Parlez vous francais?
Me neither!
But I LOVE French bread! I bake all the time and make lots of bread. Recently I discovered this recipe for French bread that calls for half whole wheat flour and half white flour. It makes the most delicious French bread I've ever tasted! My favorite unbleached white flour is King Arthur brand. It is far superior to other brands, in my opinion. If I didn't grind my own wheat, I would also purchase King Arthur whole wheat flour for baking. King Arthur brand is available at any grocery. I bake this bread in my French bread pans, but it could be done on a cookie sheet. This recipe makes two pretty loaves.
French Bread
Mix whole wheat flour and dry yeast in mixer bowl. Turn off mixer. Add hot water, oil, sugar, and salt. Mix 1 minute. Quickly add white flour, 1 cup at a time, until mixture cleans the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. Knead 3-4 minutes.
Lightly oil hands. Divide dough into two equal portions. Roll each into a 12x15 inch rectangle. Beginning at the long side, roll up tightly, pinching edges to seal. Taper ends. Place each loaf with the seam side down on a lightly greased baking sheet which has been sprinkled with cornmeal. French bread pans may also be used. Diagonally slash loaf tops every 2 1/2 inches 1/4 inch deep. Beat egg white and water with a fork until foamy. brush tops and sides of loaves with egg-water mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Let rise until double. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until deep golden brown.
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons dry yeast
- 2 cups comfortably hot water
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups unbleached white flour
- 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
- sesame seeds
Mix whole wheat flour and dry yeast in mixer bowl. Turn off mixer. Add hot water, oil, sugar, and salt. Mix 1 minute. Quickly add white flour, 1 cup at a time, until mixture cleans the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. Knead 3-4 minutes.
Lightly oil hands. Divide dough into two equal portions. Roll each into a 12x15 inch rectangle. Beginning at the long side, roll up tightly, pinching edges to seal. Taper ends. Place each loaf with the seam side down on a lightly greased baking sheet which has been sprinkled with cornmeal. French bread pans may also be used. Diagonally slash loaf tops every 2 1/2 inches 1/4 inch deep. Beat egg white and water with a fork until foamy. brush tops and sides of loaves with egg-water mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Let rise until double. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until deep golden brown.
I was ready with the camera because I knew what Tom would do as he walked in the door from work!
The only difficult part about this recipe is keeping the family out of it until dinner time!
Au revoir!
Laura Lee
1 comment:
Laura,
That bread looks way better than mine would, I mean, if I was brave enough to try it. But here's a quick suggestion: put a temperature down next to "comfortably hot," b/c my sister's idea of really hot water is more like luke warm to me. 115 degrees could mean the difference between "worked" and "embarrassed myself really baaaaad."
You continue to humble me with your gifts and talents.
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