Crusty French Loaf Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the warm water and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
• Add the yeast and stir gently to mix.
• Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine 4 cups of the flour and the salt. Beat on low speed just until combined.
• Slowly add the yeast mixture and beat just until incorporated about 1 minute.
• Increase the speed to medium low to medium and beat for 10 minutes adding more flour, about 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough is elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (I used speed 4 on my Artisan when I still had it and now use speed 2 with my P600).
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute.
• Form into a ball and dust lightly with flour.
• Sprinkle a little flour into a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. 45-60 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Punch down the dough and knead for a few seconds.
• Form the dough into a ball and return to the bowl again.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. 20- 30 minutes.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and punch down.
• Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball.
• Let rest 5 minutes.
• Line a french bread pan with a clean kitchen towel (a large flour sack towel works well) and sprinkle with a little flour.
• Roll each ball into a log with tapered ends, about the length of the pan, and place on the towel in the pan. Cover with the overhanging edges of the towel and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
• Position an oven rack in the lowest position of the oven, and place a baking pan 1/3 full of boiling water on the rack.
• Preheat oven to 425 F (220C).
• Gently lift the towel holding the loaves off of the pan, taking care not to let the loaves touch each other and set on a work surface.
• Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray and using the towel as a guide gently flip each loaf into a well in the pan.
• Brush off excess flour.
• Using a sharp knife, make 3-5 diagonal slashes in the loaves about 1/4 inch deep (6mm).
• Brush with the beaten egg white mixture.
• Bake on center rack until the bread sounds hollow when tapped, about 30-35 minutes.
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool the loaves in the pan until room temperature.

Steps:

• 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, 6-8 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 375°. 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, 25-30 minutes. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
• Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.
• Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.
• With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water. Add the sugar, salt, shortening, remaining water and 3-1/2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Do not knead. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Turn onto a floured surface. Divide in half; let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into a 10x8-in. rectangle. Roll up from a long side; pinch to seal. Place seam side down on 2 greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Sprinkle the tops with cornmeal. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. , With a very sharp knife, make 5 diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf. Bake at 400° until lightly browned, 20-30 minutes. Remove from pans to wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1 1/2 cups warm (105° to 115°F) water. Let stand until the yeast bubbles. Stir in the salt and half the flour. Let stand for 5 minutes, until bubbly.
• Stir in the rest of the flour a little at a time until a soft dough forms. If necessary, you may need to add more flour, a tablespoon at a time (depending on the climate: in warm, moist conditions, you'll need a bit more flour; in very dry, arid places, like Minnesota in the winter, you may need to add a bit more water).
• Cover, and let the dough stand for 15 minutes until it begins to rise.
• Turn out onto a very lightly floured board and knead until the dough is smooth and feels as if all the lumps of flour are gone.
• Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about an hour.
• Divide the dough into three parts to make baguettes. Shape each into a long, narrow loaf. Place on a lightly greased, dark, rimless cookie sheet (not one that is insulated), with the smoothest side of the loaf up. Cover and let rise again for 45 minutes, until puffy.
• Position the oven racks on the very bottom, the center, and the upper center of the oven. Place a rimmed cookie sheet filled with lake or river rocks on the very bottom level. Preheat the oven at 465°F (regular bake) for at least 20 minutes. Center a baking stone or 6 unglazed tiles on the center rack (place the tiles 1 to 2 inches apart for air circulation).
• When the dough has risen until puffy, slash the loaves with a sharp, serrated knife diagonally across the top in three or four places, about 1/4 inch deep. Reduce the oven temperature to convection bake at 450°F. Using a spray bottle filled with plain water, spritz the loaves generously. Pour 3/4 to 1 cup cool water into the pan of rocks beneath (a sport water bottle works well).
• Bake on the center rack (on preheated tiles) for 15 minutes, until the loaves are browned and crusty. Remove the bread from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
• Alternate Mixing Directions
• Bread machine: Measure all the ingredients into the container of a bread machine and program the machine for the "dough" setting. When the dough is ready, continue with step 6.
• Food Processor: Measure the yeast and dry ingredients into the container of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Turn the processor on and slowly add the water through the feed tube; process until the dough is smooth and shiny and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover, and let rise until the dough is doubled.
• Sheaves of Wheat
• After rising (step 8), snip the loaves with scissors at a 45-degree angle, pulling each snipped piece outward on opposite sides so that the loaves resemble sheaves of wheat.
• Sun-Dried Tomato Baguettes
• Soak 1/2 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain well and pat dry. Knead into the dough in step 4. Proceed as directed.
• Kalamata Olive Loaf
• Pit and chop 1/2 cup well-drained Kalamata olives and add to the dough in step 4. Shape the dough into a round loaf and place on a lightly greased, dark, rimless (noninsulated) cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes, until puffy. Preheat the oven as directed in step 7. Before baking, slash the loaf diagonally with a serrated knife or razor blade across the top in three places. Bake at the temperature given in step 8 for 20 to 25 minutes or until crusty and browned. Cool on a wire rack.
• Walnut-Fig Loaf
• Chop 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/2 cup dried figs. Knead into the dough in step 4. Shape the dough into a round loaf and place on a lightly greased, dark, rimless (noninsulated) cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes, until puffy. Preheat the oven as directed in step 7. Before baking, slash the loaf diagonally with a serrated knife or razor blade across the top in three places. Bake at the temperature given in step 8 for 20 to 25 minutes or until crusty and browned. Cool on a wire rack.
• crusty rustic loaves
• There are a few important things involved in getting a crusty baguette or a rustic bread to turn out perfectly:
• First, the dough-it's a simple mixture of flour, salt, yeast, and water. It must be moist rather than dry and stiff. I've found that I can get beautiful results whether I mix the dough by hand, with a steel blade, in the food processor, or in the bread machine. The trick is to create a dough that is moist enough to form big bubbles inside so that the baked loaf has an open texture. Moistness also contributes to a crunchy, chewy crust.
• The second important thing is to produce steam in the oven. I do this by preheating a pan of 1-inch rocks on the bottom shelf of the oven. I use a 12 1/2 × 17 1/2-inch rimmed pan filled with river rocks or landscape rocks. To create the steam, I squirt about a cupful of water onto the hot rocks, creating a burst of steam after I place the loaves in the oven.
• Third, hot air in the convection oven circulates the heat and steam around the baking loaves to create a crunchy crust.
• Rustic loaves require stabilized high heat. This can be accomplished by preheating tiles in the oven (on a rack in the center) to mimic a brick oven. The tiles help to maintain a high heat. Plain unglazed tiles from a flooring supply store work well. You can also place a baking stone into the oven if you have one. A kit called the "Hearthstone" kit works beautifully but is expensive. Because it is sometimes difficult and messy to transfer loaves directly onto preheated tiles or stones, I simply place the shaped loaves on a dark, noninsulated, rimless cookie sheet to rise and then set the cookie sheet right on the preheated tiles to bake.
• If you do not have the pan of rocks or tiles, at least be sure to use a dark, noninsulated, rimless cookie sheet for baking the bread and spray the oven and risen loaves with plain water before and during baking. This does not produce as nice a crust as outlined in step 4 but is a good compromise.