French Bread Food

QUICK FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Add the yeast to the water in a medium-large bowl, then sprinkle the sugar over the top of it.
• Let it sit for five minutes or so, or until the yeast mixture looks frothy on top.
• Stir in the salt, oil, and flour.
• Put a bowl of water in the microwave and heat it for a couple of minutes.
• Knead the dough until it's smooth, and comes away from the sides of the bowl easily. Add a bit more flour if it's sticky.
• Remove the water from the microwave and put in the dough. Let the dough rise in the microwave, door closed, for 15-30 minutes, until dough is almost doubled in size. (it was only about 1 1/2 times bigger for me, and was awesome!).
• Now remove the dough and divide into two equal balls. Roll into rectangles, and then roll up, jelly roll style. Place both loaves next to each other ion lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise while you heat your oven to 375 degrees. Bake both loaves for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.
• EAT!

CLASSIC AND CRUSTY FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, sugar, and salt. Stir until dissolved.
• Mix in the bread flour, a little at a time, until a soft dough is formed.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead it for about 8 minutes.
• Put the dough in a greased bowl and flip the dough over so that all of the dough is lightly greased, including the dough top . Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 hour or until double in size.
• Punch down the dough .
• Give the dough a quick 2-minute knead.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal halves. Shape each half into a long loaf.
• Place the loaves on a lightly greased baking sheet. Make about 5 diagonal slits, 3/4 inch deep, into the top of each loaf.
• Cover loaves with a clean towel or greased plastic wrap and let them rise for 45 minutes or until double in size. Heat the oven to 400 F.
• If you'd like, brush the loaves with the beaten egg white for a shiny crust, and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Bake at 400 F for 5 minutes.
• Remove the loaves from the oven and use a mister or spray bottle to lightly spray the tops of the loaves with cold water. Turn the oven down to 350 F and bake the loaves for another 25 minutes or until done.
• Remove the loaves from the baking sheet and let them cool on a rack.

FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Pulse flour, salt, and vinegar in a food processor to combine.
• Stir together yeast and 1/3 cup water in a small bowl until yeast is dissolved, then let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.) With motor running, pour yeast mixture and remaining 1 1/3 cups warm water into flour mixture in processor, blending until dough forms a ball and pulls away from side of processor bowl, about 1 minute.
• Cover processor feed tube and let dough rise until it fills bowl, about 1 hour. Pulse several times to deflate dough.
• Generously oil bread pans with olive oil.
• Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide in half (dough will be very soft). Press 1 half into a 10- by 8-inch rectangle and fold in the 2 short outer sides to meet in the middle, pinching edges together. Turn over (seam side down), then roll and stretch into a 15-inch-long irregular loaf. Put loaf, seam side up, in bread pan and turn to coat with oil, leaving loaf seam side down.
• Repeat procedure with remaining dough. Let loaves rise, uncovered, in a warm draft-free place 30 minutes.
• Put oven rack in upper third of oven, then put a large roasting pan with 1 inch of water in it on bottom of gas oven or on lowest rack of electric oven. Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Make 3 shallow diagonal slashes down length of each loaf with razor. Bake loaves 30 minutes, then carefully remove pan of water from oven. Remove bread from pans and turn upside down on upper oven rack, then bake until golden and crusty all over, about 5 minutes more. Cool loaves on a rack.

CLASSIC FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Do ahead
• Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for 1 minute, until well blended and smooth. If the spoon gets too doughy, dip it in a bowl of warm water. The dough should form a coarse shaggy ball. Let it rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
• Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for 2 minutes or knead by hand for about 2 minutes, adjusting with flour or water as needed. The dough should be smooth, supple, and tacky but not sticky.
• Whichever mixing method you use, knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured work surface for about 1 minute more, then transfer it to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then immediately refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days. If the dough feels too wet and sticky, do not add more flour; instead, stretch and fold it one or more times at 10-minute intervals, as shown on page 18, before putting it in the refrigerator. (If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)
• On baking day
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours before you plan to bake. Gently transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, taking care to degas it as little as possible. For baguettes and bâtards, divide the cold dough into 10-ounce (283 g) pieces; for 1 pound boules, divide the dough into 19-ounce (53 g) pieces; and for freestanding loaves, use whatever size you prefer.
• Form the dough into bâtards and/or baguettes (see pages 21 and 22) or boules (see page 20). Mist the top of the dough with spray oil, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and proof at room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours, until increased to 1 1/2 times its original size.
• About 45 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 550°F (288°C) or as high as it will go, and prepare the oven for hearth baking (see page 30).
• Remove the plastic wrap from the dough 15 minutes prior to baking; if using proofing molds, transfer the dough onto a floured peel.
• Just prior to baking, score the dough 1/2 inch deep with a serrated knife or razor. Transfer the dough to the oven, pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan, then lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C).
• Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 15 to 25 minutes, until the crust is a rich golden brown, the loaves sound hollow when thumped, and the internal temperature is about 200°F (93°C) in the center. For a crisper crust, turn off the oven and leave the bread in for another 5 minutes before removing.
• Cool the bread on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing or serving.
• Variation
• By simply varying the method so that the shaped loaves undergo cold fermentation, rather than the freshly mixed bulk dough, you can create a spectacular loaf with a distinctive blistered crust. After the dough is mixed and placed in a clean, oiled bowl, let it rise at room temperature for about 90 minutes, until doubled in size. Divide and shape as described above, mist with spray oil, then cover the shaped dough loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight, away from anything that might fall on it or restrict it from growing.
• The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 hour before baking. It should have grown to at least 1 1/2 times its original size. Prepare the oven for hearth baking, as described on page 30. While the oven is heating, remove the plastic wrap and let the dough sit uncovered for 10 minutes. Score the dough while it's still cold, then bake as described above.

