My First Baguette

Easter turned out to be a very enjoyable day, accompanied by to much good food. Because we were having a big early dinner, my mom and I made snacks around noon to replace lunch. My baguette was one of those snacks, and I'm proud to say it was a success!

I picked out the recipe from the book, “No Need to Knead.”

It has an abundance of easy bread recipes, each with a different than normal, but easier, approach to making bread. Suzanne Dunaway, the author, believes in simplicity. If you practice her method you can bake bread no matter how short of time you are. She also believes fancy equipment is unnecessary, so don't bother spending the extra money.
Here is the recipe.

2 cups of water
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
5 cups all-purpose or unbleached bread flour
2 to 3 teaspoons salt

Mix the water and the yeast. Put 2 cups of the flour in and stir. Once it's mixed, add the rest of the flour and the salt. Stir until the dough is completely mixed and the sides pull away from the bowl. You may need to add one-fourth to one-half a cup of flour if it's to wet. The dough should be smooth and shiny.

You have two options. You can either cover the bowl that holds the dough and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Or you can cover the bowl and let it sit in a warm place for thirty to forty minutes. It should double in volume by the end of forty minutes. Then, fold the dough over a couple of times and let it sit for the same amount of time. Repeat once more before shaping it.

If you choose to leave the dough in the fridge overnight then it will have to sit out for two hours before you can shape it.

Once it's ready to shape, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a two- or three-loaf baguette pan. If you don't have one of these a baking sheet will work just as well.

Put the dough on a floured surface and divide it into two or three pieces. Leave it be for fifteen minutes. Then lengthen each piece of dough to fit the baguette pan. Let the dough rise for thirty minutes on the baguette pan. Cut three slashes on top of each loaf and spritz with water.

Now the bread goes in the oven. Reduce the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for thirty to thirty-five minutes. After taking them out let the loaves cool on a wire rack. If you have trouble getting them out of the baguette pan just tap the pan to loosen the loaves.

I Have a Confession....

I've been accused of being a bread fanatic by my younger sister.  I might as well admit to my problem.  I can't resist the texture, the taste, the smell.  Everything about it is heaven.  
I also enjoy baking.  The relaxation of being in the kitchen, looking out to the backyard and seeing the bunnies and birds that reside out there, and playing piano music from my ipod offers a bliss that's hard to beat.
There is a slight problem though, and this problem is sugar.  When people think of baking they think of cupcakes, cookies, and cakes galore.  All full of sugar.  I can't have this pesky ingredient for various reasons.  One I'm a ballet dancer, and eating right keeps me doing my best in the studio.  Sugar tends to make me feel lethargic, so its pretty much off limits.  I still bake, but some joy is taken out of it when I smell the aroma of the delicious concoction in the oven, floating through the house.  I can't take a bite when everyone else will  get to taste my work. It may sound like I'm bitter but I'm not.  I like knowing I can make people happy with what I make.  I only wish I could try some.  But forget about having one bite.  Sweets are my potato chips, once I start I can't stop.  Its best to just let my taste buds wonder.
My mom suggested I try baking bread.  I could have the baking experience and get the reward at the end.  I thought it was a great idea. 
It's also healthier to make your own bread, and everyone that knows me is aware of my constant strive to eat well.  I was under the impression that as long as I had whole grain bread from the store I was doing all right.  I wasn't falling for the trap of multi-grain, or whole wheat, which so many people think is okay.  I was one step ahead of their game, they couldn't outsmart me with misleading labels.  But today my mom informed me that there is high fructose corn syrup in the ingredient list on some of the whole grain breads!  I was disappointed when I heard that.  It's just another good reason to make my own bread. 
I'm starting out by making a French Baguette for my family's Easter celebration tomorrow.  I will post how it turned out and how I accomplished making what will hopefully be a very tasty baguette.