Easy French bread


Apologies to French bread purists ! You want it stuffed or plain ?!

After several weeks of browsing and re-browsing two bread books .....

I finally made some !

The easiest as usual ....

Not the recipe from the books though lol

I've borrowed Peter Reinhart two bread books at the library few weeks ago but baked  Daily Delicious easy French bread recipe instead . Her bread really looks like a French baguette !

I've seen her recipe more than a year ago when Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover baked some fantastic French bread using the same recipe .


I even bought a French bread pan but sadly it can't fit into our oven so I just use it to prove the dough ...

I need to practice how to slash the top of the bread ^___^''

They look sort of bleeeeh hah !

That said , they tastes really good especially the one with the bacon , mozzarella cheese and chili sauce filling  !

I just can't resist adding that filling lol


Recipe adapted from Daily Delicious

Makes 2 ( 33 cm bread ) I made 1.5 of the recipe ( three 11-inch bread )

300 grams bread flour
1 tsp honey
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
200 ml water
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
some yellow cornmeal for dusting
2 cups hot water for baking

* Mix olive oil and water together ; combine flour and salt then add in the yeast and whisk to combine . Use a large spoon or a dough scraper to mix everything and knead briefly to bring ingredients together . Turn dough on a clean surface and knead until dough is soft and elastic ; if the dough is a bit dry , sprinkle with 1 to 2 tsp water .

*Put dough in a lightly oiled bowl ; let rise in a warm place until doubled in size .

* Place a parchment paper over a baking sheet or a French bread pan and sprinkle with some yellow cornmeal ; set aside .

* Transfer dough in a clean surface and divide it into two ; roll into balls and let dough rest for 10 minutes . Press the dough lightly and shape it into a long oval ; do the same with the other dough . Use the side of your hand , press the center of the dough , fold and seal  to create surface tension . Working from the center of the dough , roll the dough until you get a desired length .

* Place the shaped dough  into the prepared pan ; let dough rise until double in size .

* Preheat oven to 220°C . Place a roasting pan in the lowest shelf of the oven . With a very sharp knife , make a 3 to 4 diagonal slash/cut about 1/4-inch deep across the top of each loaf . Put bread in the oven and pour the hot water into the roasting pan . Bake for 10 minutes . Reduce the temperature to 200°C and bake for another 10 minutes or until bread is golden .


Where do you proof your bread dough during winter ? Mine is usually under the desk lamp  ^___^ 

Comments

  1. Hi Anne,
    I got to make some French Bread! I bought the pan, I think almost 2 years ago, yikes! and have not even used them before!!! And it is quite costly too!
    Your bread with the filling sounds so good!!
    Winter? Sometimes I wish we have winter over here! LOL!!

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    Replies
    1. Joyce , I bought the pan knowing that it won't fit our oven lol Good thing that it's still useful :P Mine's cheaper , only cost HK $ 89.

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  2. Oh, too bad the special pan can't fit into your oven, send it over here, I don't mind to have two units, hehehe.. Yes yes, this easy French bread is so good ! Thanks for the mentioned dear.,

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  3. Sonia , I'm looking for somebody to cut an inch or two of my French bread pan so that I can use it in baking lol

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  4. Wow... Didn't know the french bread pan is that costly... You are a good baker, Anne.

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  5. Sounds easy to do...we'll try this one, without the bread pan is OK too, right Anne? That bread of yours will definitely not last past 5 minutes on our table :) I also checked Sonia's one not long ago...but she had the special pan that made me put aside the idea for a while...

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    Replies
    1. Annie , it's okay not to use a bread pan , it may spread a little and your bread will be fine :D Or you can make your homemade couche , check this link couche

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  6. Hi Anne,

    I laughed seeing you proving your bread under your lamp. I must agree that proving bread during winter can be quite challenging. My friend likes to proof her bread under her electric blanket. I did mine in my power off oven with a few bowl of hot water :D

    Zoe

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  7. The filling idea is great. Like an easy sandwich :)
    Purity doesn't matter when your bread looks that good! It's perfect, really.

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  8. Don't sell yourself short, Anne, these look wonderful!!! Your sandwich is making my mouth water....mmmmmmmm....

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  9. Oh I'm so impressed! this bread looks great! I've never been brave enough to make any!
    Mary x

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  10. Your french bread looks perfect with a bowl of curry to dip in, Anne! Love how crusty it is.

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  11. I love it STUFFED! Looks mouthwatering!

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  12. Anne,
    Your bread looks delish with the loaded fillings.
    I like like like the beautiful crust of your bread.
    Yum yum!
    Mui

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  13. this looks good. i need to practise on how to slash the bread too and so afraid of deflating it! no winter here so i can just let it proof anywhere except the toilets..haha!

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  14. Your French Loaf looks awesome. I love the one with fillings too. :P I usually proof my bread in a warm oven. So, I pre-heat it to certain temperature, turn in off and put my dough in it covered. It works out well every time. :)

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  15. Anne, your french bread looks really good and I would like it stuffed, although I have never eaten stuffed before.

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  16. Your French bread looks perfect to me. I love the stuffed version too!

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  17. these look beautiful! and i love the chili sauce spin on it...i have given up baking bread since we moved to a place with a walking distance bakery, but i miss it sometimes when i see recipes like this!

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  18. Hi Anne, your French loaf look beautiful, very well baked. I like stuffed or just toast until crispy with butter then sprinkle castor sugar on top. This is delicious to go with mushroom soup or any curry.

    Best regards.

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  19. LOL... proving bread dough under desk lamp, now that is an amazing idea! Never thought of that before. Lovely baguette & the texture is perfecto! Yummy! ;)

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