More French baking!! ;) But this time, the classic baguette. :)

As you all know I am very much in awe of the baking scheme of things in France. And out of all those irresistible baked goods one can readily associate with the French boulangeries...I think the baguette has to be on my top ten, anyway. There's just something truly magical about a baguette...that lovely crisp crust encasing the fluffy, soft inside; that distinctive shape which makes it so easy to cut into little portions...and to ram into your shopping bag when you're in a hurry...and to break off the top part for a nibble as you hurry along. I read somewhere that in France they always buy two baguettes because by the time one gets home from the bakery with the said baguettes, it is a common occurence that at least half of a baguette has already been consumed. And that's not even to mention the gorgeous, mouth-watering smell; that authentic, tantalising taste...is it any wonder that the word baguette, when translated straight back into French, actually means "wand"? It's very difficult, after all, to not be enchanted by its charm.

Now of course the one thing about making baguettes at home is that unfortunately, most of us won't be able to produce loaves quite as long as the ones you get in the shops, due to oven and tray sizes. But that's not a problem with me, and I hope it won't put you off either. Mine are rarely the perfect size. I remember the very first time I did this recipe: the baguettes sort of resembled crocodiles because they had ridges that looked like the raised eyes of this reptile, and had narrow ends that looked like tails. But so what. Your baguettes are unique and different from everyone else's... who wants to make an exact replica of another baker's? With the recipe below I usually like to make two medium sized baguettes. Though little ones are cute and fun, and are ideal for making yummy sandwiches or for dunking into soup. :)

• 350 g strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting
• 1 tbsp light brown soft sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 ½ tsp easy-blend yeast/7g sachet instant yeast
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 250 ml tepid water
• Egg wash or milk for glazing

Method

1. Grease a bowl with oil. Sift the flour and salt into a big bowl and stir in the yeast and the sugar. Make a well in the centre.
2. Add the two tablespoons of olive oil and most of the water. Mix with your hands until it starts to come together to form a soft dough. Add a little more water if it feels dry, or a little more flour if it feels very sticky.
3. Very lightly dust a work surface with flour. Gather the dough into a ball and turn out onto your work surface. Knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is soft, pliable and stretchy.
4. Place the dough in the oiled bowl, turning once to coat the top, and then cover with greased cling film. Place in a warm, draught-free place to rise for about 1 ½ -2 ½ hours. When it’s ready it should be twice its original volume and should feel springy when gently pressed with a fingertip.
5. Line the biggest baking tray you have – or two if you are worried about the baguettes touching – with baking paper. Give the inflated dough a big punch to knock out the air and then turn out onto a very lightly floured surface.
6. Knead briefly, and then, if you are making two baguettes, cut the dough into half with a sharp knife. Roll the two halves out into rectangles with a rolling pin. I usually roll mine out to about 30cm x 15cm, but this is a rough guide only.
7. Roll the rectangles up tightly lengthways, so that you have two longish cylinders. Roll them gently back and forth on the very lightly floured surface to seal the join slightly.  Carefully transfer to the baking tray.
8. For smaller “demi” baguettes, cut into smaller pieces depending on how big you want them. If they are very small, don’t roll out into rectangles – it’s easier to shape them into balls (roll them underneath the cup of your hand to achieve a nice smooth round shape), before then flattening each ball with the palm of your hand so you have a sausage shape. Roll gently back and forth on the surface and then place on the tray. For medium-sized ones roll out into rectangles as above and roll up in the same way.
9. With a very sharp knife cut slashes in the baguettes at regular intervals (make the slashes deep, though…I have made the mistake before of only making them shallow and they closed in on me as the bread rose. :( ). Then cover again with the greased cling film and put in the warm place to rise for about 1 ½ -2 hrs.
10. Preheat oven to 200c/180c fan.
11. Lightly brush the baguettes with egg wash or a little milk (or if you have any spare egg whites or egg yolks lurking in your fridge that you need using up, they can be used for brushing the baguettes too) and then very lightly dust with flour.
12. Bake for 15-20 minutes for the big baguettes, or 10-15 minutes for the smaller ones. When they are cooked they should be risen and beautifully golden, and should sound hollow inside when tapped on the base.
13. Remove from the tray and place on a wire rack. If you like a soft crust as I do, then wrap in clean tea towels to cool. They are gorgeous eaten warm, served as an accompaniment to a main course or stuffed with fillings for very tasty sandwiches. They don’t keep any longer than a day though – it’s a good idea to freeze any remaining baguette in little chunks so that they can easily be reheated. :)

