It is definitely bread baking weather. I cut this recipe out of a Gourmet magazine many years ago and it still remains a favorite. No better way to heat up the house in freezing weather than baking some bread.
French Bread
1 small cake fresh yeast
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1-3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 generous teaspoon salt
6 cups sifted bread flour
Glaze: 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cold water
1. Rub the cake yeast and the 2 teaspoons sugar together in a bowl until they become liquid. Add the lukewarm water and salt.
2. Place the sifted flour in a large bowl, make a hollow in the center, add liquid mixture, and blend the whole to form a smooth, elastic dough. Brush the top with some melted butter and let the dough stand over a pan containing hot, but not boiling water, until it has doubled in bulk.
3. Toss the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead it about 30 seconds, then return to the bowl and let rise again.
4. Shape the dough into a long loaf about 15-inches long and 3-inches high; place the loaf on a lightly floured baking sheet. Brush it with melted butter and let it rise again, uncovered in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk.
5. Bake the loaf in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, brush it quickly with melted butter or hot water. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake another 30 minutes. About 10 minutes before the bread is done, combine all glaze ingredients and brush quickly over loaf. The glaze must be done as rapidly as possible to produce the shiny crust.
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