Baguettes - recipe

Place the flour, salt and yeast into the bowl of a freestanding mixer with the dough hook attachment, making sure the salt doesn’t touch the yeast. Mix on a slow speed and add approx. 280ml of the water.

When the dough starts to come together add the rest of the water and continue to mix for 6-7 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Tip the dough into a square plastic container that has been lightly oiled, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place to prove for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.

Lightly oil the work surface and carefully tip the proved dough onto it, you want to keep the air in so be gentle. Then divide the dough into 4 pieces.

Shape the dough into a rectangle by flattening out slightly, then folding the long sides in, rolling into a sausage with the fold at the base. Next gently roll out the sausage from the middle, by rolling backwards and forwards until it is slightly shorter in length than your oven tray.

Place 2 baguettes onto each tray and cover with lightly oiled cling film, then leave to prove for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size and springs back when lightly prodded with your finger.

Preheat the oven to 220°C and place a roasting tin in the base filled with 1 litre of cool water to create some steam in the oven.

Lightly dust the baguettes with flour and using a sharp knife slash each one 3 times, place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until they a golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the base.