Italian Baguette
 
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 250g plain flour
  • 5g instant dried yeast
  • 1 large egg
  • 50ml full fat milk
  • 100ml hand-hot water
Instructions
  1. 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.
  2. Leave the dough to rise for about an hour. It should approximately double in size.
  3. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for a few minutes.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C.
  7. When you are ready to bake the bread, use a sharp knife to score a line along the top, about a centimetre deep.
  8. Spray the loaf thoroughly, all over, with water, from a clean plant spray. This will help to form the crunchy crust.
  9. Bake at 200 degrees C for 25 minutes, spraying the crust twice more in the first 10 minutes of cooking.
  10. 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.
  11. Leave the bread to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before cutting.
Recipe by Finesse Corner at https://finessecorner.com/italian-baguette/