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Crusty homemade smoked-flour baguette with smoked aïoli and roasted tomatoes

1 hour

Crusty homemade smoked-flour baguette with smoked aïoli and roasted tomatoes

By Abigail Donnelly

Serves 4

Difficulty Easy

Prep Time 2 hours, plus 24 hours chilling and resting time

Cooking Time 1 hour

Ingredients

For the baguette:

1 x 10 g packet active dry yeast
1 t sugar
1½ cups water
480–570 g smoked flour
2½ t salt
Oil, for coating

For the aïoli:

1 egg
2 t Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup oak-smoked olive oil

For the roasted tomatoes:

4 whole tomatoes, rinsed
1 T olive oil
Sea salt

Method

To make the baguette: Preheat the oven to 240°C.

In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over a little warm water and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in 2 cups smoked flour, until incorporated. Stir in the salt and a further 2 cups flour to form a dough.

Sprinkle the remaining flour onto a work surface and knead the dough until smooth and elastic, but not sticky. Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough inside, turning in the bowl to evenly coat with oil.

Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to rest until almost doubled in size.

Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a slender baguette, then place on a greased baking tray and leave to rise for a further 30 minutes. Using a sharp knife, cut a few slashes into the surface of the loaf before baking for 30 minutes, or until crisp, cooked and golden.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

To make the aïoli: Using a blender, blend the egg, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and seasoning, until combined. While the motor is still running, slowly pour in the oil, in a thin, steady stream, to create a creamy, thick consistency.

To make the roasted tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Place the tomatoes on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over the sea salt. Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the skins have burst and the flesh is soft and juicy.

Cook’s tip: Keep home-made bread fresh for longer by storing it with half a potato in your bread bin.

Per serving: 4591.4 kJ, 17.4 g protein, 72.7 g fat, 91.9 g carbs

TASTE’s take:

Smoke from smouldering oak chips lends flour a flavour redolent of wood-fired ovens. (Such flour is cold smoked in a smoke house for almost 24 hours.) If you can't find smoked flour, ordinary flour will do just fine.

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Panettone with crimson raisins

Frosty milk-sorbet cones

Airy vanilla sponge smothered in glossy snow-white peaks

Honeycomb blancmange stars served on a decadent white chocolate plate

Festive icing-enrobed allspice biscuit bells

Moist steamed plum pudding with tart plum syrup

Organic brinjal salad, chickpeas, baby tomatoes and basil with tuna tartare

Dense smoked chocolate-and-vanilla fudge cake encrusted with pink peppercorns

Crusty homemade smoked-flour baguette with smoked aïoli and roasted tomatoes

Crusty homemade smoked-flour baguette with smoked aïoli and roasted tomatoes

Ingredients

Method