Baguettes

That's right baby, I made these!  These are the baguettes I used for the Grilled Sardine Croutes in my Imagining Avignon post.  They were surprisingly easy and I plan on making these again this Sunday to go along with lunch.  This recipe comes from French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano.  I'm sending this recipe over to Susan at WildYeast for her YeastSpotting event.  Enjoy!

Baguettes adapted from French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano

Yield:  4 baguettes 

Ingredients:

1 tsp. active dry yeast

4 1/2 c. all purpose flour

2 c. warm water

2 tsp. salt

1 egg, plus 1 tsp. cold water, beaten.

Directions:

1.  In a large bowl, combine the water and the yeast and let rest for 5 minutes.

2.  Add the flour and the salt to the water/yeast mixture and mix until it holds together.

3.  Turn the dough out onto your clean counter and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

4.  Put the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with Saran Wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour.

5.  Gently deflate dough and divide it into 4 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a baguette shape and transfer loaves (two to each pan) to non-stick baking pans or use a baguette shaped baking pan.  Cover with Saran Wrap again and let rise until nearly doubled (another hour).

6.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  In the bottom of the oven, place a baking pan or a cast iron skillet to warm.  Boil some water on the stove in a kettle.

7.  Score loaves diagonally with a sharp knife.  Brush the baguettes with the egg/water mixture.

8.  Place the loaves in the oven.  Add the boiling water (about 2 cups) to the cast iron skillet in the bottom of the oven to add steam to the oven.  Quickly close the oven door to trap the steam.

9.  Bake the loaves for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 400 degrees F and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more until golden brown.

10.  Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack until thoroughly cool before slicing.