Baking French bread

1.        Background

Excellent French bread is hard to find in the United States – and expensive.  In Seattle you’ll often see a good baguette priced at ten times what a loaf costs in France (though Pike Place

market has “Le Panier”, an excellent and reasonably priced bakery that has offerings far beyond the simple baguette).  But baking an excellent baguette requires some adjustments in an American kitchen, including:

• The right equipment, including a bread pan and oven stone
• The right technique, with particular attention to kneading the dough long enough
• The right materials, especially bread flour, as general purpose flour in the U.S. doesn’t have a gluten content that is high enough.  And, even using good bread flour, you can benefit from adding gluten flour.

2.        Tools for French bread

  MIXER OR BREAD MACHINE?

 The appearance of bread machines on the American market about 20 years ago had one positive affect: it started more people down the path of baking at home.  The machines are useful in producing an acceptable loaf of bread with a minimum of work.  However, for a good French loaf you’ll be able to use them only to mix the flour, yeast, water, salt and sugar.   You could also allow the dough to go through the first rise in a bread machine, though it isn’t generally recommended because they’ll heat your dough on first rise. 

 

OVEN STONE

 The addition of two to three pounds of dough to a hot oven can reduce the temperature surrounding the loaf by 100^o F (38⁰ C) as the loaf is introduced – and a constant application of heat is necessary to set the crust well.  Without the controls of a professional oven, the best way to overcome this at home is to add thermal mass with an oven stone.  A typical oven stone will cost about $30 to $50 but note that it is also essential to producing a crisp pizza – and is useful with just about any baking.

Bread pan on a cooling rack -- with an oven stone at the top.

BREAD PAN

 You can bake a baguette without one but these semi-circular pans support the bread well; provide efficient heat flow to the base of the loaf; are easy to handle when moving the loaf in or out of the oven; and make the use of a corn meal base more effective.  I’ve had well-risen loaves collapse during transfer to the oven when using an ordinary baking sheet, so I’d never be without a good bread pan.

COOLING RACK

 Once you have your technique perfected, you want the bread to cool as quickly as it heated.  Rather than allow it to rest in a hot bread pan, where portions of it will continue to bake, it is best to get it onto a rack to cool.  If only so that you can eat it sooner.

3.       Materials/ingredients

 FLOUR:  Standard American baking flours, like General Mills’ Gold Medal All-Purpose flour, simply do not have enough gluten content to make a good loaf of bread.  You’re better with Gold Medal bread flour or any of the bread flours from Stone-Buhr, King Arthur or other specialty millers.  Also pay attention to whether your flour is bleached or unbleached.  I tend to prefer unbleached flours for taste.

 YEAST:  I’ve tried all of the common American yeasts, both ordinary and fast-rising.  The biggest difference that you’ll find is in price.  Small sachets of yeast good only for one batch of bread may be $2 in the grocery store, while Costco will sell you two pounds of active dry yeast for less than $4.

 Your two pounds of Costco yeast will last two years, even baking French bread weekly but careful attention needs be taking to keeping the yeast away from moisture.  I don’t even trust plastic Tupperware containers for this but seal the yeast in Mason jars with a rubber-ringed lid, then refrigerate the yeast.  A two-pound bag of yeast will fill two Mason jars – but also keeps well for up to two years.

 Note too that fast-rising yeasts are unnecessary for baking French bread and can be more costly. 

 WATER:  Water to initiate the rising of your yeast should be 100-110^o F (38-43^o C), which will be warm to the touch but not scalding.

 SUGAR:  The sugar that you’re using is present for taste.  It takes yeast about 12 hours to break down the cane sugar that you’re likely using in your dough, so unless you’re creating a poolish or letting your dough sit overnight, it isn’t contributing to yeast action.

 SALT:  Salt too is present for taste.  It can be eliminated, if dietary requirements restrict salt.

4.       French Bread Recipe

  Printable copy here.

1.5 cups                  Water                                                375 ml

3 cups                     Bread (not all-purpose) flour            750 ml                   

2 Tbsp                     Gluten flour                                        30 ml

1.5 tsp                     Salt*                                                    7 ml

1 Tbsp                     Sugar                                                  15 ml

1 Tbsp                     Bread yeast                                        15 ml

                                    Corn meal

                                    Cooking oil

* salt is recommended but is optional for those on low-salt diets

DIRECTIONS:

This recipe calls for 3 risings and takes about 3 hours total to complete.  If two loaves is too much to use in 24 hours, you can cover the dough and refrigerate half after the first rise.

The dough holds well for up to 12 hours, though it will take about one hour to bring it and the pan back to room temperature before the second rise.

Toss 1/2 cup (125 ml) water into hot oven as the bread pan and dough goes in.  The steam helps form the outer crust of the bread.

Bake bread for seven minutes – then crack oven door to let out steam and heat -- and reduce temperature to 400 ^o (205^o C) for about another five minutes.  Remove to cooling rack.

The kneading surface, prepared with 2 Tbsp flour, one spread and one in reserve.

5.     Kneading   

7.        Variations of Technique

Shortening rise time: can be accomplished by heating your oven for 90 seconds at 250^o F (121^o C).  Each rise should be 15-30 minutes shorter.  However, professional bakers argue for longer, cooler rises that can be accomplished at room temperature.

Pre-fermenting: because yeast adds flavor to the bread and longer rises allow a richer flavor, many bakers, including Peter Reinhart (see “References” below) use a pre-fermented mix of dough, water and yeast.  However, it doubles the amount of time required and the poolish is sticky and difficult to handle.

8.         References

There are dozens of books with instructions for baking French bread.  Below is a prioritized list of our top choices – and why.

 The Way to Cook, Julia Child, Alfred A. Knopf, 1989.  This book is marvelously illustrated, particularly in explaining kneading.  It is also a first-class resource for other breads and brioche. 

 The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, Peter Reinhart, Ten Speed Press, 2001.  Probably the most-complete book about bread baking, its tools and techniques, written by a former professional baker.  Wonderfully illustrated.  Reinhart presents many more alternative ways to baking and strongly recommends using pre-ferments or poolishs.  A very complete collection of recipes – and alternatives in the process of bread making. 

 The New Professional Chef, Culinary Institute of America, 1991.  A professional’s guide to preparing French bread and other yeast doughs.  The “troubleshooting” sections are excellent. 

 My Life in France, Julia Child and Alex Prud’homme, Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.  Insight into the history of American cooking and how diligent the late Julia Child was in her development of recipes for the American kitchen.