Kitchen

[SXMGirl]

I have finally decided that if I want to have a decent baguette, meaning not mushy, I am either going to have to make a trip to SXM (possibly my preference) or France, or make it myself.  Since trips are not in my near future, if anyone bakes their own, please recommend a good quality baker and if you have one. 

While our local bakery was rated as the best in the state, it really is lacking in bread quality.

Thanks!

[PinkyPetunia]

Where or what is SXM?  

[SXMGirl]

@PinkyPetunia  The Caribbean island of Sint Maarten (Dutch) and St. Martin (French).

[Meowingkitty]

Check out Sur Le Table.

[Happy2BHere]

Have you ever tried the frozen Le Petit Francais products? I like them and love the convenience (I'm lazy lol!). I get mine at Publix.

Their info is:

Par-baked and Flash-Frozen to Guarantee Freshness and Authenticity

Our parent company Boulangerie de Neuhauser was established in 1887 and our main bakery and headquarters are still located in the Alsace Lorraine region, Northeast of France. This region is known for its fine wheat and fresh mountain spring water.

Le Petit Français baguettes are ALL-NATURAL with absolutely no preservatives. We use unbleached, unfortified French flour to create our unique, fresh taste.  

Our baguettes are sugar-free, fat free and certified Kosher. To ensure the utmost in freshness, our baguettes are par baked, flash frozen and sold frozen to preserve freshness.

Now, you can enjoy a delicious, authentic French baguette in minutes as you complete the baking process in your own oven. Bon appétit!

Look for us in the frozen bread aisle in supermarkets and club stores throughout the Southeast U.S., as well as the Bahamas.

We are in the process of national expansion, thanks to helpful requests from bread lovers like you…

http://www.lepetitfrancais.com/

[ahoymate]

Good for you. Give it a shot. Baking is an art and therefore trial & error and good instruction is necessary.

[KBEANS]

@SXMGirl 

 I never baked bread. I wish I did.

I love Sint Martin!  Beautiful! Great friendly people! Had a great time there! Love the hot sauces! Missed the baguette!

[HLP]

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@ahoymate wrote:

Good for you. Give it a shot. Baking is an art and therefore trial & error and good instruction is necessary.

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I bake bread all the time, mainly because I like too. Go to Blue Jean Chef, and get her recipe on ARTISAN BREAD, it's easy fun, and you mix it one day and finish it the next. It's a very hard bread but oh, so good. I have a very good bread maker, five minutes and it's ready to go, but not the good feeling like making it yourself. Then shape it the way you want.

[wagirl]

I actually did make my french bread recipe into a baguette shape---maybe not quite as long so it would fit into my oven. I made the dough in my bread maker--used a french bread recipe I have that is really good, has a bit of rye flour in it--got the shape right, heated my baking stone in the oven then put the dough on it and spritz it with water every so often---turn out pretty good. there are long open tubes to put this shaped dough in so it doesn't spread--mine did a little---but was crunchy and flaky ---lots of work tho--heres  one of those tube pans ----

[brandiwine]

Check out the King Arthur Flour site for ideas, bakers, and recipes.  I have a great french bread recipe then just make the size I want.  I sprinkle a cookie sheet with cornmeal and bake in a hot oven with a pan of water underneath.  The water creates steam which causes a nice crispy crust.  Delish.