers have spent considerable amount of time and energy in perfecting their baquette.

Baquette seems very simple just adding flour, water, salt and yeast which involves kneading, fermenting, shaping, rising, slashing and baking; but what follows is a master procedure for preparing French bread baguettes that will eventually show you how to make French bread five different ways, mostly dealing with the type and aging of the pre-ferment.

These methods unlock almost all the potential of the flour and the process. The process can start in one of five different beginnings. After the dough is put together and the mixing starts, the process is the same for all options. It is said that a traditional baquette has a diameter of about 5 or 6 cm (2 or 1 1/3 in) and a usual length of about 65 cm (24 in) although a baquette can be up to a meter (39in) long. As the origin of the baquette is poorly documented hence the exact origin is still unknown.

Baguettes are closely connected to France and especially to Paris, though they are made around the world. In France, not all long loaves are baguettes; for example, a short, almost rugby ball shaped loaf is a bâtard or a "torpedo loaf" in English (its origin is variously explained, but undocumented), another tubular shaped loaf is known as a flûte (also known in the United States as a parisienne) flûtes closely resemble baguettes and weigh more or less than these, depending on the region, and a thinner loaf is called a ficelle (string).

French breads are also made in forms such as a miche, which is a large pan loaf, and a boule, literally ball in French, a large round loaf. Sandwich-sized loaves are sometimes known as demi-baguettes, tiers, or sometimes "Rudi rolls". Baquettes are often used for sandwiches (usually of the submarine sandwich type). They are often sliced and served with pate or cheese.

As part of the traditional continental breakfast in France, slices of baguette are spread with butter and jam and dunked in bowls of coffee or hot chocolate. In the United States, French bread loaves are sometimes split in half to make French bread pizza. 

For preparing this long, crisp and crust baguettes, firstly place a cup of water, bread flour, sugar, salt and yeast into the bread machine pan. Select dough cycle and start to mix. When the cycle has completed, place dough in a greased bowl turning to coat all sides.

Cover and let rise if indentation remains when touched. Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface roll dough into a 16x12 inch rectangle. Cut dough in half, creating two 8x12 inch rectangles. Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning at 12 inch side, pounding out any air bubbles as you go. Roll gently back and forth to taper end.

Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one lengthwise slash on each loaf. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

The path to preparing homemade baguettes is no too long, but requires enough patience to be a good baker. You can spend some quality time in other business while the flour, water, and yeast quietly make their magic. Some initial kneading is followed by lots of resting and rising; a minimal bit of shaping precedes the finale, 25 minutes in a very hot oven. And that’s it, the freshly baked baguettes are ready to eat.

Do try these amazing French bread which your family would really enjoy eating.

Click on the below link for detailed recipe:

https://www.vahrehvah.com/baguettes-1

Generally American style "French Bread" is much fatter, generally meaning over-proofed and also scored incorrectly according to French baking tradition and not baked in deck ovens, but in convection ovens. The resulting loaf is much larger, softer, less chewy, and possessing a much more even crumb structure, in contrast to the traditional baguette which is slender, chewy, possesses an uneven and holey crumb structure, and crispy crust.

French bread is required by law to avoid preservatives, and as a result bread goes stale in under 24 hours, thus baking baguettes is a daily occurrence, unlike sourdough bread which is baked generally once or twice a week, due to the natural preservatives in a sourdough starter.

French bread baguette recipes can be used in a variety of ways: for breakfast with butter and jam, to accompany soups, for sandwiches, cut in thin slices for foie gras, to serve hors d'oeuvres… or really with anything at all because French bread baguette recipes are just so appetizing!!!