EASY HOMEMADE FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the water sugar and yeast. If using active dry yeast, let the mixture bubble and foam before proceeding (this can take 3-5 minutes). If using instant yeast, proceed with the recipe (no need to let the yeast activate).
• Add the salt, oil and 3 cups of flour and mix. Add in 2 1/2 to 3 more cups of flour gradually. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl and form a soft ball that doesn't leave a lot of dough residue on your fingers. Knead for 2-3 minutes until the dough is smooth. If the dough starts to cling to the sides of the bowl (or the center column if using a Bosch or other mixer with a center), add 1/4 cup of flour at a time until a sturdy but soft ball of dough forms.
• Rising Method 1: Leave the dough in the mixer, cover with a lid or towel, and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Stir it down by turning on the mixer for 10 seconds or so. Repeat the "rest and stir down" cycle five more times.
• Rising Method 2: Instead of letting the dough rest for 10 minute spurts and then stirring it down, transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with a towel or greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled, about an hour or so, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly greased surface and divide in half. Pat each section into a thick rectangle, 9X13-inches or thereabouts (doesn't have to be exact). Roll the dough up starting from the long edge, pressing out any air bubbles or seams with the heel of your hand, and pinch the edge to seal. Arrange seam side down on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I use separate baking sheets for each loaf). You can slash several gashes in the top of the bread now or wait until after it has risen (to avoid the risk of the bread deflating, especially if you don't have a very sharp razor or knife, slash now - see pictures above in the post for a visual).
• Cover with greased plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and let the loaves rise until noticeably puffy and nearly doubled in size, about an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and make sure an oven rack is in the center position. If you haven't already, with a very sharp knife or baker's lame cut several gashes at an angle on the top of each loaf (see pictures above in the post for a visual).
• Optional: Place the baking sheet in the hot oven and immediately toss 3-4 ice cubes on the bottom of the oven (this gives a delicious, classic, French bread crispness to the crust). Close the oven door quickly.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and baked through. Remove from the oven and slather with melted butter (optional, but delicious). Repeat with the 2nd loaf (or if you have convection setting, the loaves can bake at the same time, just rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking).

FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water.
• Add sugar, salt, oil and remaining water; stir until dissolved.
• Add flour and stir until smooth. You may need a little extra flour to make a soft but non-sticky dough. Place in a greased bowl.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled. Turn to lightly floured surface.
• Divide dough in half. Let rest for 10 minutes.
• Roll each half into a 15 inch chain. (like you would roll playdough for making a snake.).
• Place both rolls on one greased cookie sheet.
• Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes - 1 hour.
• With very sharp knife, make 3 diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

