French loaf - cook, not buy

Well, who will remain indifferent when they hear the aroma of a freshly baked French loaf or baguette? Soft, crispy and still hot. It is eaten immediately and without a trace.

But how many people thought to cook a French loaf in the oven at home? But this is not so difficult.

A few proven secrets

Experienced chefs have already noticed what to do right and what is not when preparing a crispy baguette. Therefore, beginners should adopt a few secrets.

1. Many French loaf recipes contain sugar, although the pastries are not sweet. If someone is embarrassed by this ingredient, then it can be replaced with malt.
2. Baking a loaf requires a high temperature (- 250 ° C). If you set the temperature lower, then the baking will be overdried.
3. If your oven is drying, then before baking a baguette, it is necessary to put a container of water in it so that steam forms. This is another important condition in the preparation of the French loaf.
4. To keep the baguette fresh for several days, after cooling it, you need to wrap it in a plastic bag or cling film. Do not put in the refrigerator.

Classic recipe

So, the classic recipe for a French loaf in the oven (photos are attached) involves baking a simple bread product without any additives.

For cooking you need:

• 0.5 kg of wheat flour;
• 10 grams of dry yeast;
• 0.4 liters of pure water;
• a tablespoon of vegetable oil;
• 40 grams of butter;
• 2 tsp. sugar and salt.

Cooking Instructions:

1. Prepare the dough. 100 ml of warm water are poured into the pan.
2. Yeast, 2 teaspoons of sugar and 3 tablespoons of flour are poured into the water.
3. All mix, cover the pan with a towel and leave alone for 15 minutes. After a while, a white foam should form.
4. After that, the remaining amount of water, flour and salt are added to the finished dough.
5. Melt the butter and pour into the dough. First mixed with a spoon, and then make a manual batch of dough. You do not need to knead it for a long time, the smaller it is - the more porous the structure of the baguette will turn out.
6. Now, pastries are formed from the finished dough: either 1 long loaf, or slightly smaller. On the surface, it is necessary to make several oblique incisions.
7. On a baking sheet, sprinkled with flour, spread baking. Cover it with a towel and clean it in heat (not in the oven) for 30 minutes so that it comes up.
8. A container of water is placed in a preheated oven to 250 ° C. And when the loaf is infused, it is sent to bake for 10 minutes.
9. After 10 minutes, the container of water is removed, and the loaf continues to bake for another 15 minutes.

French cream baguette

• 0.5 kg of wheat flour;
• 0.2 liters of milk;
• 50 ml of water;
• 1 egg
• a tablespoon of sugar;
• a teaspoon of salt;
• 20 grams of yeast;
• 50 grams of butter;
• sesame for topping.

The preparation is as follows:

1. Water and milk need to be slightly warmed up. They should be warm, but not hot.
2. Milk and water are mixed, they add yeast and sugar. Stir, cover and leave for 5 minutes.
3. Melt the butter. Add it and the egg to the yeast mixture.
4. Add salt and sifted flour. Knead the dough.
5. The dough should be elastic, moderately tight. After kneading, the dough is transferred to a bowl with the bottom and edges greased with vegetable oil. Cover with a towel and leave for an hour and a half. In volume, it should increase by 2, or even 3 times.
6. The approached dough is laid out on the table. Divided into 2 parts.
7. Each part is rolled out in a thin layer (2-3 mm thick). Lubricate with melted butter.
8. Each rectangle is folded in half lengthwise and then in half across. Clean in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
9. After 15 minutes, the dough is taken out and the rectangles are rolled out again. The surface of each is greased with butter.
10. Roll the rectangles of the dough into rolls.
11. On the surface of each roll make cuts.
12. Transfer them to a baking sheet and leave them alone for 20 minutes.
13. Before baking, loaves are greased with an egg and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
14. Bake at 250 ° C for half an hour.

French loaf with herbs

• 300 grams of wheat flour;
• 1/2 teaspoon of yeast;
• 150 ml of water;
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil;
• 1/2 tsp salt and sugar;
• 30 grams of garlic, dill and parsley.

Cooking:

1. Combine water, sugar and yeast. Stir until smooth.
2. Set the dough aside for 10 minutes.
3. The flour is sifted and vegetable oil is poured into it.
4. Flour and salt are poured into the dough. Knead the dough with your hands.
5. The dough should be smooth and elastic. Clean it in a bowl, cover with cling film. In an oven preheated to 40 ° C, put the dough for an hour to make it fit.
6. Garlic is grated. Dill and parsley finely chopped. Everyone mixes.
7. The prepared dough is rolled out in a rectangle.
8. Sprinkle it with herbs. Roll up.
9. Make incisions and put in the oven for 30 minutes. The temperature of the oven is 180 ° C. Do not forget about the water tank to create steam in the oven.

The recipe for the impatient

• 400 grams of flour;
• 250 ml of water;
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil;
• 8 grams of dry yeast;
• by tsp sugar and salt.

Cooking:

1. Prepare a dough of water, sugar and yeast. Leave for 15 minutes.
2. Sift flour into dough, add salt and oil.
3. Knead the dough, add more flour if necessary. The dough should be elastic.
4. Leave the dough for an hour to increase in size.
5. Then cut it in half and roll out in length in the form of a "sausage".
6. On each make incisions. Sprinkle the bread with flour.
7. Sent in the oven to bake for 40 minutes at a temperature of 180 ° C.

Conclusion

A French loaf, a photo of which is already causing appetite, is prepared easily and simply in a home oven. You can cook it from the available ingredients that every housewife has. In addition, fragrant homemade cakes seriously save the family budget.