French Bread 10 Grain Food

FRENCH BREAD (10-GRAIN)

Steps:

• Add 10- grain cereal to boiling water; set aside for 20 minutes or until lukewarm.
• Pour the cooled cereal, water, olive oil, honey and salt into the bread machine pan.
• Add 3 cups bread flour, the wheat flours, vital wheat gluten and yeast.
• Start machine using the dough setting. If dough is too sticky add up to 1/2 cups more bread flour or add a little more water to dough if too dry. You want the dough to be just slightly sticky.
• When machine has finished the dough cycle (mine is 1-1/2 hours), punch dough down and divide in half.
• Place dough on lightly floured surface. Roll each half into a 12" x 15" rectangle.
• Roll dough tightly, from longest side pressing seams and tapering ends and tucking under.
• Place loaves on a greased baking sheet or in a french/baguette pan.
• Cover and let rise in warm place, free from draft, about an hour, or until doubled in bulk.
• With sharp knife, make 3-4 diagonal cuts on top of loaf.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
• Remove to cooling rack and brush melted butter over tops of loaves.
• Cool at least 1 hour before slicing.

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.

MARIANNE BAGUETTE - TRADITIONAL RUSTIC FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Put the ingredients into the bread machine. Set to the dough programme and start. Grease a large baking tray & Pre-heat oven to 220C/400°F.
• Once the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured surface and punch it down to deflate it. Shape dough into two long "baguette" shaped loaves and place on the baking sheet. Cover loosely with lightly oiled cling-film and leave to rise for about 30 minutes until doubled in size.
• Meanwhile, place an oven proof bowl containing water on the bottom of the oven to heat up. (About 250mls).
• Sprinkle top of dough with flour, then using a sharp knife cut 5 diagonal small slits across the tops of the baguettes.
• Bake for 15 minutes then reduce temperature to 190C/375F and bake for a further 10 - 15 minutes. (If they start browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil on top.).
• Transfer to wire rack to cool.
• Eat immediately.

BABY FRENCH TOAST (EGGY BREAD)

Steps:

• Whisk together milk, egg, vanilla, cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
• Preheat a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add butter.
• One at a time, dip bread and let excess egg mixture dip off.
• Once butter is melted, place bread slices in pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottom side is golden brown, but not crisp. Flip bread and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and repeat the process with the second slice, unless you have enough room to do both at the same time.
• Let French toast cool and cut into 4 pieces. You can also cut off the crust for smaller babies.
• Serve with fresh berries, banana slices, a drizzle of nut butter (optional) and yogurt for dipping. If your toddler is old enough and you'd like you can also serve with maple syrup, as a drizzle or for dipping.