CRUSTY FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Stir together flours,salt and yeast in medium bowl. Add 3/4 cup water and stir until ingredients come together into a coarse ball. Add flour or water a tablespoon at a time only if necessary. Dough should be well hydrated but not too sticky or too stiff.
• Sprinkle flour on the counter and knead dough for 4-6 minutes. Or knead in mixing bowl on medium speed with dough hook for about 4 minutes.
• Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and roll it around to fully coat it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest a room temperature for 1 hour or until 1 1/2 times it's original size.
• Remove from the bowl. Lightly knead it to degas it slightly and place back in the bowl. Cover with plastic. Place in refrigerator overnight. Keeps in fridge for up to 3 days or freeze in airtight plastic bag for up to 3 months.
• Take starter from refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough. Cut into 10 small pieces with a pastry scraper or serrated knife. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Stir together all purpose flour,bread flour, salt, yeast and starter dough in a medium bowl or using the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the water and stir until everything comes together. Add water or flour as needed so you have dough that is not too sticky or stiff.
• Knead dough on medium speed using an electric mixer for about 6 minutes. Or place dough on a lightly floured counter and knead by hand for about 10 minutes. Dough should be soft and supple but not sticky. The dough should be able to be easily stretched and temperature about 77 -81 degrees. Knead for a few extra minutes to increase temperature of dough if needed. Lightly oil a large bowl and place dough in bowl. Roll around to coat it with oil. Cover with plastic wrap.
• Let sit at room temperature for about 2 hours or until doubled in size. If double before the 2 hours, knead it lightly to degas it and cover and let it rise again.
• Remove the dough gently from the bowl and transfer to a lightly floured counter. Cut into 3 equal pieces. Being careful to degas the dough as little as possible. (We want to keep the air bubbles in the bread this creates the beautiful open crumb we adore.)
• Gather dough into a rough ball. Stretch the outside of dough underneath being careful not to degas the dough. Continue stretching dough bringing opposite sides together to make a ball. Let loaves relax for a few minutes. Lift dough and gently pull, tugging on opposite ends. We want loaves that are about 8-12 inches in length. Remove they will expand in size and we will need them to fit in our standard size oven.
• Crease dough down the center and fold it like a letter. Seal the crease against the counter to create surface tension. Working from the center of the loaf to the outsides gently rock dough to lengthen to desired size. If dough is springing back quickly. Let rest for a few minutes and try again. Place baguettes lightly sprayed parchment that is sprinkled generously with cornmeal.
• Let sit at room temperature for 45 to 75 minutes or until loaves are about 1 1/2 times original size. If you poke with your finger that should slightly spring back
• Meanwhile prepare oven. Place an empty heavy duty sheet pan or cast iron frying pan on the bottom of the oven (Do not use anything glass). Place a cast iron or baking stone on the center rack. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Also prepare a water bottle for misting (just a cheap one from the dollar store works fine.) And simmer a few cups of hot water on the stove for later.
• Score the top of the loaves by slashing across the top diagonally several times on each loaf. Use a lame or a serrated bread knife.
• Using a pizza peel or the back of a sheet pan sprinkle very generously with cornmeal or semolina flour. (This will allow the loaves to slide easily into the oven.)
• Open oven. Lay a towel over oven door glass. Transfer baguettes to baking stone in oven. Pour 1 cup hot water into steam pan. Remove towel, close oven door. After 30 seconds,open oven and spray oven walls with water and close door. Repeat 2 more times after 30 second intervals. Then lower oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate loaves if needed and bake until golden brown. Loaves should be at least 205 degrees in center. This will take about an additional 10-20 minutes. If they darken too quickly turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
• Remove loaves and cool on rack for at least 40 minutes before slicing and serving.

HOMEMADE FRENCH BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit 5 minutes, or until it begins to foam.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl, stir together 2 cups flour and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture on medium-low speed or by hand. Knead in 1/2 cup of the remaining flour in increments until the dough is smooth but not sticky. Add more flour as needed.
• Rub the olive oil around the dough ball, cover the bowl with a towel and let rest 15 to 30 minutes. If you have more time, let rise up to 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). 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 onto a baking sheet. Repeat with the second dough ball. Make three diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf. Cover loaves lightly with a towel. Let rise 30 to 60 minutes (the longer the better, if you have the time).
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake 17 to 23 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. When you knock on it, it should sound hollow. If it's browning too fast, lightly cover with foil and lower the temperature to 375°F.
• Brush the top with melted butter, if desired. Slice and serve while warm.

FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
• Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.
• Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.
• With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

CHEF RICK'S CLASSIC FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• In an standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, salt and honey. Whip until combined.
• Add the yeast and the water to a small bowl and allow it to sit for 15 minutes. Add the yeast water to the flour mixture and beat until well mixed. Put the mixing bowl in a warm place, cover and let rise until doubled in size. Punch the dough down and divide it into 6 equal parts. Form into 6 (6-inch) loaves, cover and allow them to double in size.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. arrange the loaves on a baking sheet and bake until light brown.
• Enjoy!

CRUSTY FRENCH LOAF

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat until blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down; return to bowl. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. , Preheat oven to 375°. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a 16x2-1/2-in. loaf with tapered ends. Sprinkle cornmeal over a greased baking sheet; place loaf on baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes. , Beat egg white and cold water; brush over dough. With a sharp knife, make diagonal slashes 2 in. apart across top of loaf. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

HOME-STYLE FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Using an electric mixer with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar and warm water and mix for 2 minutes to dissolve the yeast. Add the salt and flour. With the mixer on low, mix until the dough starts to come together. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and crawls up to dough hook.
• Grease a mixing bowl with the oil. Place the dough in the greased bowl and turn once. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft free place until the dough doubles in size about 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and invert it onto a heavily floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Pat each portion into a large rectangle, about 3/4-inch thick. Roll up the dough, beginning with the short side and stopping after each full turn to press the edge of the roll firmly into the flat sheet of dough to seal. Press with your fingertips. Tuck and roll so that any seams disappear into the dough.
• Sprinkle a baking sheet evenly with 2 tablespoons of the cornmeal. Place the loaves on the baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons cornmeal. Cover the loaves with a cloth and let rise until double in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• With a sharp knife, make diagonal slashes, about 1-inch apart, on the top of each loaf. With a pastry brush, brush the egg wash evenly over each loaf. Place a cup of hot water in an oven-proof container on the baking sheet with the loaves.
• Bake for 45 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Slice to serve.