Homemade Crusty Baguettes

Normally, I include a lengthy story with each recipe I post - but today I'm so far behind (thank you, wretched fever!) I shall instead attempt to bypass all the fluff and jump right into the heart of this recipe.

In case you missed my recent post about why you should own a bread machine, I'll pause for a moment while you catch up on your reading. 

PAUSE

You're back? Then you're now quite familiar with the virtues of bread machines and no doubt you've already ordered one for yourself. And when your shiny new bread maker arrives, you may wonder to yourself, "What should I make first?"

The answer is baguettes. Because baguettes are perfect for so many occasions: alongside soups, crust for bruschetta, cubed for croutons, sliced lengthwise for garlic bread, etc.

This is my go-to recipe for baguettes. I've tweaked the recipe dozens of times and it's a quite pleasing dough - it never fails to proof beautifully and the crumb stays moist despite the hot bake temperature. And if you become bored with baguettes, you can shape the dough into challahs or even bake in traditional rectangular loaf pans (although you will miss out on 30 minutes of dough-forming fun).

Feeling a bit timid about making bread? Buck up. Just breeze through the bread maker's manual so you know how to operate your machine, check your cabinets for all the necessary ingredients, and then start measuring. It's not scary, not even a little bit.

I attempt to make all of my recipes more healthful by eliminating transfats, artificial dyes and flavorings, preservatives, and pre-prepared shortcuts. However, this recipe still contains a great deal of refined processed flour and is thus not a health-conscious food. Out of respect and love for your own body (and for those you cook for), please exercise restraint when consuming bread and other carbs!

Crusty Baguettes
Oven Temp: 475-400℉
Prep Time: 2 hours
Bake Time: 35 minutes
Makes: 6 baguettes
Tools: Bread Machine

Ingredients
1+1/3 cups hot purified water (105-115℉)
1/4 cup olive oil (not extra virgin)
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup unbleached bread flour
1 egg yolk
3 cups unbleached bread flour
2+1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tablespoon milk)
Cornmeal, for sprinkling
6 cups ice

Technique

1. Add ingredients to the bread machine loaf pan fitted with paddle(s) in the order listed; form a well in the center of the flour, then add yeast to well
   
   
   
    
2. Add loaf pan to bread machine and set machine to “French” cycle for a 2 lb loaf (or “White” if your machine does not include a French bread cycle)
   
   
   
    
3. Allow machine to kneed and proof dough through the second kneed cycle (this is about 1.5 hours for my machine but may be different for your machine)
   
   
   
    
4. Lightly flour a rolling surface, sprinkle baking sheet with a dusting of cornmeal and prepare egg wash
   
   
   
    
5. Dump dough from bread machine onto floured surface and shape into a sphere; cut sphere in half, then cut each half in equal thirds; cover dough with dampened paper towel
   
   
   
    
6. Shape loaves as follows (work with 1 piece of dough at a time, keeping unused dough covered): flatten piece of dough with fingertips to remove air bubbles, fold in thirds lengthwise, pinch to seal, then fold pinched dough over and pinch to seal again; roll dough to flatten seal and place dough back under paper towel, seam-side down
   
   
    
   
   
    
7. Shape loaves again as follows (work with 1 piece of dough at a time, keeping unused dough covered): fold roll of dough in half, flatten with fingertips to press out air bubbles, fold in half lengthwise, pinch to seal, then roll to flatten seal; place baguette on baking sheet and cut three 1/2 inch slices over top of baguette
   
     
    
8. Brush tops of baguettes with egg wash
    
9. Let rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes or until loves have doubled in size
   
   
   
    
10. Add 2 cups of ice to a baking sheet and place on bottom rack of oven, then preheat oven to 475℉
    
    
    
     
11. Add baguette loaves to steamy preheated oven and add another 2 cups of ice to bottom baking sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 400℉
     
12. Bake for 32-38 minutes, rotating half-way baguettes halfway through baking and adding another 2 cups of ice to bottom baking sheet
    
    
    
     
13. Remove baguettes from oven and transfer to cooling racks; let bread cool at least 1+1/2 hours before slicing or sealing in bags

Tips

• Why ice in the oven? The trick to really crusty bread is a hot AND steamy oven. Cold ice hitting a hot pan creates instant steam. Ideally, it would be best to bake your breads in a clay oven which would retain perpetual moisture, but since so few of us are privileged enough to own a clay oven, less elegant (and icy) solutions are necessary
   
• Truly expert bakers will tell you to measure flour precisely: first fluff the flour, then scoop the flour into a measuring cup with a teaspoon (or onto a digital scale for extra precision), then level off measuring flour with the back of a knife. God bless you if you can endure that kind of painstaking precision, but I simply fluff with my measuring cup, scoop, and level off with a finger or (gasp!) a shake
   
• If you prefer a less-dense crumb (or simply want to save a little time), you can skip the second shaping of the loaves. My technique gets the job done, but enterprising bakers may want to research classic baguette forming techniques
   
• To be honest, I rarely take the temperature of my water when baking. Hot tap water is generally about the right temperature or you can microwave cold water for about a minute. Keep in mind, the water will begin to cool as soon as it hits your bread machine's loaf pan and will continue to cool as you add the other ingredients
   
• Don't skip the egg wash - this keeps the dough from drying out as it completes its final rise
   
• Don't be afraid to let these baguettes really toast - thanks to the egg wash, the outer crust will begin to brown long before the center and bottoms have finished baking
   
• The egg wash causes these baguettes to stick to the baking sheet - there is no way to avoid it. Just use a spatula (offset spatula can be helpful) to loosen baguettes from the pan
   
• Don't use the "Dough" cycle on your bread maker unless it includes two kneed cycles separated by a rise cycle
   
• I don't recommend baking this bread in your bread maker as it will likely exceed the capacity of the machine
   
• Unless you plan to eat immediately, don't slice or break apart these baguettes until the cooling is complete or the inner structure may collapse