Italian Baguette
Author: Rachel C Pattisson
- 250g plain flour
- 5g instant dried yeast
- 1 large egg
- 50ml full fat milk
- 100ml hand-hot water
- Combine the ingredients in a large bowl. Add the water last and pour it in little by little, squeezing everything together with one hand until you have a dough that is firm and sticky.
- Leave the dough to rise for about an hour. It should approximately double in size.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for a few minutes.
- Use a rolling-pin to make the dough into an oval shape, then roll it up like a fat Swiss roll. Press the seam together firmly, to seal it. If is it reluctant to stick, brush the joint with some water to act like glue.
- Place the loaf onto a baking tray and leave it to rise again for 40 minutes, by which time it will be springy to the touch.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C.
- When you are ready to bake the bread, use a sharp knife to score a line along the top, about a centimetre deep.
- Spray the loaf thoroughly, all over, with water, from a clean plant spray. This will help to form the crunchy crust.
- Bake at 200 degrees C for 25 minutes, spraying the crust twice more in the first 10 minutes of cooking.
- The bread is cooked when it is well browned and comes off the tray easily. It will sound hollow when you knock on its bottom.
- Leave the bread to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before cutting.
Recipe by Finesse Corner at https://finessecorner.com/italian-baguette/
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