over 2 hours
30 mins to 1 hour
Makes 2 small baguettes
Serve these mini-baguettes with really ripe brie, camembert or vacherin cheese for a simple yet decadent lunch.
- 250g/9oz strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
- 5g/¼oz salt
- 5g/¼oz fast action dried yeast
- 30ml/1fl oz olive oil, plus extra for oiling
- 180ml/6fl oz water
- Place the flour, salt, yeast, olive oil and most of the water in a food mixer with a dough hook attached, taking care not to let the yeast touch the salt until you begin mixing.
- Start mixing on a slow speed, gradually adding the rest of the water until you have a smooth dough. This should take about five minutes.
- Tip the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and leave the dough to prove for two hours.
- Tip the dough out onto an oiled surface. Dust your hands in a little flour and divide the dough in two.
- Knock back the dough and stretch and fold, and then roll the dough into a baguette shape.
- Place on a baguette tray or a large baking tray, cover and leave to prove until it has doubled in size.
- Heat a roasting dish in the bottom of the oven and pour in some water to create some steam (this will help form the crust). Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7 in a non-fan oven.
- Just before baking, slash the top of each baguette three times.
- Bake the baguettes for 30 minutes. Then drop the temperature to 200C/400G/Gas 6 and cook for 10 minutes. The baked baguettes should be golden-brown and have a slight sheen to them.
Try these baguettes with flavoured butters: either slice and spread the bread with the flavoured butter, wrap in foil and bake for 20 minutes at 180C/350F/Gas 4 or slice the bread, melt the flavoured butter in a frying pan with a splash of olive oil and fry the bread until crisp. Try watercress and horseradish butter (125g/4½oz softened butter, 1 heaped tsp fresh grated horseradish, 1 tbsp finely chopped watercress leaves and pinch salt mixed together) or lime, chilli and coriander butter (125g/4½oz softened butter, 1 tsp dried crushed chillies, zest of 1 large lime and1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves mixed together).
