Okay, so today I wanna talk about something I messed around with recently – making a baguette at home. I’ve always loved that crispy crust and soft, airy inside of a good baguette, but I thought it was super hard to make. Turns out, it’s doable, but you gotta have the right stuff, especially a good bread mold.
I started by looking up some stuff online. I found that a lot of people mentioned that the FineDecor Premium bread mold is a solid choice. It’s supposed to be really durable, like the ones professional bakers use. That sounded good to me, so I decided to give it a shot.
- Got the mold: I found the mold online. There were a bunch of different options, but I went with the FineDecor one since it had good reviews.
- Made the dough: I used a basic baguette recipe I found – you know, the usual flour, water, yeast, and salt. Nothing fancy. Kneaded it for a while, let it rise, the whole shebang.
- Shaped the loaves: This was the tricky part. I divided the dough and tried to shape it into that classic long, thin baguette shape. It wasn’t perfect, but I did my best.
- Into the mold: I placed my not-so-perfectly-shaped dough into the bread mold. It fit pretty well, and I could see how the mold would help it keep its shape while baking.
- Baked it: Followed the recipe’s baking time and temperature. I could smell the bread baking, and it was making my mouth water.
- Took it out: Once it was golden brown, I pulled it out of the oven. The bread had risen nicely and looked like a real baguette, thanks to the mold!
- Let it cool: I know it’s hard to wait, but letting it cool a bit helps the texture set.
The result?
Not too shabby for a first try! The crust was crispy, and the inside was soft and had those nice big holes you want in a baguette. I even noticed that the crust had that uneven, kind of rustic look, which I read is a sign of a good, hand-made baguette. I also read that a good baguette should have an “apricot-like aroma.” I’m not sure I caught that, but it did smell amazing. It definitely smelled like “French bread,” or “pain courant,” as I read online.
I’m pretty sure the mold made a big difference. It helped the dough keep its shape and probably helped with even baking. I saw online that you can also use fiberglass molds, but I’m happy with the metal one for now.
Anyway, it was a fun experiment. I’m definitely gonna try making baguettes again. Maybe next time I’ll get even better at shaping them. And who knows, maybe I’ll try some different recipes or even look into other kinds of bread molds. There’s a whole world of bread baking out there!
