S
weet loaves, hot crumpets,
fresh baguettes... Weekends
offer the luxury of time,
when it’s possible to make
breads and yeasted goods
that require hours to prove.
Spend a quiet spell at the end of your
Saturday night mixing dough; then let
raising agents pick up the slack while you
sleep, and make a dawn(ish) date with
your oven. Slumbering family will soon
surface, awoken by wonderful wafts of
baking bread – best served warm, with
coffee and a sense of accomplishment.Breakfast baguettes
Baguettes are a great way to get into
bread-making. They’re easy to make
and super satisfying to see (and eat!)
the results. I especially love them
with salted butter and jam.Makes 4 small or 2 large sticks
250g active sourdough starter*,
or 5g instant yeast
325ml water
1 3/4 tsp sea salt
500g strong white bread flour1 Mix everything together to form
a dough. Give it a good knead until it’s
nice and stretchy. Cover with a damp
cloth and let rise at room temperature
for 8–12 hours, or until doubled in size.
2 Punch down and shape into
2 really long or 4 shorter rectangles –
flatten and roll into a baguette shape,tapering and tucking the ends in.
3 Lightly oil a large baking sheet – or
two, if needed. Dust with semolina or
flour. Arrange the baguettes on the
prepared baking sheets, leaving a
little room around them so they can
rise. Cover with floured plastic and
allow to rise for 1½–2 hours or until
almost doubled in size.
4 Make diagonal slashes across
each loaf using a sharp knife or razor
blade. Bake at 220C/Fan 200C/
Gas 8 for about 15–20 mins or until
well browned. Spray with water
before baking, then 5 mins and
10 mins into the cooking time.
Cook’s note To activate your
sourdough starter, remove from the
fridge. Feed 2–4 tbsp of starter with
150g strong white bread flour, plus
150ml water. Whisk or stir until well
mixed. Cover loosely with a lid or
a clean cloth. Let it ferment in
a warmish place for 8–12 hours.No need for a
boulangerie when you
can enjoy homemade
baguettes still warm
from the oven- Fancy making a sourdough starter? Rachel explains how on the blog: thesimplethings.com/blog/sourdough.
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