This is a very old recipe for French bread which doesn't require a special
place for rising.
It does very well at ambient room temperature (as long as it is at least 60 F)
Old French Bread recipe
1 cake Fleischmann's yeast
1/4 cup boiled water, cooled to skin temperature
3/4 cup flour
2 cups boiled water, cooled as above and poured into a large bowl.
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
5 to 6 cups white flour
Break up the cake of yeast and soften in the 1/4 cup of water, stir in the
3/4 cup of flour. Knead the little ball of dough until smooth and elastic.
Make a cut the shape of a cross about 1/4 inch deep across the top of the
ball of dough. Place the ball of dough into the water in the large bowl,
cover and set aside in a place with normal room temperature out of drafts.
When the ball becomes a puffy mass and is floating in the water (should
take about an hour in normal room temperature, shorter during warm weather,
may take longer in winter):
Stir the 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt into 1 cup of the flour and stir into the
dough with a wooden spoon or broad whisk. (A broad whisk is a flat uneven
coil of very heavy wire with the ends secured in a heavy long wooden
handle.) Mix until the dough is smooth. Add 4 more cups of flour, one at a
time, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Sprinkle the remaining flour little by little on a kneading board or dough
trough and continue kneading until th edough no longer sticks to your
hands. Continue kneading about 15 to 20 minutes. Cover and set aside in a
draft-free place (at about 70 F) until doubled in bulk (2 hours or more).
When the dough has doubled in bulk butter your hands (the dough will be
stringy and slightly tacky). Shape the dough by separating into 3 or 4
balls, flattening and stretching each one into a long flat rectangle,
starting at one edge roll into a torpedo shape, sealing the bottom edge by
pressing the seal against the board with the heel of your hand. Stretch to
desired length and place on oiled baking sheet. Using the side of your hand
make a trough lengthwise down the center of the loaf and set aside,
covered, to rise again for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Just before baking make 3 or 4 diagonal slashes across the top of the loaves.
Place in oven on center rack. After 30 minutes remove the loaves from the
oven, brush the tops with milk or a little beaten egg white. You may
sprinkle sesame seeds on one or more loaves after brushing the liquid on
the loaves. Return to oven for an addiitonal 10 minutes. Place on wire rack
to cool. Allow to cool completely before slicing. Loaf should sound hollow
when rapped on bottom with wooden spoon.
This bread stales rapidly. Store wrapped in oil cloth or in bread keeper
with tight lid. To refresh, run cold water over uncut loaf, wetting all
sides, place directly on rack in hot oven (425 F) for about 10
minutes. Bread refreshed in this manner may be sliced and eaten while warm.
Andie Paysinger & the PENDRAGON Basenjis, Teafer ,Singer & Player
asenji@earthlink.net So. Calif. USA "In the face of adversity, be
patient, in the face of a basenji, be prudent, be canny, be on your
guard!"
http://home.earthlink.net/~asenji/