French Bread

THE STAFF OF LIFE!

Such a humble, but noble food in all cultures around the world.  With only a small handful of ingredients, “bread” has been referred to as “The Staff of Life” as early as the 1600’s. It is an idiom for a staple food, most commonly bread, but also may refer to other staples that sustain human life: grains like wheat, rice and barley or potatoes, cassava, taro, and legumes.

I found this recipe online, but have forgotten what site I got it from. It was a joy to make in my new Kitchen Aid stand mixer.

My Mom’s mixer, probably close to 45 years old finally decided to retire. Also by mixing the dough in the stand mixer it gets super aerated, which makes for a very soft interior. Kneading bread is important to develop a strong network of gluten, which acts as the structure to hold gases produced by the yeast, ensuring a proper rise and a light, airy texture.

In a small bowl start by proofing the yeast. Combine 2 cups warm water (about 105 degrees), yeast and 2 1/2 tsp. sugar. Let it sit for about 5 minutes or until it starts to foam. If it does not foam up that means your yeast is dead. Start over.

In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook stir together 2 cups flour and 2 1/2 tsp. salt. A stand mixer is not required to make this fabulous French bread, but it does mean less time kneading.

Mixing the flour and salt.

Add the yeast mixture and mix on medium-low speed (or by hand). Knead in the remaining flour in increments until the dough is smooth, but not sticky. Add more flour as needed.

Adding flour down the shoot. This cover is a great feature as the flour stays in the bowl rather than flying all over the counter.

I mixed the last cup of flour (5 cups altogether) by hand on the counter. This is my first time making bread in the stand mixer and I did not want to over-mix, but now realize I could’ve mixed all the flour using the mixer.

As you can see the dough is still a little sticky, but that last cup of flour brought it all together.

Once you have dumped out the dough on a floured surface, wash the bowl and coat the interior with 1 Tbsp. olive oil.

Place the kneaded dough back into the bowl and roll it around so all sides are coated with oil. Cover with a towel and let sit until it has risen to about twice its size; up to 1 hour. You can let the dough rise for less time, but the interior will be more dense. No need to be in a hurry when making bread.

Dough has doubled in size.

Dough punched down.

Once risen, gently punch down the dough. Turn the dough onto a well floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Divide the dough in half. Set one half aside and roll the other half into a rectangle (about 15 inches).

You can use a rolling pin to form the rectangle or use your hands.

Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a cylinder. Turn both ends in and pinch the seams closed.

Round the edges and place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Repeat with the second half.

With your sharpest knife, make 4 diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf. Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 to 60 minutes. Again, the longer rise produces a softer interior.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If you prefer a crispier crust, brush the tops with 1 egg white whisked with a tsp. of water.

Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. When you knock on it, it should sound hollow. If its browning too fast, lightly cover with foil and lower the temperature to 375 degrees.

To help the dough expand fully, add a tray of ice cubes to your oven floor. The steam helps to create a thinner, crunchier and shinier crust along with a lighter airy interior.

Brush the tops with melted butter. Slice and serve warm.

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French Bread

Crispy crust and light, airy interior. Everything you want in a French Bread.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Warm water; about 105 degrees
• 1 Tbsp. Active dry yeast; that's one packet
• 2 1/2 tsp. Granulated sugar
• 5 cups All-purpose flour; more as needed
• 1 tsp. Olive oil
• 1 Egg white mixed with 1 tsp. water; optional
• Melted butter for topping; optional

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until it begins to foam.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or in a large mixing bowl, stir together 2 cups flour and the salt. Stir in yeast mixture on medium-low speed or by hand. Add the remaining flour in increments until the dough is smooth, but not too sticky. Add more flour as needed.
• Pour the dough out onto a well floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes until you have the desired texture. You want it to be soft and pliable, but not too loose.
• Clean the bowl and add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to the interior. Once the dough is kneaded roll it around in the bowl so all sides of the dough are covered with the oil.
• Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise until double in size; about 1 hour.
• Turn the dough onto a well floured surface and divide it in half. Set one half aside. Roll the other half into a rectangle about 15 inches long. Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a cylinder.
• Turn both ends in and pinch the seams closed. Round the edges and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the other half.
• Make 4 diagonal cuts in the tops of the loaves. Cover the loaves loosely and let rise for another hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If you want a crunchier crust whisk one egg white with a tsp. of water and brush the tops of the loaves.
• Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. If its browning too fast, cover loosely with foil and reduce oven temp to 375.
• Once baked, brush the tops with melted butter. Slice and serve while still warm.