Kelly of The Pink Apron tagged me to share 7 random facts about myself. Being tagged just totally made my day. The rules are that you have to provide the link of the person who tagged you, and you have to tag 7 others to do the same. Anyways, on with the facts!
- I am 13 years old, and I am in 8th grade *shock*
- After I wash my face, I put lotion on. Then I always wash my hands.
- I have a phobia of vomiting and also of flies.
- Persimmon is my favorite fruit.
- I currently don't play any instrument but I'm planning on learning guitar.
- I don't know what I want to be when "I grow up".
- I have had over 30 goldfish/salt water fish.
I tag...
- Cassie of How to eat a cupcake
- Sara of Sara's Kitchen
- Adam of Baking with Dynamite
- Barbara of Barbara Bakes
- Katherine of Smoky Mountain Cafe
- Mary Ann of Meet Me in the Kitchen
Now, on with the bread! I made this bread because I always bring lunch and I needed some bread fo my sandwich. I had always bought french bread from Albertsons but I decided that if Albertsons could make it, why couldn't I? I tried this bread 2 times and the first time, I divided the dough in half but the second time, I made 4 baguettes. This not only helped the bread get baked more evenly, but it also made a better size for sandwiches. I kneaded this bread using my kitchenaid dough hook. Because I used my KA, it was very very easy. And very fun (because it was easy). It was also very delicious.
I measured them out to each be about 13.5 ounces
about 8x10 inches.
before rise
After! And I also did the slashes!
French Bread; makes 4 skinny loaves or 2 huge loaves
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 cups flour
2 tablespoons dry yeast
cornmeal (for dusting baking sheet)
1 egg, beaten lightly i ended up not even using 1/4 of it, and had to throw it away.
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 cups flour
2 tablespoons dry yeast
cornmeal (for dusting baking sheet)
1 egg, beaten lightly i ended up not even using 1/4 of it, and had to throw it away.
Directions
Pour warm water into a large, warm mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, salt, oil, 3 cups of flour, and yeast. Beat vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour until all dry ingredients are incorporated, leaving spoon right in batter. Allow dough to rest 10 minutes; then stir down.
Allow dough to rest another 10 minutes and stir down again. Repeat this process until dough has been stirred down 5 times. urn dough onto floured surface. Knead only enough to coat the dough with flour so it can be handled. Divide dough into 4 parts. Roll each half into a rectangle approximately 8x10 inches, and roll up like a jelly roll starting from the long side.
Pinch ends to seal. Arrange on a large baking sheet that has been dusted with cornmeal, leaving enough room for both loaves. Cover lightly and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
With a very sharp knife, cut 3 diagonal slashes on top of each loaf. Brush each loaf with beaten egg. Bake immediately at 400°F for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire racks.
Pour warm water into a large, warm mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, salt, oil, 3 cups of flour, and yeast. Beat vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour until all dry ingredients are incorporated, leaving spoon right in batter. Allow dough to rest 10 minutes; then stir down.
Allow dough to rest another 10 minutes and stir down again. Repeat this process until dough has been stirred down 5 times. urn dough onto floured surface. Knead only enough to coat the dough with flour so it can be handled. Divide dough into 4 parts. Roll each half into a rectangle approximately 8x10 inches, and roll up like a jelly roll starting from the long side.
Pinch ends to seal. Arrange on a large baking sheet that has been dusted with cornmeal, leaving enough room for both loaves. Cover lightly and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
With a very sharp knife, cut 3 diagonal slashes on top of each loaf. Brush each loaf with beaten egg. Bake immediately at 400°F for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire racks.
My thoughts:
This bread was so yummy. Compared to the other breads that I have made, this did not really taste of flour, which was good. I liked it fresh out of the oven, but eating it the next day was also equally as yummy. I reccommend this bread for beginners in bread making. I also liked this bread because you don't need a bread machine. But I would do something to make the crust harder. I splashed some water during the end but I think I did it wrong. Next time, I'll pay more attention to the directions of how to splash water in the oven. But beware, splashing water is kind of scary. The sizzling sound made my heart jump.