Ganache Elf's patisserie.:)

When I think of France...one of the first things that automatically springs to my mind has to be the boulangeries or patisseries which are likely to be found in almost every single town city or little village throughout that fascinating country itself. I picture...perhaps a dainty little shop tucked away on perhaps a side street near the town centre, with big glass windows which give the passer-by full opportunity to view for himself what this particular little business has to offer. Through the open door drifts the most enticing and mouth-watering of smells; combined with the clatter of hot trays and the babble of voices as hungry customers eagerly make their orders. Fresh baguettes are propped haphazardly in a wicker basket by the door. Beautifully-shaped merigues and delicate little biscuits are arranged prettily in the window display, their variety of colours and shapes never failing to draw the attention of the wide-eyed school children who press their little faces to the glass and gape longingly at this spectacular display of sugary delights. And then, of course, there are the trays of French pastries and such like. The buttery croissant, possibly the most gorgeous-smelling of them all, and perhaps the ultimate symbol of French baking itself. Pain du chocolat and creamy, finger-shaped eclairs. Glorious mountains of profiteroles and fruit tarts and the brightly coloured macaroons...well the list is endless really, isn't it. You can keep your snails and your frog's legs - for me, the French baking tradition is in a whole league of its own.

and so to celebrate this epic tradition...I guess it's only natural for a baker like me to try out their time honoured-recipes for herself. So today Ganache-Elf got busy with both her rolling pin and piping bag and endeavoured to make both croissants and eclairs. and they were both a success, even though of course not as professional looking as the you would get in the boulangeries. But the aromas produced as they baked were no less delightful, I must say... ;)

Croissant-making is great fun and very rewarding, though again, not something to do if you are in a hurry or have an unusual dislike for rolling out dough (one of my favourites baking tasks...I do so love messing around with my rolling pin. ;) ). As there is ALOT of roling involved. This is to ensure the butter is nicely incoporated into the dough - you want it evenly dispersed after all, and not end up with croissants which are buttery in some parts and dry in others.

Now today I am going to give you my own recipe for butter croissants...well, Of COURSE, when I first made these for the first time ever, I followed a recipe out of one of my cookbooks. It looked so long and complicated and daunting...I very nearly chickened out, I must admit. But anyway I finally stopped dithering and having read the recipe possibly about a hundred times I went for it...and yes, as you can see from my pics, my croissants don't look as flaky and as perfect as the ones you'd get from a bakery, but...the taste, and the smell, were by no means any less appealling...possibly better, as home-baked often is. Since then I've made croissants a few times and I've developed my own recipe which is a little bit different from the original. I hope it provides any croisant-making novices with a clear and straighforward set of instructions for making thse gorgeous yeast-risen pastries at home...I don't think, though, if you want really, really beautiful croissants with a real professional finishing look about them, that my own recipe is the one you should turn to: this is more for someone who, like me, is content with croissants that are equally as awesome in their own right but due to a teency bit of laziness on the behalf of the baker aren't flawless in every way appearance wise. This laziness being mainly, that I don't roll my dough out into precise rectangles and ensure at every turn that it is the exact measurements as stated in the recipe. But anyway, enough of my waffling and onto the recipe. No wait actually - perhaps it would be best if I gave you the recipe in a different post, as this one is way too long AGAIN. And, after a very busy day in the kitchen once again, Ganache-Elf needs her beauty sleep, so off I go. Croissant recipe coming up tomorrow though, if you are interested. But for now I am just going to finish my bed time hot chocolate and stumble up to bed. Another day of cooking, bbaking and pottering around in the kitchen no doubt awaits us tomorrow. ;)