Garlic-Studded Baguettes: HBinFive

I had some Healthy Bread in Five Minutes 100% Whole Wheat Olive Oil dough in the refrigerator that needed to be used so I decided to make one of the breads I missed for the HBinFive October 15th Bread Braid. These Garlic Studded Baguettes were easy and fun to make.

To make these baguettes, all you do is take 1/2-pound of stored 100% Whole Wheat Olive Oil dough out of the refrigerator.  Then shape the dough into a ball and let it rest. I had 1 1/2 pounds so I decided to make three baguettes.  I made one loaf the night before I made the others ones so these photos just show two baguettes.

 

After the dough has rested a bit, gently shape it into an oval.

Then, fold the dough in thirds, like a letter. Bring one side and gently press it in the center.

 

 

Bring up the other side and pinch the seam closed.  This will help you get an evenly shaped baguette and a tapered end.

Stretch the dough gently into a log, working the dough until you have a nice thin baguette.  Try  not to deflate the dough while you’re doing this.  The final width of the baguette should be about 1 1/2 inches.

Shape the other loaf and place both of them on a pizza peel lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat sprinkle it with cornmeal.  You can also use a baguette pan if you prefer.  I find that parchment paper works best for me

 

Let the loaves rest loosely covered with plastic for 40 minutes.

Right before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top crust with egg white wash.

Use the handle of a wooden spoon to gently make an indentation along the length of the baguette.

Press about halfway through the dough to create a trench.

 

Then, press the garlic (or cherry tomatoes if you prefer) into the trench, evenly spacing them along the baguette.  Press the garlic cloves into the dough really good so that they don’t pop out when baking.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees about 30 minutes before you’re ready to bake the loves.  Slide the loaves onto the hot baking stone with the steam pan underneath.  Pour one cup of hot tap water into the steam pan and close the oven door.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until richly browned and firm.   The garlic cloves were starting to pop out halfway through baking so I pushed them back down.

If you used parchment paper, a silicone mat, or a baguette pan under the loaf, carefully remove it and bake the loaf directly on the stone or an oven rack two-thirds of the way through baking.  Sometimes I remove the parchment paper, but this time I didn’t because I forgot. It turned out just fine on the bottom.

Allow the bread to cool on a rack before slicing and eating. 

Now it’s time to serve the Garlic-Studded Baguettes.

 

You’re supposed to spread the now-roasted garlic on the sliced bread.  However, my garlic wasn’t roasted enough to be spreadable. Instead, I topped it with Roasted Red Pepper Spread and the roasted garlic cloves. 

It was good, but I think it could’ve used a little more garlic flavor.  I’m going to try it toasted and spread with a garlic spread and the red pepper spread.

 

Be sure to check out BigBlackDog to see what the other bakers made for the October 15th Bread Braid roundup and the upcoming November 1st Bread Braid roundup.  I’m sure you’ll get some new and creative ideas.

 

About the HBinFive Baking Group
The HBinFive Baking Group, started by Michelle of Big Black Dogs, is baking through all of the breads in the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes book. For more information on the HBinFive baking group, check out BigBlackDog.