The Best & Easiest Way to Make Real French Baguette Bread at Home [Thermomix recipe]

The Best & Easiest Way to Make Real French Baguette Bread at Home [Thermomix recipe]

Posted by Steve

It has been a long time since I posted my last recipe but believe me, you won’t regret to have waited so much, especially if you love the traditional French Baguette like I do because today, you will learn how to make a real French Baguette like in Paris! Oh-la-la…

The history of the Baguette

If we can trust Wikipedia, the word “baguette” was not used to refer to a type of bread until 1920 but what is now known as a baguette may have existed well before that. The french word simply means “wand” or “baton”, as in baguette magique (magic wand).

Though the baguette today is often considered one of the symbols of French culture viewed from abroad, the association of France with long loaves predates any mention of it. Long, if wide, loaves had been made since the time of Louis XIV, long thin ones since the mid-eighteenth century and by the nineteenth century some were far longer than the baguette

A less direct link can be made however with deck ovens, or steam ovens. (Deck/steam ovens are a combination of a gas-fired traditional oven and a brick oven) The first steam oven was brought (in the early nineteenth century) to Paris by the Austrian officerAugust Zang, who also introduced the pain viennois and the croissant, and whom some French sources thus credit with originating the baguette.

An unsourced article in The Economist states that in October 1920 a law prevented bakers from working before 4 a.m., making it impossible to make the traditional, round loaf in time for customers’ breakfasts. The slender baguette, the article claims, solved the problem though France had already had long thin breads for over a century at that point.

The rest of the account remains to be verified, but the use of the word for a long thin bread does appear to be a twentieth century innovation.

The Recipe of the French Baguette with Thermomix

For this recipe, we will use Thermomix, one of the best kitchen appliance that you can have. It will save some much time and efforts in the Kitchen, and even money… If you don’t know Thermomix, have a look at Vorwerk’s website and choose your country. In the USA, you can get it form Amazon. I’ll offer an  alternative to the steps with the Thermomix at the end of the recipe.

Ingredients (4 baguettes)

  • 500 gr of all-purpose flour
  • 300 gr of water
  • 25 gr of fresh yeast
  • 2 tablespoon of salt

Preparation

  1. Yeasts and water Place water and the fresh yeast into the mixing bowl of your Thermomix. Warm 2 min at 37°C and speed 2.
  2. Flour and salt Add the flour and the salt (in this order) and knead 3 min.
  3. dough from Thermomix Form the dough into a ball
  4. Dough into a ball Place the ball into the large bowl and cover with cling film
  5. Rised Dought Let rise in the fridge overnight, something between 8 to 12 hours.
  6. Four pieces The next morning, put  out your dough from the fridge and divide it into 4 equal pieces
  7. Form each piece into a ball
  8. Roll each ball into a baguette shape with your hands
  9. baguettes in the tray Place each baguette onto a baking tray or a special baguette tray and cover with a kitchen towel
  10. Let rise in a warm place (this is also important) for an additional 2/2.5 hours
  11. Place a large tray at the bottom of your oven and preheat your oven to 240°C enough time in addition for the oven to be ready at the end of the rising.
  12. Brush your baguettes with water Brush your baguettes with water and you can also lightly flour them if you wish. (I usually don’t)
  13. Use your sharpest knife to cut slanted grooves in the top of your baguettes
  14. Now’s time to place your baguettes in the oven.
  15. Pour one glass of water in the bottom tray to create steam
  16. Bake for 10 minutes
  17. Low down your oven to 200°C and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
  18. Baguettes are ready! Put out your baguettes and left cool before serving.

That’s it! Now you know how to make great baguettes like the French do.

For all of you who don’t have a Thermomix, change the steps like that:

  • step 1: place warm (not hot) water with fresh yeast and wait around 10 minutes.
  • step 2: knead for 10 minutes in your mixer or by hand

Download this recipe for your favorite recipe software (links coming soon)

Steve's Blog - Feb 3, 2014 | front page, Home Page, Recipes
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