Demi-baguettes

 Fitting full-sized baguettes in a domestic oven is tricky, hence these ones will be about half normal size, this recipe makes four.

Ingredients

• 500g strong white bread flour (plus a little extra for dusting)
• 10g salt
• 4g instant dry yeast
• 350g water

Utensils

• Oven
• Scales
• Baking tray (heavier the better) or pizza stone (around 30cm by 30cm)
• Spare baking tray / flat board for delivering loaves to the oven
• Shallow oven-proof dish or tray (only has to hold half a cup of water)
• Sharp knife (for slicing the loaves)
• Two clean tea-towels or equivalent for the bread to prove in

Method

Mixing

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl
2. Turn the mixture out onto a clean work surface and knead until it becomes a smooth dough
3. Form the dough into a ball and return to the lightly floured mixing bowl
4. Cover and leave in a warm place for an hour
5. Letter-fold the dough and return to the mixing bowl
6. Cover and leave in a warm place for another hour

Shaping

1. Place a baking stone or heavy baking tray in your oven and preheat to 250 degrees Celsius, or as close as you can get
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface
3. Divide it into four portions of around 200-220g and loosely shape them into balls
4. Pat each ball out into a flat oval
5. Fold the long edge of the oval into the centre and press down firmly
6. Repeat that for for the other long edge
7. Fold in half again, crimping the edge well to seal
8. Gently roll the dough out to form a baguette shape
9. Transfer the dough to a floured tea towel to prove
10. Repeat with all portions and cover with another tea towel
11. Leave to prove for half an hour

Baking

1. Place half a cup of boiling water into a shallow container in the bottom of the oven
2. Slice each loaf down the middle with three or four cuts, overlapping by one quarter to a third of their length
3. Transfer the loaves to the oven
4. Turn the oven down to 220 degrees Celsius
5. Bake for five minutes then remove the water
6. Bake for another 7-10 minutes
7. Remove from the oven and leave to cool