With a weekend in Paris to look forward to, I decided to get in the French spirit by making mini baguettes for May's bread baking challenge.
 |
A French supper - wine and French onion soup
to go with a freshly baked baguette |
The recipe is one from Paul Hollywood's
bread book. The only ingredients I didn't have was semolina (used to dust the baguettes before they go in the oven), but that didn't seem to matter.
I have to admit I was sceptical about how well these would turn out; as it happens, I think they are a strong contender for my best bread so far...
 |
| The dough for baguettes is very wet and sticky! |
The recipe advises kneading the dough in a processor as the dough is very wet and sticky to start with. Although my machine (a Magimix Compact 3200) has a dough blade, it did struggle with this dough. I was able to start kneading the dough in the machine, but the dough travelled up the inside of the blade and jammed the machine(!), so I finished kneading by hand - felt a bit like handling chewing gum to start with, but rather satisfying to see the dough transform in my hands into something that could be shaped into a smooth ball.
 |
| The risen dough |
Having left the dough to rise, its then knocked back, shaped, and left for its second proving. I then dusted it with flour and cut it as instructed by the recipe before placing in the oven (with fingers crossed).
 |
| Shaped, left for second proving, dusted, cut and ready for the oven |
I needn't have been sceptical - the end product was two beautiful, delicious mini baguettes which we had warm for supper with French onion soup.
Bon appétit!
 |
| The baked baguettes, still warm and ready to eat |
 |
| Bon |
