The Secret Of French Baguettes And Cupcakes

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Video: The Secret Of French Baguettes And Cupcakes

Video: The Secret Of French Baguettes And Cupcakes
Video: MAKE FRENCH BAGUETTES AT HOME | Baguette Recipe for the Home Baker 2024, November
The Secret Of French Baguettes And Cupcakes
The Secret Of French Baguettes And Cupcakes
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One of the greatest prides of the French is their cuisine. It originated in the Middle Ages and has evolved to this day, over centuries of social and political change.

The greatest contribution to the formation of French cuisine as we know it today is made by French chefs. Ingredients vary by region and season. It is a practice in French cuisine for regional dishes to acquire a national character. The main feature is the "intimate connection" between food and wine.

The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to French cuisine is cheese. It is mainly used as an ingredient in sauces, but can also be added to desserts. There are four types of cheese: fresh, aged, moldy and hard. It is most often served with fruits such as apples, grapes, pineapple and others.

French cheeses
French cheeses

Everyone who has been to France invariably associates delicious bread with baguettes - baguettes and fragrant cupcakes.

Classic French bread

Necessary products: 680 g flour, 2 tsp. salt, 7 g dry bread yeast, 460 ml. lukewarm water

Method of preparation: Knead the listed products well in a large bowl until a dough is obtained. It will be uneven. Leave to stand for about 5 minutes uncovered. Then knead for another 3 minutes and if necessary add more flour. The resulting dough should be elastic, soft but not sticky. Form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl.

Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate overnight. The next day, take the dough out of the fridge and shape it into baguettes. The amount of dough for one baguette should be in accordance with the dimensions of the pan in which it will be baked. For an average baguette - 38 cm, you need about 280 grams of dough. If you are going to bake the whole amount of dough, it is divided into 4 equal parts.

When separating, it should not be pressed hard to keep as much air as possible in the dough. The four parts are formed separately. The piece of dough is shaped into a rectangle, lightly pressed with the palms. From one end it is twisted lengthwise and the twisted end is lightly pressed to the base so that it sticks.

Baguettes
Baguettes

Continue to roll in the same way, pressing the resulting end against the base of the dough after each turn. When you reach the other end of the rectangle, press the whole dough with your fingers so that it sticks.

Leave for 5-10 minutes before it is finally formed on the baguette. This is done by starting to rotate with the palms of both hands in a back and forth direction, while at the same time with the rotating movements the hands move with very light pressure from the middle to the ends of the baguette. The procedure is repeated several times until the desired length is reached and the dough is flattened.

The baguettes thus formed are placed on a floured cloth, and boards are formed from the cloth to preserve the shape of the bread as it rises. Leave for about 1 hour and 30 minutes until they rise or until they almost double in volume.

Already fermented baguettes are carefully transferred to a pan on which are sprinkled cornmeal, wholemeal flour or bran. Before baking, the baguettes are cut on the surface in several places with a sharp knife.

Baguettes are baked at 230 ° C in a preheated oven. A bowl of hot water or a few ice cubes can be placed in the oven. Baking time is 12 minutes. To bake, the pan can be turned 180 degrees for another 20-25 minutes.

French muffins
French muffins

Classic French cupcakes

For 12 cupcakes

Necessary products: 165 g powdered sugar, 65 g flour, 60 g almond powder, 5 g baking powder, 15 g honey (1 tbsp.), 6 egg whites, 90 g toast

Method of preparation: Melt the butter over low heat, stirring constantly. When toasted and golden brown, turn off the heat and set aside.

Mix the sugar, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and honey in a bowl and add the egg whites. Mix well, then add the melted butter. Before pouring the contents into the form, you can add pieces of dried fruit (optional).

The cupcakes are baked in a preheated 180 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. When they start to blush, they are ready. Once ready and cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

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