La Fete du Pain - The French Festival Of Bread
St Honore’s Day - Celebrating the French Baguette with Recipe
May 13, 2009
One of the most famous phrases to come out of France is Marie Antoinette’s’ ‘Let them eat cake!’- an erroneous remark in more ways than one. For today, just as it was then, it is Bread that is the stuff of life - for peasants and the aristocracy alike. In particular the Baguette – invented in 1120 - which still makes an appearance at nearly every French meal and is referred to as ‘Le pain quotidienne’ the daily bread. It has been mimicked all over the world – but still nobody makes it like the French and especially their artisan boulangers who are only awarded the title of ‘artisan’ if they adhere to the strict standards that surround the making of French bread.
The 16th of May is Bakers day and around that date has built up a national week long festival to celebrate all things bread. The Fete du Pain runs from the 11th to the 17th May and involves local boulangers running workshops, giving demonstrations and taking the opportunity to show off a variety of their regional breads; from La Flute in the North to Le Charleston Nicoise in the South, La flambade in the West, to Le pain de Beaucaire in the East, each region has its own specialities built up from centuries of local tradition. But the humble baguette is still the bread that links them all and the main official event during the Fete is the presentation of the ‘Grand Prix de Baguette de tradition Francaise’.
Recipe for a Traditional French Baguette
Serves: 2 baguettes
Prep time: 30 mins
Rest time: 1h30
Cooking time:20 minutes
Ingredients:
For yeast:
- 12g dried yeast
- 100g plain good white bread flour
- 150g water
For dough:
- 400g plain good white bread flour
- 11g salt
- 140g warm water
Method:
- In a large bowl mix the yeast with the cold water and leave to dissolve for a few minutes.
- Add the 100g flour and mix well.
- Cover with a clean tea towel and leave for 20minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix into a homogenized dough.
- Knead gently for 10 minutes. (You can put the mix in a food processor if you wish but on a low and gentle speed) The dough should be sticky but not so sticky that it sticks to your fingers.
- Cover with the tea towel and leave in a warm place – minimum 40degreesC - for 45minutes.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and cut into two even pieces. Lay each piece on it’s own baking paper (which will eventually go onto the baking tray).
- Flatten each piece out into a large disc using the palm of your hand. Roll over the end of the dough and flatten gently, keep rolling and flattening until you have two tubes of slightly flat dough.
- Pull the two tubes into elongated rolls, place on the baking tray and re-cover with the tea towel for a further 30 – 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven Gas mark 8 (250 degreesC)
- Remove the tea towel and diagonally score the top of the baguettes with a sharp knife
- Place in the centre of the oven for 15– 20 minutes – until golden.
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