A crusty, tasty roll or baguette can be a delicious alternative as the wrapper of the lunchtime sandwich. And it’s hardly practical to eat a burger between two slices of bread.

Make your own crusty rolls and baguettes at home with this simple recipe.

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Equipment

A perforated French bread pan can be used instead of a baking tray to make baguettes. When I used one for the first time it answered a question I had pondered for a long while … why do some baguettes have dimples on the bottom? Now I know.

Ingredients

• 600g strong white bread flour
• 450ml warm water (300ml cold + 150ml boiling)
• 1 sachet dry instant yeast (or 2 tsp from a jar)
• 2 tsp table salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• Olive oil

Method

This method uses minimal knead and follows the Easy Home-Baked Bloomer approach. Check that post out for general hints and tips.

Making Dough

1. Put dry ingredients in bowl. Add water, mix together into a wet dough. Cover bowl.
2. Rest the dough in the bowl for 20 mins.
3. Stretch and knead dough on lightly oiled surface for 15 seconds. Return to bowl, cover.
4. Repeat previous two steps twice.
5. Return to bowl, cover, leave until dough has doubled in size.

Shaping Dough Into Rolls

1. Carefully turn dough onto a lightly oiled surface without compressing the dough.
2. With a dough scraper or sharp knife, break off a piece of dough. As a rough guide, the final roll will be 2.5 – 3 times larger than this.
3. With each piece, hand-roll into a bun or small baguette shape.
4. Place seam side down on floured baking tray/French bread pan (or baking parchment if using a pizza stone).
5. Cover, leave until doubled in size.

Baking Rolls

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (220°C for non-fan, using non-fan is recommended).
2. For baguettes, score top of dough with knife down length.
3. Spray water on top of rolls.
4. Add moisture to the oven (very important).
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 200°C fan/220°C non-fan, until crusts are a golden brown.
6. Cool on a rack.

Hints, Tips and Pictures

1. The rolls will expand sideways when they rise so leave a good gap between them.