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Crusty French Loaf

Reggie Dwork <reggie@jeff-and-reggie.com>
Sun, 02 Apr 2023 21:02:12 -0700
v123.n008.5
* Exported from MasterCook *

                         Bread, Crusty French Loaf

Recipe By     : Deanna Naivar
Serving Size  : 16    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Bread                           Bread-Bakers Mailing List
                 Low Fat                         Posted

   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   2 1/4            tsp  active dry yeast -- (1/4 oz)
   1                cup  water -- warm, (110 to 115F)
   2        tablespoons  sugar
   2        tablespoons  canola oil
   1 1/2      teaspoons  salt
   3               cups  all-purpose flour -- (to 3 1/4C)
                         Cornmeal
   1              large  egg white
   1           teaspoon  water -- cold

A delicate texture makes this French bread absolutely wonderful. I 
sometimes use this French bread recipe to make breadsticks, which I 
brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic powder.

Prep: 20 min. + rising
Bake: 25 min.
Makes: 1 loaf (16 pieces)

How do you proof yeast?
Don't be hesitant to work with yeast. Proofing yeast is simple. Just 
grab some warm water, a bit of sugar and yeast and mix together. The 
yeast should bubble and froth. Just keep an eye on the temperature.

How do you make bread soft and fluffy?
Wondering why your bread is so dense? Want fluffy bread instead? Make 
sure you're giving the bread dough enough time to proof. To proof 
bread, make sure you have a warm space in your home. Warmth and 
humidity will help the yeast to grow and bubble up. These gas bubbles 
will help make your bread nice and airy.

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, oil, salt 
and 2 cups flour. Beat until blended. Stir in enough remaining flour 
to form a stiff dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 
minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover 
and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough 
down; return to bowl. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375F. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured 
surface. Shape into a 16x2 1/2-in. loaf with tapered ends. Sprinkle 
cornmeal over a greased baking sheet; place loaf on baking sheet. 
Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes.

Beat egg white and cold water; brush over dough. With a sharp knife, 
make diagonal slashes 2 in. apart across top of loaf. Bake until 
golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

Cal 109, Fat 2g, Carb 20g, Sod 225mg, Fiber 1g, Pro 3g

Review: Full of flavor!! I was skeptical about the amount of sugar 
involved thinking would be sweet, not at all, the salt amount 
balances it very well. Yes, It's a dens bread, chewy I would say. I 
have made many breads this one by far is one of my favorites because 
it feels very homemade style. Im guessing some might hove found it 
too dense if they left the dough too dry to touch. I suggest you use 
2.5 cups of flour then add little by little after until you get the 
desired texture. Yummy yummy bread.

Review: This is glorious and turned out just like the bread I used to 
make, I do like a much longer rise time, since I have the time now. 
Making more loaves today! SO is super happy and a happy SO is a happy 
household. Thank you.

Review: Made this for a girls night dinner and made garlic butter. I 
served it with lasagna and Caesar salad. Everyone loved it. There 
wasn't a crumb left. I made another loaf tonight. Definitely a 
keeper. Thanks for sharing.

Review: I made this today, had absolutely no problems, after two cups 
of flour I just added flour slowly but I think it was just about 31/2 
cups. So soft and delicious. So quick to make and so worth it. Thumbs up

Review: Incredible recipe! However, mine turns out more like Italian 
bread than French. I have made it several times (and everyone loves 
it), but I allow for a longer time rising during each session. If you 
have a lot of humidity in your house, that might make a difference 
and might cause the final loaf being flattened. I do use olive oil 
instead of canola. I also use 2 1/2 cups of flour and gradually go up 
to the 3 cups in the recipe depending how it is reacting during the 
kneading process.

Review: I made this a month ago and since then my family has demanded 
I make it twice a week and I have yet found it to be bad it always 
turns out great recipe thank you

Review: I made this using my bread maker on the dough cycle and it 
turned out beautifully.  A little more dense than store bought French 
loaves, but it had a wonderful taste.  It made for excellent French 
Toast the next morning!

Review: I followed the recipe, and it turned out fantastic! I will 
keep this recipe! The next time I make this, I am going to cut my 
loaf before my last rise. I tested two different recipes at the same 
time, and the other recipe I tried from another website suggested 
making the cuts on the top of the bread before the last rise before 
baking. Other than that, this bread was just like store bought french 
bread from my local bakery, and so much CHEAPER!!

Review: If you'd like a crustier french bread put a shallow pan with 
boiling water on the floor of the oven before baking.

Review: Easy recipe, bread turned out wonderful! It looks great and 
tastes great! Family loved it, definitely a keeper. It's not 
hard-crunchy crust like artisain French bread, it's more like store 
bought French bread. Delicious!

Review: Made it exactly as directed.  Perfect!!   Great texture, 
lovely brown slightly crunchy crust.

Review: Wonderful bread. Seems silly to make just one loaf so I make 
a double recipe. Great with Meatballs, or anything you want a good 
slice of bread with. Only problem with making this is that there are 
no leftovers!

Review: This was my first time making bread and it was easy! It 
turned out great and was delicious! I took the advice from the other 
reviewers and doubled the recipe and froze the 2nd loaf, also I didnt 
have any cornmeal on hand so I skipped that and it still turned out great.

Review: Instead of using all-purpose flour I used whole wheat flour. 
I was disappointed with myself, not the recipe, because I cooked it a 
little too long. The bread fooled me like cookies tend to do, it felt 
and looked like it needed to be cooked longer but if I just would 
have pulled it out of the oven when the timer beeped it would have 
been perfect!

Review: We had a brunch yesterday and we made a toast spread (avocado 
toast, mushroom and gruyere cheese, ricotta and honey with pears. I 
doubled this recipe and the bread came out better than pictured. Last 
weekend I made this French bread 
recipe:  https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/french-loaves/. This one 
compared to the other one was more dense. I may try and omit the 
sugar. I find the sweetness unnecessary. Very easy recipe and 
everyone loved the bread at the brunch, especially toasted.

S(Internet address):
   https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/crusty-french-loaf/
                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 109 Calories; 2g Fat (16.3% 
calories from fat); 3g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 
0mg Cholesterol; 204mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean 
Meat; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : 2021 - 0430