French Bread

I also received the Bread! cookbook for Christmas, and these recipes are all done with your bread machine, but I think it would be easy to adapt them to not having a bread machine, just let it rise once or twice. 

This is from page 109.

Makes 2 baguettes

Scant 1.5 c water

4.5 c white bread flour

1.5 t salt

1.5 t instant or fast acting dried yeast

Fine cornmeal or extra flour, to dust

Place ingredients in bread pan as you usually would.  For mine it is wet first, then flour and salt with a well for the yeast on top.  Insert pan and set to dough setting.  When cycle is complete, dump out dough and form into a smooth ball.  Divide dough in half and form into two baguettes about 12 inches long.  Place on baking sheet scattered with cornmeal.  Set aside for five minutes.  Boil water and put it in a cake pan.  Put this on the bottom rack of your cold oven.  Slash the tops of your baguettes with a sharp knife and brush with cold water.  Put the baking sheet in the oven and preheat temperature to 400.  Bake the loaves for about 40 minutes until they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.

Would you believe, I actually followed the instructions on this one!!  This bread is really good warm with butter.  It has a slightly sour taste, like a sourdough would without having to prepare a starter, and I have been banned from making it into French toast.  I will definitely be making this again.  It would also be easy to cut in half and only get one loaf. 

I love bread.