Great British Bake Off 2015: It's bread week, here's how to make a winning French baguette

Feeling inspired by Mary and Paul? Maison Kayser baker Éric Kayser shows you how to bake the perfect loaf
Bread week: can you rise to the challenge?
Phaidon
Liz Connor19 August 2015

It’s bread week on Bake Off, which can only mean one thing: time to pull out a baking tray and get kneading at home.

We may already know the name of the contestant who leaves thanks to a shocking slip up from Mary Berry on the radio, but despite the spoilers, there's still plenty of tips and tricks to be taken from Paul Hollywood and the latest batch of star bakers.

Baguettes will feature on Bake Off for the first time tonight as part of Paul's tricky technical challenge, and if you’re feeling inspired to see if you can do better than this year’s Bake Off bunch, France’s most celebrated baker Éric Kayser has a fail-safe recipe that will guarantee you have the upper crust.

Makes 3 baguettes, each about 300 g

Timings

• Mixing & kneading: 15 min

• First resting: 1 h

• First rising: 1 h 30 min

• Second resting: 30 min

• Proofing: 1 h 40 min

• Baking: 20 min

Ingredients

• 500 g (4 cups) all-purpose (plain) flour, plus extra for dusting

• 325 g (scant 1 ⅓ cups) water at 68°f (20°c)

• 100 g (scant ½ cup) liquid sourdough starter

(or 25 g [3 tablespoons] dry sourdough starter)

• 3 g (1 teaspoon) fresh baker’s yeast, crumbled

• 10 g (2 teaspoons) salt

Kneading in a hand mixer

Put the flour and water in the bowl and mix for 4 minutes at low speed. Remove the bowl from the machine and cover it with a damp cloth. Leave to rest for 1 hour, then add the starter, fresh yeast, and salt. Knead with the dough hook for 4 minutes at low speed, then for 7 minutes at high speed.

Kneading by hand

Put the flour on a work surface or in a mixing bowl and make a large well in the center. Pour in two-thirds of the water and mix until all the flour has been incorporated. Leave to rest for 1 hour under a damp cloth, then incorporate the rest of the water, the starter, fresh yeast, and salt. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise for 1 hour 30 minutes. It will have increased in volume by the end of the rising time.

Dust the work surface. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Fold each piece over on itself, pulling gently to stretch into a longish log. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, use the palm of your hand to flatten it gently. With the long side facing you, fold in a third towards the center and press along the edge with your fingertips.

Phaidon

Swivel the dough 180 degrees. Fold in the other long edge so that it overlaps in the center and press with the heel of your hand. Fold one half on top of the other, and seal the edges together with the heel of your hand.

Phaidon

With lightly floured hands, roll the baguette out to 21 inches (55 cm) long, then pinch each end into a point. Shape the other 2 baguettes the same way.

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Carefully lift the baguettes onto a lightly floured baker’s cloth, seams underneath. Separate them by making folds in the cloth. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to proof for 1 hour 40 minutes, by which time the baguettes will have increased in volume.

Phaidon

Place a baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven and preheat to 450°f (230°c). Gently place the baguettes, seam down, on another baking sheet lined with parchment (baking) paper. Dust with flour and make 4 evenly spaced oblique slashes along the length of each baguette.

Phaidon

Just before putting the baguettes in the oven, pour 50 g (scant ¼ cup) of water onto the preheated baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Phaidon

This recipe is taken from The Larousse Book of Bread by Éric Kayser (Phaidon 2015). To learn more about the book visit phaidon.com/bread

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