Baguettes and Food Rituals

Even though I wouldn't classify myself as a raging Francophile, there's no question about it: those French folks do know their bread. And their butter. And their wine. And their fashion. Okay, so maybe I'm a Francophile in training. Anyway, I've been making these baguettes for a few years now. In fact, this was the first homemade bread recipe I tackled, and it has definitely become a standard in our house. Growing up in the south, most of the time, bread with dinner meant biscuits. My mom makes the absolute best biscuits in the world. Light, fluffy....truly exquisite. However, when I started making them myself and realized the amount of shortening that goes into those little pieces of heaven, well, let's just say that for me, biscuits have been relegated to the occasional splurge category. But these baguettes are simply flour, water, a bit of salt, yeast, and an egg wash on top to give them that pretty gold color. So, while they may not win any health food awards either, I think it's fair to say that compared to lard laden biscuits, they are the sure way to go. Besides, I actually prefer the chewy, dense texture. Except with gravy. With gravy, only a biscuit will do.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite books, French Women Don't Get Fat. Warm weather always brings the inevitable urge to slim down, and while I wouldn't classify myself as overweight by medical standards, like many women I've got a few vanity pounds I wouldn't mind shedding. But, at the same time, I'm definitely not the type to "go on a diet." The entire premise seems set up for failure. That's why I love this book so much. It focuses on fresh, seasonal, mindful eating. In particular, the rituals surrounding what and how we eat. As a general rule, we eat well. While we don't always adhere to strict "health food" rules, I'm pretty adamant about scratch cooking, and we steer clear of processed and packaged foods. The main area that needs work around here, is being mindful of creating and observing rituals around mealtime. We do eat most meals at home, but I must confess that sometimes rather than sitting and mindfully eating and enjoying my dinner, I'm gobbling it down, thinking the whole time about the ensuing clean up. Clearly, this is not giving mealtime the proper respect it deserves, and I'm vowing to improve.

I was inspired by this post a few weeks ago. With a two year old, we're still not quite at the place where we can enjoy daily candlelit family dinners and consistent stimulating conversation, but as Kate becomes more proficient at feeding herself, and the amount of food on the floor after dinner daily decreases, I definitely have hope. In any event, I'm inspired by both Amanda's post and this excellent book to treat meal time as a sacred ritual, not something to be rushed through.

Baguette Recipe

From French Women Don't Get Fat by Mirelle Guiliano

-1 tsp. active dry yeast

- 2 cups warm water

- 4 to 5 cups unbleached all-purpose white flour

-2 tsp. kosher salt

- 1 egg, beaten and mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Stir with a fork. Set aside for 10 minutes.

2. Combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture, and sti in the remaining 1 1/2 cups water. Mix the dough until it is sticky enough to knead. On a lightly floured board, knead for 6 - 10 minutes; the dough should be sticky and smoth. Put the dough in a bowl, cover with a damp tea towel, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about one hour.

3. Punch down the dough and divide into 4 pieces. Roll each into a ball and shape into a baguette. Transfer the loaves to a lightly greased baking sheet and let rise until nearly doubled.

*My sister bought me a special baguette pan for Christmas this year that I love! If you don't have one though, you can just lay them out on a regular baking sheet. I made them without one for years. They'll still taste great, but will be flat on the bottom as opposed to the traditional baguette shape.

4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Brsh the baguettes with the egg-water mixture. Score the loaves diagonally across the top with a sharp knife.

5. Pour 2 cups of hot water into a pan and place in the preheated oven next to the baguettes to provide moisture. (If we're being honest here, I don't always do that. I'm sure it can't hurt, but I really can't tell the difference). Bake the baguettes for 15 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack before slicing.

*In related news, while doing a quick google search for the image of the book, I discovered that Hilary Swank is doing a movie based on the book, French Women Don't Get Fat. I never could find anything in terms of an official release date (and didn't spend a great deal of time looking, so it might be out there), but this article was interesting.