Masala Baguette

All the things that go into baking a bread are fairly simple and standard – flour , salt , yeast and liquid to combine the dry ingredients. Everything else that is added to the bread to enhance its flavor and texture is wonderfully complex and makes all the difference in the world when it comes to the end result. 

For a long time now , it has been my view that crusty baguettes are impractical to make at home and are hard to find , except maybe from an artisan bakery. However , with a lot of time at hand during the year end , I decided to bake a masala baguette from scratch. Time consuming ? Yes. But tastes like heaven.

I used the slices from the baguette to make my very own desi bruschetta. It also goes well with a classic veggie omelette for breakfast.

INGREDIENTS (yields 3 baguettes , roughly 13 inches long)

For the Starter

Active Dry yeast – 1/8 tsp
All-purpose flour – 1 cup

For the Dough

Active Dry yeast – 1tsp
All-purpose flour – 3 ½ cups
Salt – 1tsp
Garam masala – 1tsp
Jeera seeds – 1tsp
Starter dough

PREPARATION

1. To prepare the starter dough , mix the yeast in ½ a cup of cold water. Add the flour to the yeast and combine until a soft , runny dough is formed. Cover the bowl and allow the mixture to rest at room temperature for 12-13 hours. At the end of this stage , the starter dough will look runny , bubbly and should have risen in volume.

2. To prepare the dough , take a mixing bowl and combine the yeast with 1 cup of lukewarm water. To this , add the starter , the flour , salt , garam masala and tempered jeera seeds. Knead by hand till all ingredients are well incorporated into a smooth dough. Knead further using a hand/stand mixer at low speed for 3-5 minutes. 

3. Place the dough in a greased bowl (I used olive oil to grease) and cover the bowl. Allow the dough to rise for about 3 hours , taking it out every hour and deflating the dough by kneading with your knuckles.
4. Divide the risen dough into 3 equal portions and cover with cling wrap. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.

5. Transfer the pieces onto a tray or a baguette mold and cover using greased plastic wrap. Let the dough sit for 1-2 hours. At the end of this stage , the dough will rise and become puffy. One need not wait for the dough to double in volume. That will take away the crustiness of the bread. Slash the top surface of the bread with a knife. 

6. Preheat oven to 450F and bake for 25-30 minutes. The baguettes should look golden brown in color. Remove and cool on a wire rack before serving.