Southern Style Cooking: Week 3: An Easy French Bread and Kneading

Monday, April 26, 2021

Week 3: An Easy French Bread and Kneading

Week 3 - An Easy French Bread and Kneading

Whether you're having it with dinner or using it for sandwiches, French bread is a classic that people are often too intimidated to make. In France, all bread is French, but what we mean here is a long loaf with an airy, springy inside and a crust that is just between crunchy and chewy. The steps are essentially the same as the crusty loaf we made last week, but now we're introducing kneading into the mix. Kneading requires a bit of elbow grease, but we promise the pay-off is worth it. The act of kneading develops a structure in the flour and the shape of these bonds allows air bubbles to form, establishing the texture of the bread.

Ingredients

•	2 cups warm water (95 F to 110 F)
•	2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
•	2 tablespoons sugar
•	2 teaspoons salt
•	5 1/2 cups bread flour (approximately)
•	Optional: 1 large egg white (lightly beaten)
•	Optional: sesame seeds or poppy seeds

How to Make a Classic, Crusty French Bread

1. Gather the ingredients. In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, sugar, and salt. Stir until dissolved.

2. Mix in flour, a little at a time, until a soft dough is formed. Turn dough out onto a floured board and knead it for about 8 minutes.

3. Put the dough in a greased bowl and flip the dough over so that all of the dough including the dough top is lightly greased. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 hour or until double in size.

4. Punch down the dough in the bowl, then tip it onto a floured surface and give the dough a quick 2-minute knead. Divide the dough into 2 equal halves. Shape each half into a long loaf.

5. Place loaves onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Make about 5 diagonal slits with a razor blade or a very sharp knife, 3/4-inch deep, into the top of each loaf. Cover loaves and let rise for 45 minutes or until double in size. While the dough is proofing again, heat the oven to 400 F. Optional: Brush the loaves with beaten egg white for a shiny crust, and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Bake for 5 minutes.

6. Remove loaves from the oven and use a mister to lightly spray the tops of loaves with cold water. Turn the oven down to 350 F and bake loaves for another 25 minutes or until done. Remove loaves from the baking sheet and let cool on a rack. Serve and enjoy!