Mette's "Flutes" (Baguette)
Ingredients:
- 600 mililiter (2.53 cups) lukewarm water
- 50 grams (1.8 ounce) fresh yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (be generous)
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 1 kilo (35.27 ounces/2.2 pounds) flour (plain, not self-rising)
Instructions:
- in a large mixing bowl disolve yeast in water
- stir in oil, salt and then the flour
- knede
- Cover with a warm, damp kitchen towel and let rest an hour, or until doubled in size
- Knead again and then part dough into sixths
- work each sixth into a long thin cylinder shape about as long as the oven is wide
- let the flutes rest while the oven preheats to 220°C (425°F)
- bake for 25 - 30 minutes
Notes:
- serve hot from the oven with salads, meat dishs, soups, whatever--and real butter
- After baked and cooled, if wrapped air tight they will keep in the refrigerator for several days, or months (maybe) frozen. If frozen thaw before reheating. Mette would reheat in a hot (200C/400F) oven for about five or ten minutes. Just before popping in the preheated oven, and she would always turn on the kitchen tap and run the flute quickly through the stream of cold water--she said that would make the crust 'nice', and it did--just like fresh and just baked.
- The 'fresh yeast' available in Denmark is not a dried, granulated or powder. Instead it is sold in the dairy as a small cube about 1 x 1 x .5 inches of slightly moist dark "stuff", in a paper wraping
- When she formed each sixth of dough, they would be about 2 inches in diameter and about 18 inches long
- This recipe was found on June 27, 2009 in Mette's recipe folder in the kitchen. It had obviously been printed by my printer, but I don't recall typing or printing. I believe it was done so because David asked for the recipe at the dinner table one evening and I took notes as she recited how "really easy" it was. I guess later I typed/printed it for David to take back home with him and (thankfully) stuck one in her recipe folder
- I have no idea where she came up with calling them "flutes". Maybe from the shape.
- I sure do miss her, still.
Copyright ©2009, DenverD. All rights reserved.