Pain d'Epi

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 cube of yeast, fresh
• 375 ml water, lukewarm (approx. 37°)
• 500 g flour (durum wheat flour)
• 1 ½ tsp salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Rest time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 3 hours 10 minutes

French baguette, quick, delicious and easy.

Dissolve the fresh yeast in about 75 ml of lukewarm water. Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour the dissolved yeast into the well and, with a little flour, make a smooth paste. Cover with a towel and let it rise for about 20 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size. Then add the remaining water and knead all the ingredients into a firm dough. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1.5 hours, until it has doubled in size. Knead the dough thoroughly again and let it rise for another 45 minutes. Divide the dough into two portions and shape each portion into a baguette approximately 30 cm long. Place the shaped baguettes on a floured baking sheet, cover, and let it rise for another 30 minutes. If you want a baguette, make several diagonal cuts in the surface after the proving time. For a Pain d’Epi, however, you take scissors and cut at a 45° angle, about one centimeter above the baking sheet. The resulting corners are then placed alternately to the right and left. Bake both loaves in a preheated oven at 240°C for about 20-25 minutes. Recipe from “Bread Recipes from Around the World.”