Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!amdcad!lll-crg!caip!unirot!liz From: liz@unirot.UUCP (Mamaliz ) Newsgroups: net.wanted,net.cooks Subject: Re: Wanted: info on french bread Message-ID: <366@unirot.UUCP> Date: Thu, 13-Mar-86 14:05:44 EST Article-I.D.: unirot.366 Posted: Thu Mar 13 14:05:44 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 15-Mar-86 20:29:54 EST References: <43@btnix.UUCP> Reply-To: liz@unirot.UUCP (Mamaliz ) Organization: The Soup Kitchen Lines: 77 Keywords: No fats Xref: watmath net.wanted:8390 net.cooks:6218 In article <43@btnix.UUCP> titley@btnix.UUCP (Nigel Titley) writes: > The characteristics of french bread appear to be: > > 1) Good crunchy golden crust > 2) More open texture > 3) Slightly more salty > 4) Goes stale very quickly > > > The question is, does anyone out there in netland know anything that > might help us? > I am posting this, as I get asked this question a lot, and I figure it is probably of general interest. I make french bread regularly, sometimes 8 or 9 loaves a day (depending on number of house guests). Real bread (let alone real french bread) contains no sugar. Real French bread contains no fat, or eggs or anything but flour yeast salt water. Lizzy's French Bread (derived from Jeannette Seaver's "Jeanette's Secrets of Everyday Good Cooking") 1/2 cup warm water 2 packages active dry yeast (you can use less if you bake a lot (wild yeast spores in kitchen) or have time for a slower rising). 2 1/4 cups warm water 7 cups flour (I find that what is marked as "Bread flour" works better then an all-purpose flour). 2 tablespoons salt some cornmeal Amateur's recipe: Proof yeast in the smaller amount of water (might as well put this in the bowl you will be mixing the bread in). After the yeast is proofed (proofed means that you have proved that it is alive -- it will smell good and look foamy) add the rest of the water and enough flour to make a really wet sloppy batter (you are not going to stick your hands in it). Put this in a warm, draft-free place in your kitchen (cover it with something porous like a dishtowel and keep it away from the cats). Let it sit for at least 3 hours while it traps wild yeasts and rises. Stir this mess down and add the rest of the flour and the salt. You might have to change the amount of flour...use as much as you need to make a kneadable dough. I always need more...maybe your flour is dryer then mine and you will need less. Knead the dough until you can't stand it anymore (at least 5 minutes. Kneading is fun, if you want to knead more, don't worry. Let the dough rest while you wash out the bowl you mixed it in and pick up another bowl of about the same size. Cut the dough in two pieces, put each piece in a bowl (two bowls now), cover with the dishtowels again, and put away to rise until doubled. Punch down the dough, knead a little bit more and shape. This recipe supposedly makes 6 short baguettes, but I have never had any luck with this. I just make two round loaves. Put these loaves on cookie sheets covered with cornmeal and let rise again (preferably until doubled, if the time element does not allow doubling, at least an hour). Bake at 450 until done (this is different for each shape of loaf, I usually bake for around 40 minutes). Expert recipe: Make a sponge with water, yeast and small amount of flour. Let sponge rise until you are ready for it. Add rest of flour and salt. Knead, 2 risings, bake at 450 until done.