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 ^___^