French Bread Recipe
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Category: |
Category: |
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Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1 Tbl. dry active yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
6 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 Tbl. Sugar
1 Tbl. Kosher salt
1 Tbl. Extra virgin olive oil
Special Equipment:
2 French loaf pans make the loaves more structured but baking sheets work also.
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Directions: |
Directions:Preheat the oven tp 400º.
Sprinkle yeast and sugart over warm water in a large bowl.
Place 2 cups of bread flour to cover the water.
Do not stir.
This is a sponge that you are making.
Let mixture stand for 5 minutes.
Beat in the salt and 2 cups more of bread flour.
Beat well for 2 minutes with a dough hook in a Kitchen Aide or for 5 minutes by hand.
Add the remainder of the flour gradually.
Beat until mixture is slightly elastic and starts to come away from the bowl.
Knead the dough around 3 minutes more.
Oil a big mixing bowl then roll the dough in the oil to barely cover it.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a clean dish towel.
Place in a warm place (like on your stove top).
Let the dough double in bulk.
Oil a French bread pan or baking sheet.
Punch the dough down.
Separate the dough into 4 sections as evenly as possible.
Roll the dough on a clean counter top and carefully stretch it he pieces out into a rectangle.
Roll the dough jelly roll style to form loaves.
Seal the loaves and with the seal at the bottom roll out to make the loaves a little longer.
Place the dough onto prepared pans with the sealed edges on the bottom of pan.
Let rise for 20 minutes. Make a slit with a sharp razor or knife to make 3 slits in the loaves.
Place in oven and spray surface with a water bottle every 2 minutes for 10 minutes.
This makes a crusty top.
Lower the heat after the 10 minutes to 350 degrees if it is browning too quickly.
Bake until a hollow sound is heard when hitting the bottom of the loaves. |
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Number Of
Servings: |
Number Of
Servings:4 loaves |
Preparation
Time: |
Preparation
Time:3 hours including risings |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: This is a wonderful bread that Didier taught me when I was training in Provence. We would eat a loaf right out of the oven with creamy French butter. It is truly the best bread I have ever tasted.
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