french bread

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cups warm water (room temperature)

1 tsp active dry yeast

3 1/2 cups white bread flour

2 tsp salt

PREPARATION

dough:

• Whisk the yeast into the flour in a large bowl.
• Add the warm water and stir with a wooden spoon until you get a wet dough.
• Clean the edges of the bowl with a spatula and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Wait for 20 minutes (this is called autolyse).
• Put the salt into the dough and mix in with the spoon until it is well distributed and the dough starts coming off the sides of the bowl.
• Take the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead by hand for 5 minutes to form the gluten structure of the bread (this will make it stronger and airier).
• Put the dough in the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap again. Let rest for an hour and a half, or until it has doubled in volume (alternatively, put the ingredients in a bread machine and press "dough").
• Take the dough out and cut in two with a dough cutter or a very sharp knife. Close up the seams.

shape:

• Stretch one piece into a rectangle. Fold up the long side into three as if it was a business letter. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll it towards you, pushing with your fingers with every turn to strengthen the dough. You should have a long roll. Repeat with the other piece.
• Place the rolls on a lightly oiled surface and cover with a towel. Let rest for an hour. Right before baking the rolls, score (cut the surface) in slices diagonally across the rolls.

bake:

• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 F (230 C) for 50 minutes. Put a baking sheet on the top shelf of the oven, as well as a heavy metal pot on the bottom shelf.
• Take out the hot sheet and sprinkle some flour onto it. Carefully place the rolls on the hot sheet and put them back in the oven.
• Before closing the oven, toss a glass of water (just the water) into the oven. This creates a steamy environment, which will lead to a crispy crust.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
• Put the bread on a cooling rack and let cool (this is an important step because it is when the texture inside is created).

(This is a work in progress)

Photography: Maria Cuellar

Techniques adapted from R.L.Beranbaum's The Bread Bible.