Jamie Oliver's White Bread and Onion Baguettes

 This recipe is slightly adapted from Jamie Oliver's, clipped from the October 2002 issue of Style at Home magazine.

Basic Bread

• 2 lb. (1 kg) bread flour (about 7-8 cups) plus extra for dusting
• 2-1/2 cups (625 mL) tepid water
• 1 oz (30g) fresh cake yeast OR 2-1/4 tsp. instant dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp (25 ml) sugar
• 2 level Tbsp (25 mL) salt

1. Pile the flour onto a clean surface and make a large well in the centre.
2. Pour half the water into the well, then add your yeast, sugar and salt and stir with a fork.
3. Bring in the flour from the inside of the well, not breaking the walls, so the water doesn't leak out. Continue to bring the flour into the centre until the dough has a porridge-like consistency, then add the remaining water.
4. Continue to mix with the fork until it is porridge-like again, then bring in all the flour to make the mix less sticky.
5. Flour your hands and pat and push the dough together with all the remaining flour. Adjust the amount of flour depending on the type you are using.)
6. Knead 4-5 minutes. (Push, fold, slap and roll the dough around until it is silky and elastic.)
7. Flour the top of the dough and put it in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap.
8. Let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size, in a warm, moist place free from drafts.
9. When dough has doubled, punch it down to knock out the air. Now shape or flavour it as required - folded, filled, tray-baked.
10. Leave shaped dough to rise a second time for 30 minutes to an hour until doubled in size once more. (The second rise is most important, as the air will give it the light, soft texture of fresh bread.)
11. Gently place bread dough onto a flour-dusted baking tray and into a pre-heated oven and gently close the door, so the bread doesn't lose air and flatten.
12. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven until done. Tap the bottom. If bread sounds hollow it's done, if not, put it back int he oven a little longer.
13. Remove bread from oven and place on a rack to cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.
14. Leftover baked bread may be frozen.

Onion Baguettes

• 1 recipe Basic Bread dough (above)
• olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 handful fresh thyme, washed and leaves picked
• 3 white onions, finely sliced
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• splash of white wine vinegar

1. Mix the basic bread dough and leave for the first rise (step 8).
2. Put 4 glugs of olive oil into a pot over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and thyme.
3. Add onions, cover and cook 4-5 minutes until moisture comes out of the onions.
4. Remove pot lid and slowly cook away the liquid for a minute until onions are translucent but not browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add a small splash of vinegar. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Once dough has doubled in size (completed the first rise) divide dough into 4-5 pieces, dust with flour, and roll into baguette shapes.
6. Move baguettes into to a flour-dusted baking tray.
7. Rub cooked onion mixture over the top of each baguette.
8. Let rise again until doubled in size.
9. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven  until bread is crisp and lightly golden. Don't worry if onions blacken a bit.
10. Serve warm with dinner or a bowl of soup.

Baguettes

Makes 4 foot-long baguettes.

• 5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 4-1/2 tsp. dry quick-rise yeast (or 2 packages)
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups warm water (120 to 130 degrees F)
• yellow cornmeal
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp water
• parchment paper
• 2 baking sheets

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine: 2 cups of the flour, 4-1/2 tsp quick-rise yeast, 1-1/2 tsp salt.
2. Add 2 cups warm water.
3. On low speed, beat with electric mixer 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl.
4. Beat 3 more minutes on higher speed.
5. Reduce speed to low.
6. Using dough hook in stand mixer: gradually stir in as much of the remaining flour as you need to form a large, smooth and elastic dough ball.
7. If you don't have a dough hook or your mixer can't handle this much dough easily, stir in as much of  the remaining flour as you can with a long wooden spoon.  Then turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and, adding flour as necessary, knead by hand for 8-10 minutes till the dough is smooth and elastic.
8. Shape kneaded dough into a round and place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease the surface of the dough. 
9. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour).
10. Punch dough down and turn out onto lightly floured piece of parchment paper.
11. Cut into quarters, shape dough into 4 rectangles. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
12. On lightly floured parchment paper, with a rolling pin, roll each rectangle out, so that each piece is now 12 inches long and 8 inches wide.
13. Starting from the long side, roll up the dough jelly-roll style.
14. Pinch dough to seal the seam (if you need to, use a little flour and water).
15. Taper ends.
16. Grease two baking sheets and sprinkle with cornmeal.
17. Place two baguettes on each sheet, seam side down.
18. Cover with a dishcloth and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size (35 to 45 minutes).
19. Arrange oven racks to accommodate both baking sheets, one above and one below.
20. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
21. With a sharp knife, make 3 or 4 shallow diagonal cuts across top of each loaf.
22. In a small bowl, whisk egg white with 1 Tbsp water. Lightly brush egg white mixture over top of loaves, for a shiny crust, saving remaining mixture for later.
23. Bake in preheated 375 degrees F. oven for 10 minutes.
24. Brush tops of loaves again with more egg white mixture.
25. If using a standard oven, switch the position of the baking sheets. Switching baking sheet positions shouldn't be necessary in a convection oven with good oven circulation.
26. Bake 10-20 minutes more or until loaves sound hollow when tapped and tops look golden.
27. Remove loaves from baking sheets and cool on wire racks.
28. Served warm, baguettes will have a crisp, crunchy crust and soft interior.
29. After cooling, if you store baguettes in plastic bags, crust will soften and be chewier.