Bread, bread, bread. I know, I know, I know! Another bread recipe, but what can I say? I love bread and I have this compulsion to keep nagging at you to make your own bread for 2 very good reasons. 1) Homemade bread is delicious and doesn’t contain any nasty chemicals. 2) Homemade bread is inexpensive. (Using this recipe, the total cost of making this bread is under a dollar. About 64 cents for the flour, less than a penny for the salt, 20 cents (at the most) for the yeast, and about 4 cents for the olive oil.) Now, where can you buy 4 small loaves of French baguettes for that price? Amen!

Anyway, yesterday I was in the mood for French dip sandwiches. I had leftover flank steak (recipe to be posted soon), onions to caramelize, a couple of slices of pepper-Jack cheese that needed to be used, and a great recipe and makings for au jus (Homemade Au Jus – no Drippings Required). But what I didn’t have was baguettes. And you really cannot make French dip sandwiches without some kind of firm, crusty bread. So, that left only two choices. Send Mr. C. to the store for costly baguettes or make my own. No contest there. And since many of my favorite baguette recipes call for an overnight rise, I had to come up with a recipe that could be ready, start to finish, in less than 4 hours. And the recipe you find below is what I came up with.

So, if you too ever find yourself with no baguettes, but an urgent need for some, give this recipe a try. Easy to prepare, inexpensive, and perfect for French dip sandwiches.

Well, tonight we are going to a local production of the comic opera Falstaff. I can hardly wait. Not only do I love opera; I love that this production is in Mount Vernon rather than Seattle. (No offence, Seattle, but you do know you are becoming more difficult to navigate, with all your one-way streets, bus only lanes, bike only lanes, especially in the dark.) So, I am ready to have a nice dinner out, then drive to McIntyre Hall, park in an easy to enter and exit (and free) parking lot and arrive home 30 minutes later. Ah, the blessings of living in a rural area. Can’t be beat!

On that happy note – as always – peace and love to all.           

1½ c. warm water

2½ tsp. instant yeast*

1¾ tsp. kosher salt

4 c. bread flour, or more if needed

extra virgin olive oil 

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the warm water and instant yeast with your dough hook and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the salt and enough flour to produce a shaggy dough. (The dough should be tacky but not sticky.)

Pour a bit of olive oil in the bowl, and using your hands and a stiff spatula, form the dough into an oil covered ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, punch down the dough and cover with plastic wrap again and let rise for 1 hour.

Divide dough in half. And then halve again. Shape dough into 4, roughly 10-inch-long loaves with rounded ends. Place on a parchment paper lined baking pan or pans, cover with plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with cooking spray, and let rise again until almost doubled – about 30-45 minutes.

Once doubled and just before placing in your pre-heated oven, sprinkle each baguette with flour and slash each top 3-4 times with a bread lame or serrated knife.

Spray loaves with water and place them in your pre-heated 450-degree oven. Set timer for 20-25 minutes. Bake for 5 minutes and spray with water again. After another 8 minutes spray again with water.

Bake for a total of 20-23 minutes or until baguettes are brown and crusty and have reached an internal temperature of 210-degrees.

Remove from oven and cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.     

To make the dough ahead, after forming the dough into an oiled ball, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge. The next day, punch it down, let it rest for about 10 minutes, and then shape.

*I always use instant yeast whether it is called for or not. But I also always treat it as just regular active yeast. This means allowing the liquid and yeast to mingle for a minute or two to prove to me that it (the yeast) is still alive and willing to work with me. Trust but verify.