In trying to be a good steward of my time, I decided not to post recipes just for the sake of posting. I plan to use my blog if someone asks me for a recipe or if I try a new recipe I think others might enjoy. Thus the reason I haven't posted anything in March!
Recently my sister wrote about a homemade French bread she tried that is actually ready from start to finish in two hours! Bread hasn't really been my forte' in the past but I have tried this recipe and am happy to report I had good success with it--the second time anyway! The first time I made it, everything was going along nicely and the loaves (it makes 2) were just about ready to go into the oven when the power went off and stayed off for about three hours! The bread deflated some but I decided to go ahead and bake it when the power came back on. The loaves were a little flat, but the flavor was still very good. This week I made homemade spaghetti sauce and decided to try the bread again. It worked perfectly. It's so nice to have two loaves--one to keep and one to share. I am planning to try a new recipe for Easter dinner (surprise, surprise!) and I'll post it--if the power doesn't go out while I'm in the process!
French Bread
2 T. active dry yeast
2 c. warm water (110-115 degrees)
2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
4-1/2 to 5 c. bread flour
1 t. cornmeal
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add the salt, sugar and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into two 12 inch long loaves. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cornmeal. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Click here for a printable version of this recipe.
