Pull out your beret and get your black-and-white striped boat-neck t-shirt — we’re making a basic French baguette.

This is the bread that we all look forward to eating when we go out to a restaurant or that we expect to see slung under the arm of Parisians out doing their daily shopping: a simple baguette with fabulous flavor, smooth and chewy texture, and the best crust. This delicious traditional bread is anything but fancy, containing nothing more than flour water, yeast and salt. Make often and eat fresh, as without any fat, these breads have little staying power… but that won’t be a problem, as they will most certainly be devoured well before they’re past their prime.

blt? nah. mix it up with this baguette 'plp' (pancetta, lettuce, roasted red pepper) sandwich with garlic aoli.

basic baguette: simply delicious.

Okay, so I’m not going to lie. This at once simple yet seemingly interminable recipe for the for a classic French baguette was a total and utter debacle the first time I tried it. And not because it’s rocket science or particularly arduous, but because I — as so many of us women and mothers do — was intent on multi-tasking whilst executing it. As the mother of three toddlers who works part-time, freelances and generally keeps things organized around the house (with help from hubby, of course), I think I’m usually quite proficient at multi-tasking. But sometimes, in the juggling trick that is often my life, something’s bound to drop. And this time, it was the baguette dough which metaphorically came crashing to the ground.

Fancying myself Martha Stewart one afternoon, I simultaneously began making quiche (including pastry) and baguettes; once the baguette dough was prepared, I set it into the “cold” oven to rest, where it would be guaranteed not to be poked at or knocked over by any of the little people who live in my house. I then proceeded to (quite gleefully) make the pastry for the quiche, put it in the fridge (to rest the gluten, as you will see more of in a separate recipe), and PREHEATED THE OVEN to 450 degrees F for the pre-baked crust that would be required for the quiche.

We only have one oven.

It wasn’t until ten minutes later that I smelled the burning plastic wrap, gasped in horror and opened the oven door to find the bulging film of plastic ready to explode, and the helpless lump of dough encased in its own hardened skin, unrisen, the yeast surely annihilated.

All of this is to say, pay attention to what you’re doing, especially when you think you’re being super clever about saving time and multi-tasking. Having said that, this recipe will take at least 3 hours (largely unattended) to complete, so plan accordingly.

baguette pancetta, lettuce and roasted red pepper sandwich with garlic aoli.

Basic Baguette

Ingredients

3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
2 tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
scant 1½ cups water

Tips

This recipe can be made with a large food processor or by hand. The main sequence of directions below includes instructions based on using a food processor, since that’s what I used, but if you’re making it by hand, please refer to the first step here:

By Hand Step 1 Method (the method to take if you’ve got a bit of extra time and need an arm workout):

• In a large bowl, combine ½ the flour with the salt and yeast whisk to blend.
• Add all of the water and stir with a wooden spoon, until smooth.
• Add remaining flour, a bit at a time, stirring until the mixture becomes to stiff to stir with a spoon.
• Begin kneading, adding as little flour as possible — just enough to keep the dough from being a sticky mess.
• Knead until smooth but still quite moist, about 10 minutes.

cut down on kneading time by using a food processor to mix the dough. then, get ready to rise.

Directions

Phase A

1. Fit food processor with the steel blade, and add all of the flour, salt and yeast, and process for 5 seconds to mix.
2. With the machine switched on, via the feed tube, add most of the water, and process for about 30 seconds.
3. Remove the cover; the dough should be a cohesive, but shaggy ball, still sticky.
4. If the dough is too dry, add water 1 tbsp at a time and process for an additional 5-10 seconds after each addition. If the dough is too wet, add a couple of tablespoons of flour and pulse briefly.
5. Dump the dough directly from the food processor into a large bowl.
6. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or towel and let sit for 2 to 3 hours, at room temperature (not 450 degrees F).
7. To really bring out the flavor, you may allow the dough to rise for a longer period of time, up to 12 hours refrigerated. Bring back to room temperature before proceeding to Phase B.
   

   shape the dough and then let rise in the couche.

Phase B

1. Sprinkle a tiny amount of flour onto your work surface; cut the dough into 3 or 4 equal pieces and shape each into a ball, sprinkling with a little more flour, if necessary.
2. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Spread a large, heavy  piece of canvas or cotton tablecloth doubled over for extra stiffness; sprinkle lightly with flour.
4. Press each dough ball flat, creating a rough rectangle, then fold the long edges over to meet in the center, creating a seam.
5. Seal the seam with your fingers and (using your hands) roll the dough into a long snake — do not use too much flour or the dough will slide all over the work surface and you will be unable to roll it.
6. Place each loaf, seam side up, in a fold in the cloth (called a couche or bed).
7. When all the loaves are formed and sitting snugly in their own couche, cover with a cloth and let rise for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature; after rising, the loaves will then be roughly 1½ times their original size.
   

   baguette loaves ready to pop into the oven.

Phase C

1. About 30 minutes before you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. When ready to bake, sprinkle each loaf very lightly with flour and slash the top several times with a razor blade or very sharp knife.
3. Slide each loaf onto floured baking sheets from the cloth, or gently move it onto a plank of wood measuring 4×15-inches, then slide the bread off the plank directly onto a baking stone (if you have one).
4. Spray the inside of the oven with water to create steam, then put the loaves in the oven.
5. After 5 minutes, spray again with water.
6. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the internal temperature of the bread is at least 210 degrees F.
7. Remove loaves from oven and spray lightly with a bit of water if you would like a shinier crust.
8. Serve warm or cool on a wire rack.
   

   from sunrise to sunset (thanks to extra rising time for added flavor) & ready just in time for dinner.

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