Authentic Parisian Baguettes

• Main Ingredient: Flour
• Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Recipe by: Emile Henry

Method

1. Heat the water to around 40°C. Mix the flour, salt and dry yeast in a mixing bowl.
2. Pour in the warm water and knead for 5 minutes until you have a smooth dough. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to rise for 40 minutes at room temperature, away from draughts.
3. Work the dough by hand to let the air out, then divide into 3 sections.
4. Shape each section by rolling into a thin cylinder, slightly longer than the moulds in the tray. Brush flour inside the baking tray and place the cylinders of dough in each mould.
5. Cover with the lid and leave to rise for 20 minutes at room temperature. Pre-heat the oven to 250°C. Brush some water over the surface of the baguettes, making sure  that  the  water  doesn’t  come  between  the  dough  and  the  mould,  which  would  make  the  dough  stick  to  the  mould  while  cooking.  Make deep slashes across the top.
6. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and brown the tops for 2 minutes.

Tip: to obtain a more traditional-looking baguette, lightly flour the surface of each cylinder of dough just before baking.