Curd Baguette

Ingredients

7 g dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

180 ml water

3 cups flour

2 tsp salt

5 tbsp cottage cheese

100 g butter

For greasing:

1 egg

2 tbsp water

Sesame seeds

Add sugar to a cup of warm water, add yeast, stir, cover with a plate, and set aside until a crust forms (about 7 minutes).

Sift the flour and salt. Add cottage cheese and mix until crumbly (I rub it with my palms).

Pour in the yeast and butter. Knead on speed 1-2 if using a mixer (hook attachment) or for 5-8 minutes if kneading by hand. Add a little more water if needed. The dough should be soft and sticky, but not sticky. Greasing your hands with vegetable oil helps while kneading.

Place the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours. The dough should double in size. Lightly press down on the finished dough (it will be fluffy and soft) and divide it into two pieces. These two pieces will be the baguettes.

Take one piece of dough and fold the top edge inward, then the other bottom edge inward. Repeat with the side edges. Press down with your hand to form a rectangle; you can use a rolling pin to help.

Starting with the wide end, roll the dough into a roll. Don't roll it too tightly, or the baguette will burst at the edges. Repeat with the second piece of dough.

 If you don't have a baguette pan, make one yourself out of foil, the length of your baguette (I use two layers of foil, the length of the baguette, and fold them over at the edges, lightly grease them with butter, and dust with flour). Place the prepared baguettes in the pan, cover them with cling film, and let them rise.

After about 30 minutes, make slits in the baguette with scissors (optional), brush with a beaten egg and water, and sprinkle with sunflower seeds or sesame seeds. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 40 minutes.

The baguette will be golden brown and have a hollow sound when tapped. It's best eaten cooled, preferably after an hour.

Enjoy!