Chewy French Baguette Recipes

Steps:

• In bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together yeast and warm water until creamy. Using dough hook, add the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cool water. Mix until a smooth, elastic dough forms, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours.
• Grease a double baguette pan and lightly sprinkle with cornmeal. Divide the dough into two 12-by-6-inch rectangles. Form the dough into baguettes. Transfer baguettes to the prepared pan, laying each seam-side down. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof overnight in the refrigerator.
• When the dough has proofed completely (see Chef Tip: The Poke Test), preheat the oven to 375°F Lightly flour the top of each baguette. With a razor blade or very sharp paring knife, score the top of each baguette lengthwise 3 to 4 times. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake until crusty and golden, about 30 minutes.
• Chef's Tip for Mixing Dough: When first combining water and flour, it is essential to create dough with the right consistency. If dough is too wet and sticky, add a bit more flour. If dough is too dry and hard, add a bit more cool water.
• Chef's Tip for The Poke Test: Poke the refrigerated dough with a finger. If the indentation holds, you're ready to bake. If dough bounces back, let it sit in a warm spot until it passes the test.
• Chef's Tip for Forming Baguettes: Divide the dough into two rectangles. Fold the long edge of one rectangle over to meet the other edge and pinch the seam to seal. Roll up into a log, flatten, fold, and pinch again. Continue 2 or 3 times more until you have a baguette long enough to fit your pan. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Steps:

• Place yeast into the bottom of a large mixing bowl and stir with water; mix in salt. Beat flour into yeast mixture with a wooden spoon until dough is thick and sticky and pulls flour from the side of the bowl, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand in a turned-off oven until doubled in size, 12 to 14 hours. Dough will be bubbly and very sticky.
• Place a silicone baking mat onto a baking sheet and dust generously with cornmeal.
• Use a floured spatula to scrape dough out onto a well-floured work surface and dust dough with flour. With well-floured hands, pat dough into a rectangle and cut into 4 equal-size pieces.
• Dust a piece of dough with flour and use your floured fingers to gently roll and stretch it out into a log about 10 inches long and 1 1/2 inches around. Gently transfer to prepared baking sheet. If desired, wipe off excess cornmeal with a damp paper towel. Repeat with another piece of dough. (Reserve remaining dough to bake later or prepare 2 baking sheets to bake all 4 at once). Dust loaves lightly with flour. Dust a large piece of plastic wrap with flour and drape plastic lightly over the baking sheet with floured side down.
• Let loaves rise, covered, until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hour.
• Move oven racks to the bottom and middle positions. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C) or as high as your oven will go. Place an oven-safe baking dish full of water into bottom rack of the oven.
• Use a sharp kitchen shears to cut 4 or 5 angled slashes into the top of each loaf. Poke down the little sharp tips of dough left by the scissors. Spray loaves with water, using a spray bottle.
• Bake in the preheated oven until baguettes are browned, about 15 minutes, spraying loaves with water after 5 minutes and 10 minutes. Turn the pan around on the second spraying.
• Transfer baguettes to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature before slicing with a serrated knife.