* Exported from MasterCook *
Bread, French
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 16 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Bread-Bakers Mailing List Breads
Low Fat
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons active quick rising dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
1. Reserve 1/4 cup of bread flour in a pile on your clean counter
top. Place remaining 3 3/4 cups bread flour in your mixer bowl. Spoon
the yeast on one side of the bowl, and the salt on the other side.
Pour in the warm water and with your regular mixer paddle, mix on low
speed until the dough comes together in a mass. Switch to the dough
hook. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Dough should clear the sides
but stick to the bottom. If it is too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of
flour at a time. If too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water to dough to adjust.
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
2. Turn the mixer on again and mix for 3 minutes. Take the dough out
and place on the counter. Remember that 1/4 cup of flour that we
reserved? We'll use it now. As you knead the dough by hand,
incorporate more flour as you need. Knead by hand until the dough is
very satiny, smooth, tight and formed into a nice, compact ball.
Place this dough in a large lightly oiled bowl (I use Pam spray).
Turn dough over so that all sides have a thin coating of oil. Cover
with plastic wrap and set in warm place for 1 1/2 hours to let rest
and rise. Dough should almost double in size. While the dough is
rising, about 1 hour into the rising stage, preheat your oven to 450F
and place your pizza stone, inverted baking sheet or covered cast
iron pot into the oven to heat up.
4. After the dough has risen fully, punch dough down and form back
into a ball. Poke your finger on the surface - the dough should give
into the pressure and slowly creep back up.
5. Ok, here's the fun part. Cut the dough into half - you'll shape
one half at a time (keep the other piece under wraps) Pick up the
dough - stretch it out until it forms a big rectangle. Dust your work
surface with flour and fold over the ends of the dough like this.
Now do a little "karate chop" lengthwise down the middle of the bread
and stretch out the long ends again. Fold over in half. The karate
chop helps get the middle tucked inside. Pinch all sides shut. This
is important - you want to make sure that all ends including the
short ends are pinched tightly to create a seal. This allows the
bread to rise and expand up and out evenly. If the bread looks a little
lopsided, you can try to fix it by letting it rest 5 minutes and
gently stretching it out again. Just don't knead the dough again -
you'll pop all the beautiful gas that took 1.5 hours to create!
6. Turn the bread over so that it is seam side down. Cover the loaf
with a damp kitchen towel. Repeat with the other dough ball. Leave
the loaves to rest on your well-floured pizza peel or cutting board
for 30 minutes. After resting, take a sharp paring knife and make 3-4
shallow, diagonal slashes on the surface of the loaf. This allows the
steam in the bread to escape so that it expands evenly during the
baking process.
7. When you are ready to bake, remove your baking vessel from oven.
Carefully slide the gorgeous loaf into or onto your baking vessel. I
like baking one loaf at a time. The most important equipment to have
is an instant read thermometer to measure temperature of the bread.
If you are using pizza stone or inverted baking sheet: You can
probably fit both loaves on it at the same time if you wish. -> Get a
1/2 cup of water ready next to the stove. Open the stove, put your
bread in the oven and throw the water on the oven floor. Immediately
close the oven door. This creates your steam. -> Bake 20-25 minutes.
Check temperature of the bread - internal should be 190-210F. Remove
and let cool before cutting into it.
If you are using a long cast-iron pot or covered baker: -> Before
closing the lid on your pot/baker, put 1/4 cup of water directly in
the pot. Cover immediately. Put pot in oven. -> Bake 10 minutes.
Remove lid of pot. Bake another 14 minutes. Check temperature of the
bread - internal should be 190-210F. Remove and let cool before
cutting into it. Repeat with other loaf. (For convection ovens: bake
8 min covered, 10-12 min uncovered. Check temperature of bread).
To re-crisp the crust, put in 375F oven for 5 minutes. Eat one loaf,
share the other loaf with a friend!
Description:
"Baking the Perfect Loaf of French Bread in 30 Hours"
Source:
"Steamy Kitchen"
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 125 Calories; 1g Fat (4.3%
calories from fat); 4g Protein; 25g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary
Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 268mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2
Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat.