On July 8, Taste published a recipe called Easy French Bread that gave detailed instructions about how to make a good baguette. I pointed out that French law states that baguettes can have only 4 ingredients: water, salt, flour and yeast. That may seen restrictive, but there's a lot that can be done in terms of flavor and shape and even more that can be done by adding flavorings like seeds, herbs, cheeses, dried fruits, olives, well ... the list is endless. Feel free to use your favorite baguette recipe for these variations.

The first variations involve the dough-making process. Our original recipe called for mixing and kneading it in the food processor, but that can also be done in a heavy-duty stand-up mixer or by hand. To make the dough by hand using a French-fold method, check out this video: video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6265759416999738742

When working with this dough, keep your hands well floured or moistened. Either works equally well.

The dough can also be made the night before baking; the flavor and texture is actually much better if the dough is chilled ("retarded" is the baking term) overnight in the refrigerator. Use 1/2 teaspoon of yeast instead of the whole teaspoon called for in the recipe. Ferment the dough for an hour, then fold, cover, and refrigerate from five to 24 hours. The dough should double. If it more than doubles, fold it and put it back in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. Give the bread an hour to come to room temperature before resuming the shaping and baking steps.

Once you have the basic baguette formula mastered, try the following variations:

Pain d'epi: Roll a baguette or ficelle into a very long, skinny snake. Place on a piece of parchment paper on a peel or baking sheet. Starting at the farthest end, cut the dough deeply at a 30-degree angle with a pair of sharp scissors; it should be almost severed for the most graceful-looking wheat shaft. Move the first cut piece to one side. Repeat the cuts going down the roll, alternating sides. Proof as directed in the original recipe. Spray with water before putting in the oven. Take care not to break the loaf after it's baked. Here's a demonstration: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnVO4xCBgTc

Another, with a margarite (sunflower) variation: lepetitboulanger.com/

(Look on the left and chose "Vidéos", then scroll down to "le scarificacion" and choose "la coupe en èpi.")

For country loaves (also called boules or miche), substitute one-quarter of the white flour with whole wheat or rye four and add another 10 grams of water. In addition to making a nice fat miche or two smaller boules, a country loaf is great with added sun-dried tomatoes (1/2 cup), hard cheese (1 cup Parmesan or aged Gouda), herbs (1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, chives, etc.), olives (1/2 cup kalamata or cured), or sunflower seeds or nuts (1/2 -1 cup). One of my favorite flavors is pecan and blue cheese (1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola, 1/2 cup toasted pecans). For a seeded top, spray the loaf with water and sprinkle sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or a seedy mix on top of the bread.

Ficelle are long skinny loaves that can be used for individual loaves or sandwiches. Follow the directions for French Bread, but divide the dough into 4-6 smaller loaves. Bake for 14-18 minutes, depending on the size. Ficelle may be flavored with cheese, herbs or sprinkled with seeds.

For homemade breadsticks, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil before mixing the dough. Roll or pat half the dough out to 1/4-3/8 inch thick on a well-floured surface. Cut into 3/8 inch widths. Fold them in half and then roll them into long snakes on a clean surface. Stretch them as you place on a baking sheet or parchment paper well sprinkled with corn meal. Spray lightly with water and let rise, covered, for 30 minutes. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with some or all of the following: coarse salt, freshly ground coarse black pepper, chopped fennel seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

One baguette recipe makes two fougasse, the French version of focaccia. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the original recipe and retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and give it an hour to come to room temperature.

Meanwhile, prepare fougasse flavorings. Knead the add-ins into the dough and let rise, covered, for 30 minutes. Pat or roll it into a thin flat triangle. Using a dough scraper, press decorative holes into the dough and stretch them out. Spray with water, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 30-45 minutes. Bake with steam for 16-18 minutes.


Bacon and Rosemary (or substitute cured black olives for vegetarian fougasse):

1/2 cup sautéed, cooled bacon, prosciutto, or sliced olives

2 teaspoons chopped rosemary leaves



Sun dried tomato, olive and Parmesan:

1/4 cup rinsed, dried, and chopped oil cured sun dried tomatoes

1/4-1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan

1/4 cup rinsed, dried, and chopped kalamata or oil cured olives



Gorgonzola, pecans, dried figs:

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola

1/4 cup each coarsely chopped pecans and figs (soak figs in hot water to soften if they are hard, then drain well and pat dry before chopping)