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1
Combine the flour, sugar, salt, eggs, milk, and crumbled compressed yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed for 3–4 minutes until the ingredients are incorporated and no dry flour remains, then increase to medium speed and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic — gluten must be fully developed before the butter is added. The dough is ready when it pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl and a small piece stretched between the fingers forms a thin, translucent membrane without tearing.
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2
This is where the bread lives or dies. Add the softened butter a few pieces at a time with the mixer running on medium speed, waiting for each addition to be fully absorbed before adding the next. Continue mixing until the dough is perfectly smooth, supple, and no longer sticky, with the butter completely incorporated. Rushing this stage — adding butter before gluten is formed, or before each addition is absorbed — will result in a greasy, slack dough that cannot hold its shape.
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3
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured container, cover, and leave to ferment at 25°C for 1 hour. At the 30-minute mark, perform one fold: stretch the dough out from one side and fold it back over itself, rotating the container and repeating on all four sides. After 1 hour total, the dough should have increased noticeably in volume and feel airy when pressed gently.
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4
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into four equal pieces of 300–400 g. Pre-shape each piece into a tight ball without tearing the surface, cover loosely, and rest for 15 minutes. The dough is ready to shape when it relaxes and spreads slightly but holds the rounded form.
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5
Shape each piece into an elongated oval: flatten the ball gently, fold the long edges in toward the centre, then roll tightly lengthwise, sealing the seam firmly. The ends must be blunt and rounded — do not taper them to a point as one would a baguette. Place the loaves seam-side down on parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced well apart.
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6
Brush the surface of each loaf with egg wash (whole egg beaten with a pinch of salt). Apply the first coat 20 minutes before baking to allow it to set, then apply a second coat immediately before loading the oven. The double application builds depth of colour. Allow the loaves to prove until they have increased by half and the surface, when pressed lightly with a fingertip, springs back slowly but does not collapse.
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7
Using scissors or a lame, make 10–12 shallow diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf, holding the blade at a low angle so the cuts are decorative rather than deep — they open the crust without splitting the dough. The cuts should be closely spaced, running the full length of the loaf, creating the characteristic ribbed appearance. The incisions must be shallow; deep cuts will cause the loaf to spread and collapse.
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8
Bake at 200–210°C with minimal steam for 18–22 minutes. The lower temperature relative to a baguette is essential: the sugar and egg content cause the crust to colour rapidly. The finished loaves should be a deep, even mahogany-gold with a thin, glossy crust; the base should sound hollow when tapped.