French Bread

Category: Cakes and Bakes

Ingredients

2 teaspoons dried yeast + 1 teaspoon sugar (or 15g fresh yeast) 250ml/half pint hand hot water 25mg tablet ascorbic acid 400g strong white flour 1 teaspoon salt

Method

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. 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. Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat the procedure, gradually developing a rocking rhythm. Continue kneading until the dough is firm and no longer sticky - this takes about 10 mins. Place dough in a greased polythene bag and leave to rise for 20 mins in a warm place. 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. Leave the dough uncovered in a warm place for 1½ to 13/4 hours. Bake in a hot oven 220°C/425°F/ Gas Mark 7 with a bowl of water at the bottom of the oven. After 15 mins remove the bowl of water and bake until the loaves are very crisp and well-browned (about 15-20 mins). (Tip: 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). PER 100g 333 Kcal, fat 1.4g, saturated fat 0.2g, salt 1.2g, carbohydrate 73g, sugar 2.6g, fibre 3g