As shared by Once Upon a Plate by Mari (www.onceuponaplate1.com)
(Crispy Crust: Brush with egg wash only during last 5 minutes of bake time.)
Makes two 13 to 15" baguettes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons dry milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 egg white, whisked with 1 Tablespoon water (see below for use)
Add first 8 ingredients to bread machine.
(Or use the bread setting of your machine, but remove the dough before the baking cycle begins.) Form into 2 baguette loaves.
For crispy crust: About 5 minutes before loaves are done, brush with egg white and water mixture.
Select the dough cycle.
Spray or lightly oil a large cookie sheet, or line with parchment paper; sprinkle with cornmeal.
Form loaves: Transfer dough (it will be soft) to a lightly floured board.
Sprinkle with a little flour; cut dough into 2 portions. Roll each portion into a rectangle about 12 to 15 inches wide (add more flour as needed).
-
Starting at long end, roll up; pinch seams well. Repeat with next roll.
-Place loaves on prepared cookie sheet; cover with clean dish towel and let rise another hour.
Preheat oven to 400°. Place a pie plate on the lower rack of the oven; add about 1 inch of boiling water to the pie plate. With a very sharp knife or razor blade make
3 or 4 diagonal slashes (almost parallel to surface of bread) along the length of
the loaves just before placing in the oven.
For softer crust: Brush loaves with egg wash/water mixture when you put the bread into the oven.
Bake bread for 15 minutes; lower heat to 350°. Bake for another 25 minutes.
NOTE:
Tent with foil if bread is browning too quickly for your liking, bake until bottom of loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
You may need to adjust baking time; mine bake in a little less than 25 minutes during the 350º bake.
