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French Bread
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An American version of the classic French bread. Spray or brush with cold water during baking for a crispy crust. The bread is best eaten the day it is made.
INGREDIENTS
This recipe makes 1 loaf
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| Water | 1+1/4 cup | ||
| Bread Flour | 3+1/4 cup | ||
| Salt | 1 tsp | ||
| Sugar | 1 tsp | ||
| Active Dry Yeast | 2+1/4 tsp | ||
| Cornmeal | 3 TBSP | ||
DIRECTIONS
In large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour and other dry ingredients. Heat water to 120º to 130º F. Combine dry mixture and water on low speed; beat 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed. By hand, stir in enough remaining flour to make a firm dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place until dough tests “ripe.” (Gently stick two fingers in the risen dough up to the second knuckle and take them out. If the indentations remain, the dough is “ripe.”)
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; punch down to remove air bubbles. Roll or pat into a 14- x 7-inch rectangle. Starting with shorter side, roll up tightly, pressing dough into roll. Pinch edges and taper ends to seal. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover; let rise until indentation remains after touching. With very sharp knife, make 2 or 3 diagonal slashes across top of loaf. Brush with cold water. Bake in preheated 425º F over 30 to 40 minutes. Spray or brush loaf with cold water several times during first 10 minutes of baking for a crisper crust. Remove from cookie sheet; cool.
*You can substitute Instant (fast-rising) in place of Active Dry Yeast in your recipes. When using Instant Yeast, expect your dough to rise faster. Always let your dough rise until ripe. Use equal amounts when baking using traditional methods. When using the Bread Machine, use 1/2 tsp Instant Yeast OR 3/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast per cup of flour in your recipe. Visit our Lessons in Yeast & Baking for more information on baking.