Ingredient
Baguette
Lean dough — flour, water, salt, yeast — baked hot and steamy for a thin crackling crust and an open, holey crumb. It is at its best for about four hours and stale by the next morning, which is not a flaw but the reason so many French dishes exist to use up yesterday's.
- Sourcing
- Bakery. A tradition baguette is made without additives and keeps worse; supermarket part-baked loaves keep longer and taste it.
- Varieties
- Tradition, Ordinaire, Ficelle, Demi
- Quality cues
- Crust that shatters and sings as it cools, crumb irregularly holed and faintly cream rather than white.
- Substitutions
- Ciabatta, Sourdough, Pain de campagne
- Storage
- Cut-side down on the board for the day. Do not refrigerate. Freeze it whole and revive in a hot oven.
- Shelf life
- 1 day, 1 month frozen