Home Oven Baked French Bread -- Baguette

我想法国人的法棍情节可能和我妈的锅盔情节差不多。在那个物质匮乏的年代，特别是饿了三天之后，能吃上一口外面焦脆，里面松软的法棍，或是厚厚实实白面 锅盔是一种多么奢侈的享受。而且法棍和锅盔的原料居然惊人的相似：面粉，水，盐。法棍用酵母发酵，锅盔用老面和碱面发酵。是啊，连面包，馍馍都吃不上的年 代到哪里找牛奶，鸡蛋，黄油和糖。象我这个吃黄桥烧饼长大的一代人很难理解法国人对法棍的热衷。也许正是因为这份狂热，搞得全世界都在跟风嚼---玻盖 （baguette）。

美国一知名大酒店以他们食堂里做的Bread Pudding 出名。这个bread pudding一定要用搁了一天的法棍切成小面包丁来做。然后打了N多个鸡蛋，整整一大桶奶油（heavy cream),数不清勺数的白糖，再加点肉桂粉，香草精。放到烤箱里烤烤。唉，，，美国人把法国人费劲做出来的经典面包又打回了原型
Home baking baguette is very doable. There is nothing more difficult than baking any other bread. It is just a little bit different process. The baguette uses the simplest ingredients ever. Flour (half all-purpose and half bread flour), salt, yeast and water. The long fermentation process develop its unique flavor. The sauna baking method creates its crunchy crust.

Cut the baguette open. We can see the big bubbles and small bubbles. This unique structure was created by the different stages of the fermentation process. 

The original recipe is from  The Bread Baker's Apprentice.
To make four medium loaves

 Pâte Fermentée

1 ¹/₈  cups (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 ¹/₈  cups (5 ounces) unbleached bread flour

³/₄ teaspoon (.19 ounce) salt

¹/₂ teaspoon (.055 ounce) instant yeast

³/₄  cup to ³/₄ cup plus 2 tablespoons (6-7 ounces) water, at room temperature

Dough:

All Pâte Fermentée from above (3 cups 16 ounces)

1 ¹/₄  cups (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 ¹/₄  cups (5 ounces) unbleached bread flour

³/₄ teaspoon (.19 ounce) salt

¹/₂ teaspoon (.055 ounce) instant yeast

flour for dusting

Day one

1. Mix all ingredients for Pâte Fermentée. Make a dough. Knead the dough about 5 minutes until it is not sticky. 

2. Ferment the dough for about one and half hour or until the it is 1.5 times of its original size.

3. Gently knead the dough to degas it, and return it back to the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge overnight. 

The second day.

4. Take out all the Pâte Fermentée one hour before make the dough. Cut it into 10 pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 1 hour to take off the chill.

5. Mix all the rest ingredient with the Pâte Fermentée. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and not sticky. 

6. Ferment the dough at room temperature for 2 hours. If the dough doubles in size before 2 hours and have elapsed, knead the dough lightly to degas and let it rise again, covered , until it doubles from the original size. 

5. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Shape them into long logs as baguettes. 

6. Proof at room temperature for 45 to 75 minutes, or until the loaves have grown to about 1.5 times their original size. 

7. Preheat the oven to 500 °F. Leave an additional baking pan with boiling water inside the oven.

8. Dust the baguettes with flour and score them. 

9. Transfer the baguettes to the hot oven. I bake two baguettes at a time.
10. Splash half cup of hot water onto the heating wires at the bottom of the oven. Close the oven. Wait 30 seconds and splash another half cup of hot water. Repeat after another 30 seconds. All together 3 times. Close the oven door, and 5 minutes later reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Bake for additional 20-25 minutes.
11. When done, transfer them to a cooling rack.