Stuffed Baguettes (aka Stromboli)
Ever since I made the French baguettes a few weeks ago, I’ve been wanting to make this stuffed version. The dough is exactly the same (which is great, because it’s delicious!). The only difference is that you roll it up with a filling inside. I made a few different versions, a pepperoni and cheese one for Mike, a vegetable one with broccoli, peppers and cheese for me, and a few with all of the above, just to use up ingredients. All of them were delicious. They’re like a slightly more elegant version of a stromboli.
Don’t be put off by the seemingly complicated recipe. The end result is more than worth it, and the bread isn’t nearly as difficult as it seems. Most of the time is spent waiting for the dough to rise, and if you’re going to be home anyway, as I was, then this isn’t any extra work. The most difficult part is planning ahead, and then the rest is actually pretty simple.
Mike loved these, even the ones with broccoli and peppers. I bought pizza sauce to dip them in, but they were so flavorful that we didn’t even need the sauce. The recipe made 6 stuffed baguettes and I froze the leftovers and have been reheating them in a 300 degree oven for quick dinners.
Stuffed Baguettes
Ingredients:
Starter:
1/2 cup cool water
1/16 teaspoon active dry yeast or instant yeast
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
Dough:
1 teaspoon active dry yeast or instant yeast
1 cup to 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water*
all of the starter
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Directions:
*Use the lesser amount in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate), and somewhere in between the rest of the year, or if your house is climate controlled.
1) Make the starter by mixing the yeast with the water (no need to do this if you're using instant yeast), then mixing in the flour to make a soft dough. Cover with a damp towel and let rest at room temperature for about 14 hours; overnight works well. The starter should have risen and become bubbly.
2) If you're using active dry yeast, mix it with the water, then combine with the starter, flour, and salt. If you're using instant yeast, there's no need to combine it with the water first. Mix and knead everything together—by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—till you've made a soft, somewhat smooth dough; it should be cohesive, but the surface will still be a bit rough. Knead for about 5 minutes on speed 2 of a stand mixer
3) Place the dough in a lightly greased medium-size bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for 3 hours, gently deflating it and turning it over after 1 hour, and then again after 2 hours.
4) Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface. Divide the dough into six equal pieces and shape each into a 5"-long rectangle.
5) Layer with your favorite filling; KAF recommended mustard, ham, and Swiss cheese. Don't use too much filling, as it'll make the baguettes soggy. Also, use a dry filling (e.g., sliced deli meat, cheese) rather than something wet like meatballs in sauce. I used pepperoni and cheese, and a combination of broccoli and red and yellow peppers with cheese and some salt and pepper. Both were delicious.
6) Roll up like a jelly roll, sealing the long seam and pinching the ends closed.
7) Place on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
8) Bake at 450 degrees until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack.
from King Arthur Flour