Cracked Wheat French Baguettes
Best eaten fresh; maintain its crisp crust by storing unsliced bread uncovered at room temperature.
(Traditional Method)
Oven 450ºF
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Ingredients
3/4 cup Water, boiling
1/3 cup Cracked Wheat
1/2 cup Water
1 tsp. Sugar
3/4 tsp. Salt
3 cups Bread Flour
2-1/4 teaspoons SAF® Perfect Rise Active Dry Yeast
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Combine cracked wheat with boiling water. Cool cracked wheat mixture to 130ºF. In mixing bowl, combine sugar, salt, 1 cup bread flour and yeast. Add remaining water and cracked wheat mixture; with mixer, beat 3 to 4 minutes on medium speed. Gradually add remaining flour by hand or a mixer with dough hook(s); knead for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth, satiny and elastic. Use additional flour if necessary. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl; turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough tests ripe. (Gently stick two fingers in the risen dough up to the second knuckle and take them out. If the indentations remain, the dough is ripe.)
Shaping and Baking
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; punch down to remove air bubbles. Divide dough in half. Pat into a 14 x 7-inch rectangle. Starting with longer side, roll up tightly, pressing dough into roll. Taper ends; pinch edges to seal. Place seam side down in baguette pan, on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal, or in the folds of a long couche. Cover; let rise until dough rises to more than double its size and indention remains when lightly touched on its side, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
Place a broiler pan on lowest oven rack. Preheat oven to 450ºF (425ºF for convection ovens). Five minutes before baking, pour 1 cup hot water into the hot pan, being careful to avoid burns from a burst of the hot steam created.
Make 2 or 3 diagonal slashes across top of loaf with a sharp knife or razor. Spray or brush with cold water. Place on middle oven shelf. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. For an extra crisp crust, spray or brush loaf with cold water several times during baking. Cool on wire rack.
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