French bread
A simple recipe for a timeless classic. Delicious.
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Servings
2 baguettes
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Serves
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Ingredients
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Nutritional information
Values shown are approximate.
| kCals | Fat (g) | Saturated fat (g) | Salt (g) | Carbohydrates (g) | Sugar (g) | Fibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 333 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 73.0 | 2.6 | 3.0 |
Method
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Step 1
Stir the dried yeast and sugar into the water and leave until yeast has completely dissolved and mixture is frothy (about 10 mins) in a warm place or blend the fresh yeast with the water. Crush the ascorbic acid tablet and stir into the yeast liquid.
Step 2
Mix the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast liquid to the flour all at once, and mix to a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead by folding the dough towards you and then pushing down away from you. this takes about 10 mins. Place dough in a greased polythene bag and leave to rise for 20 mins in a warm place.
Step 3
Divide dough into 2, and gently roll each piece into an oblong approx 41cm long. Gently roll up the dough swiss-roll fashion and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Make 5 diagonal slashes 6cm apart along the length of the loaf. Brush with salt water.
Step 4
Leave the dough uncovered in a warm place for 1½ hours. Meanwhile preheat oven to 220°C/425°F/ Gas Mark 7 with a bowl of water at the bottom of the oven. Put proved loaves in the oven.
Step 5
After 15 mins remove the bowl of water and bake until the loaves are very crisp and well-browned (about 15-20 mins). The shaped dough is proved uncovered so that the surface dries out and a very crisp crust is obtained. This can only be done when the volume of dough is as small as in this case, otherwise the bread splits open on baking.