Home-made Bread......enough said!
My husband grew up in Europe. Bread there is fresh, full of variety, and usually purchased daily according to his memory of home. Here in America we have shelves of bread that we may never know when it was baked. If we buy bread at the store, it is from the bakery department and usually is the fresher "French Bread". It is gobbled down and rarely makes it to supper time.
I have tried, in vain, for years to make a bread that Alex likes. Various recipes online, an entire bread book, and many blogs later I have found........the ONE! My new favorite email of the week is sent by The Prairie Homestead. www.theprairiehomestead.com or find them on Facebook. She is down to earth, has tons of ideas for what we are also trying to accomplish on our homestead, and is now sending 5 tips a week that are practical. I am in LOVE! Simple, practical, and DIY are my favorite things :) I have yet to try her recipe for bagels, but her French Bread recipe is AWESOME! We have made it 4 times already since it was emailed January 7. Below I included her recipe, but feel free to check out her blog for helpful pictures for each step here : BREAD
Easy Homemade French Bread
- 1 1/4 cup warm water (80-90 degrees)
- 2 teaspoons sucanat (sugar will work)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Instructions
- Place yeast and sucanat in large bowl
- Stir in warm water until everything dissolves
- Add salt, and stir in as much flour as you can to create a soft, pliable dough that isn't too sticky
- Knead on a lightly floured surface 6-8 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic
- Return dough to bowl and cover with kitchen towel
- Allow to rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size
- Plop risen dough back on counter top and divide in half
- Roll each half into a rectangular shape of about 10" by 8"
- Roll up rectangle starting with a long side
- Pinch ends to seal and shape into a "log"
- If seam doesn't stick, use wet fingers to moisten dough until it adheres
- Grease pizza stone or stoneware baking sheet and place loaves on it to rise another 30 minutes
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees,
- Optional: to give loaves a shiny brown finish prepare an egg wash by beating one egg with one tablespoon of water
- Right before you pop loaves in oven, brush tops with egg wash and make 4 diagonal slashes across top using sharp, serrated knife
- Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown
- Allow to cool on wire racks before serving
- Serve warm with lots of butter
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