Baguette and Garlic bread from scratch with step by step pictures

Garlic bread is something which we all love at home.Usually when  we go for a pizza night, we order  garlic bread and some chicken wings  to go with it and  more than the pizza I enjoy the garlic bread and chicken wings .Supermarkets here sell descent garlic bread  so I never bothered to make it from scratch..Couple of weeks back, me and my blogger buddy MJ did a baking workshop for a couple for some lovely ladies at my place. I was in charge of cake and MJ  did  a bread, and the taste and  smell of freshly baked home -made bread totally inspired me to get into bread baking.

When I first moved to UK  it really amazed me when I saw breads in all size and shapes with all fancy names..till then I have only tasted the soft white everyday  bread from bakeries and they were simply the best. My first impression after I ate the bread from here was “ eww its not sweet and its not soft "  I didn’t like the breads here at all , after all  it’s not easy to adjust to an acquired taste is it ?? Can’t remember when I started enjoying the breads here  and developed a liking for brown bread over the white ones and then later on I  explored the fancy breads in all shapes...crunchy outside soft inside ones became  my favourite  ….now I am converted.I like my bread the way we get here and if u can make them at home it tastes even better!!

Coming to todays bread, its Baguette.. a long french bread which is crunchy outside and soft inside and its so easy to bake too !

Recipe source from here

Ingredients for baguette

All purpose flour/ Maida – 2 ½ cup

Instant yeast -  1 ½ tsp

Sugar – 1 tbsp

Salt – 1 tsp

Warm water – 1 cup

Egg yolk – 1(dilute the  egg yolk with  1 tbs of water)

Method

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup of warm water and let it froth for 5 minutes
• Measure flour and salt into a bowl.
• Add the yeast solution to it and knead it well for 5 minutes into smooth dough.
• Cover the dough with a cling film or a damp cloth and let it rise for 1 hour or until double.
• Divide the dough into two halves.

• Roll the dough into rectangles of  8 inch * 12 inch 

• Roll the sheet from the 12 inch side tightly to a log. Repeat the same with other half of the dough.

• With a knife score a line (2 inches apart) on both  logs.

• Cover it with cling wrap and let it rise for another 30-45 minutes.

• Give it an egg wash and bake it in a preheated oven at 190 degree C for 25 minutes.

For garlic bread (recipe adapted from here)

Baguette – 2 ( sliced )

For spread

Softened Butter – ½ ( unsalted)

Garlic cloves – 3 ( crushed)

Parsley leaves- finely chopped – 1 tbs

Salt ( optional)  If u like ur bread with salt ,use either salted butter or add little salt.

Method

Mix all the ingredients for the spread and spread it lavishly onto both sides of the sliced bread.

Arrange them in a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree C for 5-8 minutes.

Serve hot   and enjoy!