Learning to make bread - month five: mini baguettes

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