Daddy-daughter time leaves my evenings and weekends available for what my friend Kelly recently called “advanced cookery.” When The Foodie Baby gets in one of her moods, “advanced cookery” means cheese sandwiches for lunch. But we ain’t talking Sunbeam and Kraft singles.

Shortly after my husband returned to work, I learned that the easier and faster lunch was, the better. And it was absolutely necessary that it could be put together and eaten with one hand. Enter the cheese sandwich. I can make the bread in the evenings or on the weekends, slap a round of fresh mozzarella or a slice of brie on top, and pop it under the broiler. Tomatoes and fresh basil optional. Melty cheese sandwiches and a Diet Dr. Pepper make a great lunch. Throw in a quietly sleeping baby and it’s perfect 🙂

If you visit my site, you’ll notice the new look, courtesy of Tracey at Little Bitty Design Studio. Since I’ve temporarily retired, I now have time to do things that I’ve been wanting to do for a while, like overhaul the blog, add a printable recipe feature (in progress), and provide nutritional information (coming soon!) for recipes. I am not a doctor and I don’t play one on TV or the internet, but it only takes a few extra minutes of my time to figure it out.

If you notice anything out of whack, feel free to let me know. In the meantime, my cheese sandwich is getting cold.

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Quick Wheat Baguettes

A quicker, wheat baguette perfect for snacking and sandwiches.

Ingredients

• 3 cups warm water, divided
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp (1 package) yeast
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 Tbsp vital wheat gluten*
• 1 tsp salt
• Oil, for coating bowl
• Cornmeal, for dusting (optional)

Instructions

1. Put 1 cup warm water, sugar, and yeast into the stand mixer bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes until frothy.
2. Add 1 cup water and the flour. Knead for 5-7 minutes on medium speed with the dough hook (add additional flour 1 spoonful at a time if the dough does not come off of the side of the bowl). Cover bowl and let rest for 15 minutes.
3. Sprinkle dough evenly with salt and knead on medium speed for 1 minute to incorporate salt. Transfer to an oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise until dough has doubled. (This takes ~45 minutes with my oven set to “Dough Proof.” Alternately, if you're hurtin' for a warm place for the dough to rise, you can turn your oven on the lowest setting for two minutes while kneading the dough, and then shut if off.)
4. Preheat oven to 425. Place broiler pan in the bottom of the oven.
5. Lightly flour your work surface and a baking sheet with flour and cornmeal (I put a silpat on the baking sheet as well). Turn dough out onto your work surface and divide dough in half. Gently pull each half into a rectangle as you transfer it to the dusted baking sheet. Fold the top of the long edge down to the bottom and crimp to seal. Fold under the ends of they look scraggly... mine always do. Turn the loaves over so they are seam-side down.
6. If I'm not in a hurry, I let the loaves sit for 20 minutes before proceeding. But I'm always in a hurry - that's why I use this recipe. Fresh yeast bread in under 2 hours 🙂
7. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, slash the top of the loaves every 2-3 inches. The blade should be sharp enough to do all the work for you – don't press down and deflate your loaves (I keep a pack of small glass scraper replacement razors in my utensil drawer - they work great). Place into the oven. Pour remaining 1 cup water into the broiler pan and shut the oven door. Bake for ~15 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

Yields: 2 baguettes

Adapted from Quick French Bread

Estimated time: 1 hour 45 minutes