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No-Knead Baguette

Reggie Dwork <reggie@jeff-and-reggie.com>
Sun, 30 Apr 2023 20:31:09 -0700
v123.n010.3
* Exported from MasterCook *

                             Baguette, No-Knead

Recipe By     : Paula Montenegro
Serving Size  : 15    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Bread                           Bread-Bakers Mailing List
                 Posted

   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   3 1/2           cups  bread flour -- 500g
   2          teaspoons  salt -- 12g
   1           teaspoon  instant yeast -- 3.5g
   310                g  water -- slightly warm,  1 1/3 cup

Put the flour in the bowl of the food processor.

Add salt on one side and yeast on the other, you don't want them to 
touch for now.

Cover with the lid and begin to process at medium/high speed.

Add the water through the feed tube as you begin counting 20 seconds. 
Either do it out loud or use the phone timer. You're going to see the 
dough starts to come together.

Stop the machine after 20 seconds and see that it is not dry. It 
should be rough; make sure there are no spots of flour at the bottom. 
If it is dry, add 1 more tablespoon of tepid water.

Cover the bowl back and now process for 25 more seconds. It should be 
45 seconds in total.

Transfer the dough to a dry bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and put 
it in a warm place for 2 hours. The dough is hardly going to rise or 
double, and that is fine.

Dump it onto a lightly floured counter, and divide it into 2 or 3 pieces.

With each piece, make some rough buns by cupping them with both hands 
until you have a smooth surface, cover them with a clean kitchen 
towel or loose piece of plastic wrap, and leave them alone for 20 minutes.

Flatten each piece of dough on the counter (flour it lightly if 
needed) and shape them into baguettes. I like to make them shorter and thicker.

Put them on an oven sheet pan sprinkled with polenta or oatmeal on 
the bottom, and dust the bread pieces with a little flour. Cover and 
let stand for 40 minutes.

About 15 minutes before baking, turn on the oven at 450F / 230C.

Have ready a roasting pan and a kettle of hot water.

When the 40 minutes are almost over, put the roasting pan on the 
bottom of the oven and carefully fill it halfway with hot water. 
Close the oven door. This creates steam that is great for forming 
that crackly crust.

Make 3 cuts or slits to each loaf with a lame (find where to buy it 
online in the Notes below) or a very sharp kitchen knife, and 
immediately put it in the oven.

Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and they sound hollow 
if you turn them over and lightly tap the bottom with your fingers.

NOTES

Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients 
at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This 
will make the process so much easier.

Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even 
if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes 
is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. 
You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check 
that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep 
track of how your oven works and what tiny details you need to adjust.

Time: this is a no-knead bread, but you need resting and proofing 
time (when the yeast does its magic), so plan accordingly.

Flour: you can use white bread flour, all-purpose flour, or superfine 
whole wheat flour. With this last one, the bread will be more rustic 
and not have that crackly crust, but it renders a fantastic healthier bread.

Oven: it's highly recommended that you follow directions for both the 
temperature and the pan with water in the bottom. This will aid in 
getting the best results possible.

Storing: French bread is best about half an hour out of the oven 
(when it had time to cool down a bit) and those few hours after. You 
can keep it in a bread bag at room temperature, but it will lose the 
crackly crust. Unless you warm it before eating. In this case, you 
can't bring it back completely to its original state, but it'll be 
wonderful. And you can freeze this bread (I recommend slicing it 
thickly, wrapping it in plastic, and then in foil or a Ziploc bag).

S(Internet address):
   https://vintagekitchennotes.com/french-bread-recipe
Yield:
   "3 medium baguettes"
                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 116 Calories; 1g Fat (4.3% 
calories from fat); 4g Protein; 23g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary 
Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 286mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 1/2 
Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat.

NOTES : 2023 - 0430