Rye Baguettes

 
Is there anything cooler than getting a surprise in the mail? I love how finding a UPS notification amid piles of junk mail and bills is guaranteed to make your day like a hundred times brighter. I'm lucky enough to have a very, very sweet mom, and a couple weeks ago she ordered me the Nordic Bakery Cookbook and had it sent to me, for no reason in particular. Best mail ever (and best mom ever).

 
This book is totally my jam. A ton of recipes and beautiful photos of breads, cakes, cookies, and other lovely things you fantasize about taking out of your oven. And Scandinavian baking intrigues me - while I'm not totally on board with things like gravlax or quiche with smoked fish, I am definitely on board with cardamom doughnuts, Tosca cake, and cinnamon buns. Yummm. The Nordic Bakery has a few locations in London, so naturally I'm upset that I didn't know about it while I was living there. But it's okay, because now I can make all these things at home!

I chose to make these rye baguettes, since I've never made rye bread before and wanted to try it. These have a lovely, rich flavour and are on the denser side, kind of like bagels, and they're delicious served warm with a little butter or jam. And having fresh bread around for lunches and whatnot is really, really nice. I'll definitely be making these again, and I can't wait to try more recipes from this beautiful cookbook.



Rye Baguettes
Slightly adapted from Missa Mink's Nordic Bakery Cookbook

Makes 8 small baguettes

1 cup lukewarm water
1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) active dried yeast
1 tsp salt
2 1/3 cup white bread flour
3/4 cup wholemeal/dark rye flour
1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
2 tbsp golden syrup or honey

Put the water in a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer) and add the yeast, whisking until the yeast is dissolved. Add the salt and flours and mix vigorously to get a soft dough. Knead for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface, or if you're using a mixer with a dough hook, run it on medium speed for a couple minutes and sprinkle pinches of flour in every once in a while to keep the dough from sticking to the bowl.

If kneading by hand, return to the mixing bowl. Add the oil and golden syrup and knead for a few minutes until you have a smooth, firm douhg. Sprinkle with flour, cover with a clean, damp dish towel and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour (try on top of the fridge, near a radiator, or on the stovetop of a warm oven).

After an hour, the dough should have doubled in size. Punch it back down and divide it into eight equal pieces on your lightly floured surface. Roll each dough lump into oblong baguettes, wide in the middle and a little tapered at the ends. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Cover with the dish towel again and let rise in a warm place again for 1 hour, until the baguettes have doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 475°F/240°C. Dip a sharp knife in cold water and make 3 diagonal slits on top of each baguette. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, until golden brown.