Recipes Dream: Easy French Bread

The smell of bread baking in the oven, is up there with some of the greatest smells of all time for my family. Watching the clock, waiting for the oven timer to sound telling us that the bread is ready, well almost ready as the painstaking cooling period so that it is ready to cut.

I have to admit that I let my family have it whilst it is still warm, mentally putting aside the old wives tales of it giving you a tummy ache if it is not completely cool. Well our willpower is not there when it comes to bread, often I will time it right so that we are heading out of the house whilst it is being left to cool so it is ready when returning from the school run!

Having tried many different bread recipes over the years, and having got through two breadmakers in this time (although I never did appreciate the hole in the base of a loaf when using one) nothing beats the kneading and effort put into creating the perfect tasting loaf (mine never will be supermarket shape perfect) but I think the Art part in an Artisan loaf is what I am heading towards.

To make one loaf ( I used a 2lb loaf tin)

1lb strong white bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon easy blend yeast
1 teaspoon sugar (I use caster as its what we always have in)
400ml warm water
oil for greasing the tin

Method

Put the flour, salt, yeast and sugar and mix together with a metal spoon

Add the water and start to combine with the spoon

Once very sticky & almost all the mixture combined, (remove any rings) and start working the dough with your hands.

I knead the dough in the bowl, about 5 minutes until it is quite shiny and small bubbles are just starting to form.

Pop back in the bowl and cover, then leave for 40 minutes

The dough will have risen significantly, knock it back and knead once again for 5 minutes before transferring it to the greased tin.

With a sharp knife put two slits in the top & then cover the tin with the upside down bowl (or a large plastic container) and leave for and hour to rise