2008 April 06 | Chickens in the Road

Archive for April 6th, 2008

Apr
6

Breads, The Farmhouse Table

I love a baking experiment! And when I got this comment on my Hot, Crusty French Bread, I knew it had to be done!

I love your website but I do have one question: I made this bread two days ago and it was wonderful. But I was wondering if you thought it was okay to add a little oil and let it proof a second time in a 1-1/2 pound loaf pan so that I get a more sandwich bread shape? I’m new to bread baking and have limited tools on my student budget, but I like the texture of this bread so much that I would like to use it for sandwiches. Thanks, Adam

First of all, do we not love Adam? How cool is he? A college guy who bakes! (Girls, grab him while you can!)

Back to the bread…. Sandwich bread from my favorite french bread recipe! It is, after all, the recipe of a thousand breads, and this sounds like one more excellent idea. Taking off from the original recipe and thinking in terms of making enough dough to really fill out a loaf pan, here’s my variation on how to make French Sandwich Loaf:

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 package yeast
(rapid-rise recommended)
1-1/2 cup warm water
salt to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a large bowl, combine water with yeast, salt, and oil. Let sit for five minutes. Stir in flour until the dough is stiff enough to knead. (Don’t go adding all that flour at once! Add a little at a time. Four cups flour is approximate; exact amount may vary and you may need less.) Knead dough until smooth and elastic–a few minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl; cover. Let rise until doubled. Punch down using extra flour; shape and place in a greased loaf pan. Let rise a second time. Bake for approximately 45 minutes in a 375-degree oven.

This makes a fabulous sandwich bread! A totally different texture from sandwich bread made from Grandmother Bread, but hey, life is so much more fun with variations! And this is a great one. I loved it!! In fact, it reminded me a little of sourdough sandwich bread, without the sourdough hassle.

Let me know what you think, and wow, isn’t Adam wonderful? Think he’ll wait till Princess grows up? Cuz she’s gonna need a guy who bakes. She’s kinda lazy….