This French bread recipe has been perfected to my satisfaction crunchy on the outside and soft airiness on the inside I hope you enjoy these stunning loaves
Prep Time
1 hr 30 mins
Dificult
Medium
Servings
2 hrs 5 mins
Ingredients
Instructions
Place the sourdough starter
water
olive oil
salt
sugar
yeast
and flour in that order into the pan of a bread machine
set the machine on the dough cycle
and start the machine.
After the machine has finished its cycle
turn the dough out onto a floured surface
and knead several times; mix in more flour if the dough is very sticky. Cut the dough in half
and roll each piece of dough out into a rectangle about 8 by 12 inches and 1/2-inch thick. Roll the rectangles into loaves the long way
pinch the seams
and taper and pinch the ends of the loaves.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
and sprinkle paper with cornmeal. Place the loaves gently onto the prepared baking sheets
cover loosely with plastic wrap
and let rise in a warm place until doubled
about 30 minutes.
Place a large baking stone onto the center rack of oven
and place a baking dish onto a lower rack. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Carefully pour boiling water into the baking dish.
Remove plastic wrap from loaves
and slash several 1/2-inch deep cuts into each loaf with a sharp knife. Whisk egg yolk and milk together in a small bowl until thoroughly mixed
and brush the loaves with the egg yolk mixture.
Place the loaves into the preheated oven on top of the baking stone
and quickly spray the inside of the oven 4 or 5 times with a water-filled spray bottle. Shut oven door; wait 1 minute
and spray again; repeat twice more
spraying the oven 4 times with water at 1-minute intervals.
Bake about 15 minutes
and remove the water-filled baking dish. Continue to bake until the bread is browned and the loaves make a hollow sound when thumped
about 15 more minutes. Remove bread to cool on racks.
Cook's Notes
The sourdough starter is a large amount
so be sure to make it ahead of time if you don't have enough.
The bread machine
baking stone
and spraying of the oven are all optional and serve to make a more perfect loaf of French bread.
