The French baguette, also known by the name of Parisian or French bread, is a bread of french origins, born in Paris in 1920 and, from there, spread all over the world.
Longer and slimmer than the white loaf bread (filone), it is 6 cm wide and 65 cm long, for a total weight of 250 grams.
According to the legend, the first baguettes began to be prepared in Vienna in the mid-19th century, but this form of bread became the cornerstone of the French bakery when a law was passed and prohibited Parisian bakers from starting work before four in the morning.
This made it impossible to make round loaves, which required more time for leavening and which were served to customers for breakfast.
The Parisian baguette, however, solved this problem, because it could be prepared and baked faster.
Do not you believe it? Try our baguette with direct method recipe: we can assure you that, in a short time, you will be able to present to your customers a fragrant bread, with a thin and crunchy crust, versatile and perfect for aperitifs!
Ingredients
-1 kilo (1000 grams) of white flour type 0 or semi-white flour
-650 milliliters of water at room temperature
-25 grams of brewer's yeast
-22 grams of salt
-5 grams of malt
Preparation
1.Pour the flour into the mixer, then start the machine at first speed and let it run for 5 minutes to aerate the flour. Add salt and malt.
2.In a container, dissolve the brewer's yeast in water at room temperature. Pour the mixture of water and yeast into the mixer, then set the second speed and let it run for another 6 or 7 minutes.
3.After 7 minutes, turn off the machine. With the help of a baker's scraper, remove the dough from the bowl, the place it a container for leavening, previously floured, and leave to rise for 40 minutes.
4.At the end of rising, divide the dough into pieces of 200-220 grams, then give them the shape of a loaf (filone) by hand or using the special forming machine.
5.Stretch the loaves until they reach a length of 65 centimeters, then place them on boards, covered with sheets, well floured and with the closure upwards. Leave to rise for about 45-50 minutes (attention: during the leavening phase, the baguettes must be covered with a floured cloth).
6.Turn the baguettes over onto baking frames, then, with a razor blade, make 6 to 8 incisions under the skin on the surface (the number of incisions will depend on the length of the baguette).
7.Bake with light steam at 220/230 degrees and cook for 20-25 minutes. End the last 5 minutes of cooking with the draft open.
8.Remove the baguettes from the oven with the help of a baker's shovel and place them in slightly inclined bakers crates to facilitate the operation. Leave to cool.
Baguette: tips for aperitifs
The baguette, due to its very enlongated and narrow shape, is perfect for summer aperitifs, as, when cut, its slices are no wider than 6 centimeters and can be comfortably held between the index finger and the thumb and with one hand.
If you want to propose a French-flavoured aperitif, you can cut the baguette into slices (the ideal height of each slice should be 2 centimeters, this in order to not create difficulties for the customer at the time of tasting), pass them lightly in the oven, let them cool and then place a thin slice of foie gras, pate or brie on the top.
If, on the other hand, you prefer to offer your customers a purely Italian-flavoured apero, the baguette is the ideal choice for making small bruschette, elegant and easy to take with the hands, but very tasty.
Here are some tips to garnish your baguette and make a tasty and tricolor aperitif:
Red: diced tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
Green: Genoese pesto (or, if you prefer, green olives blended with a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and, if you like spicy tastes, a pinch of sweet chilli).
White: burrata mozzarella cheese cream, two or three cubes of tomato, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
