There are not many smells I like more than freshly baked bread, and I don’t think I am alone in my opinion. This morning, I had these little loaves in the oven and my husband was grinding coffee beans. I was in olfactory bliss. Good smells everywhere!

While I love a good baguette, our French bakery is too far away to drop by every day. These little loaves are made in a French style, but with a considerable shorter time frame than a baguette. They are perfect for a hoagie style sandwich, dipping in soup, or just smearing with butter right when they come out of the oven.

These little loaves are surprisingly easy, but also take lots of practice to get the shape exactly how you want it. They will always taste good, and your shaping will improve every time you make them! I make them about once a week for soup night, lunch sandwiches, or to round out a dinner.

Pain Mignon (Cute Bread)

Ingredients

313 grams bread flour

1 packet instant rise yeast

1 tsp salt 

1 Tablespoon sugar

1.5 c warm water

2T olive oil

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover your bowl with a clean, lightly wet dish towel or paper towel. Let rise in a warm place for one hour. 
2. Divide your dough into four pieces. Dust a clean counter or large cutting board with flour. Spread one of your dough pieces into a square about 6 inches by 6 inches (about the size of a medium plate). Sprinkle flour on top and use your hands to pat the dough out into the 6 inch square. 
3. Fold your square ⅔ of the way down, like a letter fold. Then roll the fold portion over to make a log shape. With the seam on the bottom, shake your dough gently back and forth to smooth it out a bit. 
4. Place your shaped dough on a parchment lined sheet pan or a baguette pan. Repeat this process with your other three dough pieces. Allow your dough to rise for 30 minutes on top of your oven while it is preheating. 
5. Preheat oven to 450℉. 
6. Place a small pan filled halfway with water in the bottom rack of the oven. This will create steam in the oven and help the crust get nice and crispy. 
7. When your dough is ready to go in the oven, score the top using clean scissors or a sharp knife. Make 3 deep, diagonal slashes on your dough. This gives space and direction for the loaf to expand and hopefully keeps the loaf from busting out the side. 
8. Bake loaves for 10-15 minutes, or until bread has a nice, golden brown crust. 

Notes

• All purpose flour will work here, but will have a slightly less chewy texture 
• There are typically two types of yeast packets in most grocery stores. One is a regular yeast, and one is a faster rise yeast. The faster yeast is often called “instant” or “rapid”. This type of yeast does not need to be proofed first and can be added to dry ingredients. 
• A good warm place can be on top of your fridge, on top of a dryer that is running or just ran, or in a toaster oven that has a “proof” setting. I also sometimes set mine near our radiator heater in the winter as my kitchen is usually cold. 
• We allowed our dough to rise 10 minutes in class for the first and second rise. This gives an adequate bread that is wonderful for sandwiches. A longer rise will allow for a lighter finished bread.