This is real french bread, the kind that takes all day to make. Â This recipe was perfected by my brother, Jim, then given to me to mess with and make it into 90/10 compatible whole wheat french baguettes. Â My brother is very serious about his bread, and kneads it by hand even though he has a perfectly capable stand mixer. Â (This is just one of the various ways my brother and I differ: he has much more patience than I do.) Â According to Jim, this bread should have “large, irregular holes” in it once it’s sliced. Â I will admit that using the stand mixer will yield loaves with smaller and more regular holes, which is probably why he opts for the by-hand method. Â The stand mixer is simpler and less messy so I went with that for this recipe.
These whole wheat French baguettes do take a long time to make. Â It’s not a lot of active time, but it’s not a set it and forget it deal either like I tend to gravitate toward. Â You will need to be home to tend to it, so plan it for a day you’re stuck at home and craving a little taste of Paris.
Ingredients
Starter
- 1 1/2 cups 100% whole wheat flour
- 1 cup water tepid
- 1/4 tsp yeast
Bread
- 3 1/2 cups 100% whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups water tepid
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp yeast
Instructions
Starter
- Combine starter ingredients. Cover and let stand at room temperature 4 hours.
Bread
- Add starter and remaining ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit mixer with dough hook. Turn mixer to speed one until well combined. (Note: it will not look like dough at this point, but will be very wet and sticky.)
- Cover bowl with a clean dish towel and let stand 30 minutes. Uncover and turn to speed 1 for 30 seconds. Re-cover bowl and let stand 30 minutes. Uncover and turn to speed 1 for 30 seconds. Repeat two more times, for a total of 2 hours.
- Sprinkle a little whole wheat flour on a clean work surface. Add dough and knead by hand a couple of times. Divide dough in half and roll one half out to a large rectangle. Starting with a long end, roll up into a log. Pinch seam to seal and fold ends under and pinch to seal. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Cover with a clean dish towel. Let stand 30 minutes.
- 15 min before standing time ends, preheat oven to 475.
- Uncover and bake 18-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped. Let cool before slicing.
Comments (0)