Easy French Baguette Recipe

An easy french baguette recipe that is the perfect complement to soups, sauces, and salads. Be sure to make two loafs! It’s especially delicious when topped with fresh asiago.

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Classic French Baguette

Yield: 0

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Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 egg yolk + 1 teaspoon water, whisked or 1 tablespoon melted butter + 1/2 teaspoon garlic (garlic optional)
• Grated asiago, optional

Instructions

1. Place 1 cup water, yeast, and sugar into a large bowl and let proof for about five minutes.
2. Slowly stir in the salt and flour until everything is combined and you can form into a ball.
3. Place in a greased bowl (turning to cover the dough in it), and cover with a cloth or paper towel and let it raise for about 30 minutes in a warm area (or until doubled.)
4. Once doubled, punch down and place on a lightly floured area.
5. Roll into a 16x12 inch rectangle and cut in half (so you have two 8x12 inch rectangles.)
6. Roll each piece of dough tightly, starting at one of the 12 inch sides. Remove air bubbles as they appear.
7. Place on a greased baking sheet about 3 inches apart.
8. Make diagonal slashes across the love every couple of inches.
9. Brush with an egg wash or the garlic butter (or just butter). Sprinkle cheese on top if desired.
10. Cover and let rise for about 45 minutes, or until doubled.
11. While rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
12. Bake about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Notes

Inspired by http://allrecipes.com/recipe/french-baguettes/

I love bread, and I love baking. Those are two of my favorite things in the world. Whenever I eat a soup, or anything that has any kind of sauce, I feel like there needs to be some kind of delicious bread to dip in it. Whenever we go to a restaurant that has complimentary bread, I’m absolutely elated. I don’t think my mom’s famous lasagna recipe would be complete without a side of bread.

I know, it’s kind of a problem. But it’s a problem I don’t mind having. Well, except for the fact that Jack can’t have very much gluten, so we’ve had to avoid buying too much bread…because, well, he likes to eat whatever we eat.

Still,  I occasionally indulge in it every now and then still. My favorite kind of bread is the french baguette. It always reminds me of when my mom and I would go to Panera Bread when I was in high school, and they always would include the french baguette as a side. I loved it! It’s still the kind of bread I enjoy buying from the bakery at the grocery bread.

Even though I’m perfectly fine with buying, I recently decided to try and make it myself. And guess what – it’s not hard at all! In fact, it’s one of the easiest breads I’ve ever made. It tastes great plain, but it tastes even more delicious when you top it with freshly grated asiago, or with a garlic butter sauce. Yum!

I love this recipe because it has a nice, crusty outside, but the inside is so soft – it almost melts in your mouth!