Makes 2 Baguettes, 2hours Preparation, 1hour cooking
This is truly superior garlic bread. Everyone's loves it and will be really impressed to learn you have made it yourself – The Great British Bake Off eat your heart out!
Ingredients
For the baguette:
- 250g/9oz strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
- 5g/¼oz salt
- 5g/¼oz fast action dried yeast
- 30ml/1fl oz olive oil, plus extra for oiling
- 180ml/6fl oz water
For the garlic mixture:
- 1 head of garlic
- splash olive oil
- pinch salt
- pinch sugar
- 1 x 125g/4½oz buffalo mozzarella
Method
- For the baguettes, place the flour, salt, yeast, olive oil and most of the water in a food mixer with a dough hook attached, taking care not to let the yeast touch the salt until you begin mixing.
- Start mixing on a slow speed, gradually adding the rest of the water until you have a smooth dough. This should take about five minutes.
- Tip the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and leave the dough to prove for two hours.
- Tip the dough out onto an oiled surface. Dust your hands with a little flour and divide the dough in two.
- For the garlic mixture, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Smash the head of garlic to release the cloves and place them in a roasting tin, still in their skins. Add a splash of olive oil and a pinch each of salt and sugar and toss together. Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until caramelised.
- Remove from the oven and, when cool enough to handle, squeeze the soft, roast garlic out of their skins.
- Press the garlic cloves into the baguette (add them to taste) as you shape the dough into a baguette shape.
- Place on a baguette tray or a large baking tray, cover and leave to prove until it has doubled in size.
- Heat a roasting dish in the bottom of the oven and pour in some water to create some steam (this will help form the crust). Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7 in a non-fan oven.
- Just before baking, slash the top of each baguette three times.
- Bake the baguettes for 30 minutes. Then drop the temperature to 200C/400G/Gas 6 and cook for 10 minutes. The baked baguettes should be golden-brown and have a slight sheen to them.
- Remove the baguettes from the oven and leave to cool.
- Once cooled, preheat the grill to hot. Slice the bread, top with mozzarella and grill until melted and bubbly.