『The Bread of Scoring Enthusiasts』 - Lightweight and Crispy Baguette (Instant Dry Yeast Quick Version 1)
A baguette a week is a must! Here's a basic instant dry yeast recipe from the book, perfect for working folks to handle after work in the evening. Takes two days: knead the dough and refrigerate it overnight on the first day, shape, score, and bake on the second evening. The downside of instant dry yeast is that the internal structure is not as moist, and the crust is a bit harder. BUT it's perfect for practice, and the recipe only makes one baguette, so it's not wasteful. Plus, proportions are provided for scaling up if you'd like to make more. Do the calculations yourself, thank you, bowing deeply! Xiachufang sponsored 'Please Take Care of My Fridge,' so here's thirty-two thumbs up for Xiachufang! Take this recommendation; it's so good-looking! ๑乛◡乛๑ Additionally, I will share more recipes from the book as I try them out. (///ω///) You're welcome! Cheers! Mwahaha~
Ingredients
Steps
Mix all the ingredients and fold the dough with a scraper every 20–30 minutes for 5-6 times. Let it proof in a warm place until double the size, then refrigerate overnight (12 hours). This is how the book suggests, but I go the lazy way: throw everything in the bread maker, press the kneading mode (takes roughly an hour including fermentation), then refrigerate. Alternatively, knead for 10-15 minutes, let proof at 22°-25°C for two hours, then refrigerate. Done with day one! Easy! The next evening, warm the dough up before continuing: 10-15 minutes if it's summer, for winter, it depends on your home heating. Poke it with your finger to see if it still feels freezing or is slightly warm.
Sprinkle some hand flour on the countertop. Don't clump it up; channel your inner artist and scatter it like a master painter. Gently move the dough out onto the floured surface, placing the original top-facing side down. Keep the smooth surface outside.
Stretch the dough diagonally into a 20cm square. My palm size is about 15cm—measure yours if you're unsure. This step is important, as you'll see later in the recipe. If it doesn't stretch easily at first, don't worry—it improves with practice!
Fold the top third down. Dust off any excess flour—don't trap it inside the baguette, or you'll end up with unpleasant lumps of dry flour.
Fold the bottom third up. Ignore the camera focus; it's late at night, and focus issues happen—just roll with it!
Stretch it into a 30cm by 10cm rectangle. Again, use your hand for measurement if necessary!
Fold the top right corner towards the center, aligning it to about a third of the width. Avoid trapping any flour.
Fold the bottom half upwards. This method is unconventional but effective, so give it a try!
Roll the dough into a 40cm long piece—adjust if your oven is smaller. Shorten accordingly.
Place on a proofing cloth for the second proofing. While proofing, preheat your oven to 320°C. The book suggests this temperature, but my oven maxes out at 300°C—you can judge the results yourself based on appearance. My oven preheats for 40 minutes, which is also my second proofing time.
My scoring tool. For a 40cm baguette, make 5 cuts, each 10cm long, with 2.5cm overlaps. I created a scoring stick with marks for 10cm intervals. For a 30cm baguette: 3 cuts, 12cm long, 3cm overlaps. For 35cm baguette: 4 cuts, 10.5cm long, 2.5cm overlaps.
Score the baguette and bake with steam. Refer to other baguette recipes for steam methods. The best option is a steam oven, followed by preheating stones in another baking tray and adding hot water when baking. Stones are essential—or splurge on a baking steel. Bake at 320°C for 5 minutes, then lower to 230°C and bake for 15 minutes.
Done! ꉂ ೭(˵¯̴͒ꇴ¯̴͒˵)౨ Thank you for reading! I somehow only made 4 cuts this time—oops! My late-night brain must've been foggy.