October baguette

This is the perfect bread to go with a bowl of soup. It needs a long rise, but other than that, it's minimal work. The recipe comes from Mette Ankarloo, who's written several books on baking.

October baguette
makes 2

25 g fresh yeast
100 milk
500 ml water
1 tsp honey
780 g bread flour
1 tbsp salt

Crumble the yeast into a bowl, and add the milk and water. Whisk until the yeast is dissolved, then add the honey and flour. Work really well - about 15 minutes on low speed in a Kitchen-Aid. Add the salt, and knead for two more minutes.

Wrap the bowl in plastic, and leave the dough to rest for at least two, but up to five hours. Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface, and taking care not to knock out all the air, shape two large baguettes. Place them on a baking sheet, and let them rise for about 30 minutes.

Bake for five minutes at highest possible temperature, and then at 200°C for about 20 minutes. You can mist your oven with water during the baking, to create steam - it helps build a chewy crust.