For me, the smell of freshly baked bread in my home oven can only be associated with the idea of celebration. That unique aroma is, in fact, the anticipation of the joy that comes from tearing off a steaming, crusty corner of bread, savoring its crispy crust and fragrant crumb. The same happened with these baguettes featuring confit garlic, one of the most aromatic and beloved breads I’ve made—and one of the most delightful creations kneaded by my own hands.
The recipe? It couldn’t be simpler: mix all the ingredients with a wooden spoon in a large bowl, cover it, and let the dough rise. After about two hours, place it in the refrigerator to proof overnight. From there, you can take out any amount of dough to bake; it doesn’t all have to be baked at once. In fact, it lasts in the refrigerator for up to seven days, and if you keep it in the freezer, it can last up to two weeks. The total effort required for the most aromatic confit garlic baguettes is no more than 10 minutes: 5 minutes for mixing the ingredients and another 5 minutes when you remove the dough and shape it into your desired form. It doesn’t get easier than that! This bread has even succeeded for many who have never cooked in their lives.
I opted for baguettes because they are my favorite. However, you can shape the dough into any bread form you prefer. All of them will turn out fabulous—and that's because you have before you not only the easiest but also perhaps the most aromatic recipe for French baguettes with confit garlic, mashed potatoes, and fleur de sel from Guérande—a true delight!
Important Notes
Two things are crucial for the success of this bread:
You must respect the quantities of the ingredients specified in the recipe (that is, have a kitchen scale on hand), and
You need to create steam when you place the baking tray with the bread in the oven so that it develops that coveted crust we all long for.
How to Create Steam?
It’s simple. About 20 minutes before baking, place an empty tray on the bottom rack of the oven and let it heat up. When you place the tray with the bread in the middle rack, quickly pour a cup of cold water or a few ice cubes into the hot tray below, then promptly close the oven door. Upon contact with the hot tray, the water will produce steam, allowing the bread to achieve that much-desired crust.
INGREDIENTS:
680 ml lukewarm water
14 g instant yeast
20 g salt (I used fleur de sel from Guérande)
20 g sugar
220 g boiled and mashed potatoes
920 g white flour
1 head of confit garlic (roasted in your preferred oil at low temperature until slightly caramelized and softened, giving it a sweet hint while retaining its spicy flavor)
PREPARATION:
In a large bowl, mix the water with the yeast, salt, sugar, mashed potatoes, and the confit garlic (cut into pieces). Then pour in the flour and mix everything with a wooden spoon until a very hydrated dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for about two hours, during which the dough will double in volume. After that, move it to the refrigerator and let it rest overnight.
The next morning (or at any time within the next seven days), take the bowl out of the refrigerator and break off a piece of dough about the size of an orange. Shape it as desired (round, baguette, batard, or even rolls) and place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Set it aside to rise for about 20 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven and place another tray inside to heat up (as explained above).
After the dough has risen, score the bread with your desired pattern—let your imagination run wild!—and immediately place the tray with the bread in the oven on the middle rack. Quickly pour cold water into the bottom tray to create steam, then close the oven door and wait for those wonderful confit garlic baguettes to brown. After about 15–20 minutes, the festive aroma we mentioned earlier will start to entice you and fill your entire home. Of course, the exact baking time will depend on your individual oven; for me, it takes about 25 minutes to brown, after which I flip them over and leave them in the oven for another 5 minutes to ensure the bottom doesn’t remain raw.
While it’s recommended to let the bread cool completely before slicing, it will be hard to resist the temptation to tear off a piece of bread made by your own hands. It will be a celebration, I promise!
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