Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary

a food & travel blog

  • Home
  • Start Here
    • As Seen…
    • PR & Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • The Food
    • All Manner of Sweet Things
      • Cake
      • Chocolate
      • Cookies
      • Ice Cream
      • Squares
      • Everything Else
    • Veggie
      • Salad
      • Vegetarian
      • Vegan
    • Carbohydrates
      • Bread
      • Pasta
      • Potato
      • Gluten Free
      • Rice
      • Pastry
    • Soup
    • Hoof & Feather
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Lamb
      • Pork
    • Fin & Shell
    • Breakfast
  • The Adventures
    • Shetland
    • Belgium
    • England
    • France
    • Italy
    • Latvia
    • Norway
    • Scotland
    • Spain
    • The Caribbean
  • Win Stuff!
    • Current Giveaways
    • Past Giveaways
  • Contact
  • Reviews
    • Accommodation
    • Books
    • Kids’ Corner
    • Products
    • Restaurants
    • Transportation

French Baguettes

Published on June 2, 2013 by Elizabeth 12 Comments
Last Updated on July 18, 2014

French-baguettes

baguette-lasagnaI love fresh bread. I have fond childhood memories of visiting my friend’s house when her mother had her bread-baking days. She’d spend a whole day making the bread for the month and the table and oven would be filled with loaves and trays of rolls, glistening with the melted butter brushed over the top. The whole house would be scented with the unique saliva-inducing aroma of fresh bread. We’d hover around until a loaf came out of the oven and devour several slices warm, without butter, savouring every morsel of yeasty goodness.

It wasn’t until I had children of my own that I started experimenting with making my own bread. I’m no expert by any means, but I do enjoy the process of kneading, shaping, proving and baking. There’s something really satisfying about tucking into your own homemade loaf of bread, and it’s even more appealing when the children do too, making their little noises of bread-eating pleasure.

This recipe makes a fantastic French style baguette. If I am serving it alongside a main meal I will make two large baguettes which usually get dipped into an olive oil and balsamic vinegar side dish (the children love this and it’s a great way to get some good fats into their little growing bodies). Day old leftovers often get sliced, lightly toasted, rubbed with a cut garlic clove and drizzled with a little bit of olive oil for a quick garlic toast. I’ll make four small baguettes for packed lunches or picnics. This recipe makes a perfect submarine sandwich base.

I don’t know where the original recipe for this loaf came from, I’m afraid. It was copied off a website into my cookery notebook some time ago. It’s a really simple recipe to make and I encourage you to try it, especially if you’ve never made bread before.

baguette-instructions
French Baguettes
by Elizabeth
A traditional style French bread.
Ingredients
For the bread
    • 400 grams strong white bread flour
    • 1 tbsp caster sugar
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 1/2 tsp active dried yeast
    • 250 ml warm water
For the glaze
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tbsp water
Instructions
1. For a bread machine: Add the first 5 ingredients to the bread pan in the manufacturers recommended order and select the dough cycle.
2. To prepare by hand: Mix the flour, sugar, salt and yeast together in a large bowl.
3. Make a well in the centre and add the water, stirring with a wooden spoon until combined.
4. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes.
5. Return to the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled (about 1 hour).
6. When the dough cycle/rising time has finished, punch down dough.
7. Roll dough out into a rectangle 12 inches by 16.
8. Cut the dough in half, forming two 8×12 inch rectangles.
9. Roll each rectangle from the 12 inch side, pushing out any air bubbles which may form.
10. If you prefer smaller baguettes for sandwiches, cut each larger baguette in half and reform the ends.
11. Score the top of the baguettes and leave to rise, covered, for a half an hour or until doubled in size.
12. Preheat oven to 190 C.
13. Glaze baguettes with the egg yolk mixed with water.
14. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
Details

Prep time: 1 hour 30 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 2 hour Yield: 2 large or 4 small baguettes

baguettes

Since this is a from-scratch recipe I have shared it with Javelin Warrior’s Made with Love Monday’s from-scratch recipe round-up.

Made with Love Mondays, hosted by Javelin Warrior

Filed Under: Bread, Recipe

« Bread Machine Na’an Bread Recipe
Baladi (Wholemeal Pitta Bread) »

Comments

  1. plasterer bristol says

    September 11, 2013 at 1:41 pm

    Wow i’m really impressed with this i hope mine turn out like this…

    Reply
    • Elizabeth S says

      September 11, 2013 at 2:00 pm

      Aw thanks! I’m sure they will – good luck, and let me know how you get on!

      Reply
  2. Louise at Cake and Calico says

    June 3, 2013 at 8:18 am

    These look lovely – will definitely add this recipe to my ‘to bake’ list. 😀

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      June 27, 2013 at 8:20 pm

      Thanks 🙂 Oh I do hope you try them!

      Reply
  3. Javelin Warrior says

    June 2, 2013 at 6:46 pm

    These baguettes look so good, Elizabeth. The texture looks just about perfect, perfectly chewy with a springy crumb… So tasty… I love that you bake your own bread!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      June 27, 2013 at 8:19 pm

      Thanks Mark! 🙂 This recipe does have a fantastic texture, I suppose that’s why I like it so much. That and it tastes wonderful!

      Reply
  4. Laura Loves Cakes says

    June 2, 2013 at 4:41 pm

    I’m really impressed that you made your own baguettes, it’s great you use them in so many different ways too…I particularly like the sound of the garlic toast! 🙂

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      June 27, 2013 at 8:18 pm

      Aw thanks Laura 🙂 Much appreciated x

      Reply
  5. Helen says

    June 2, 2013 at 3:39 pm

    wow, these look fab! For some reason I always thought french bread would be tricky to make. Funnily enough I just posted a french bread pizza recipe so now I have no excuse not to make my own french bread too!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      June 27, 2013 at 8:17 pm

      Thank you 🙂 This recipe is easy-peasy – no reason not to try it at home! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Terri says

    June 2, 2013 at 2:52 pm

    Looks great! Thanks! Making this now. It will be eaten with our homemade yogurt cheese today. Love your stuff! 🙂

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      June 27, 2013 at 8:17 pm

      Oh I hope you liked it! This is one of my favourite bread recipes 🙂 Thank you!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

About Elizabeth

Mum of three, daydream adventurer, OU Life Sciences graduate, fitness enthusiast, ex-pat Canadian & quite possibly Britain's most northerly food blogger. Read More…

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

SEARCH OUR WEBSITE

Archives

Instagram

Load More…Follow on Instagram

BlogAwards2018Winner

Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs
Foodies100

Connect

Mum of three, daydream adventurer, OU Life Sciences graduate, occasional crafter, ex-pat Canadian & quite possibly Britain's most northerly food blogger.

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Latest Posts

Easy Greek Pasta Salad Recipe
Baileys Chocolate Hamper Giveaway
Lamb Shakshuka for Two
Costa Arla LactoFree
Creamed Salsify with Cabbage, Bacon and Cream
Bath Aqua Glass Heart Bauble

Latest Tweets

Tweets by @TangoRaindrop

AMAZON ASSOCIATES DISCLOSURE

Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2019 · Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary · Website by Callia Web